Recommended compact travel prime or zoom for Canon EOS R6?

Tokyo is a lot of walking, so ditching the 24-70 is definitely the right call. For an R6 user on a budget, sticking to primes is the best way to keep the weight down without losing that low-light edge you need for the city at night. Ive looked at most of the RF lineup for travel and these are the most practical routes:

• The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM is the best overall pick. It gives you a natural field of view for street photography and the f/1.8 aperture is excellent for those neon-lit streets. Plus, the 0.5x macro comes in handy for food photos.
• If youre looking to save money, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM is basically weightless. Its dirt cheap and surprisingly sharp, though it might feel a bit tight in some of the smaller izakayas.
• Forget the zooms under $800. Most of them, like the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM, are way too slow for night shooting. Youll end up cranking the ISO way higher than you would like. The 35mm is the sweet spot for Tokyo. It hits that $500 range usually, leaving you extra budget for some good filters or just more ramen. Primes force you to move more, but on a vacation, thats usually a good thing for composition anyway. Stick with the 35mm, you wont regret the smaller footprint.

Oh man, Tokyo is gonna be incredible! I remember my first trip there, I brought a massive setup and my back was absolutely killing me by day two. Total rookie mistake lol. I finally got smart and switched to the Canon RF 35mm f1.8 Macro IS STM and it changed everything for me! It is just so reliable and the low light performance is fantastic for those glowing neon signs in Shinjuku. I love how it feels so balanced on the R6. I was worried about losing the versatility of my zoom but honestly, moving my feet made for way better shots anyway. If you want even smaller, the Canon RF 28mm f2.8 STM pancake is a total gem too, though you lose a bit of that f1.8 light gathering. Quick tips:

• Always carry a spare battery in your pocket.
• Stick to a SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I for reliability.

> Should I grab the 35mm f1.8 or is there a better zoom? Saw this earlier but just now getting a chance to respond. Honestly, I have been pretty disappointed with the focus breathing and longitudinal chromatic aberration on those entry-level Canon primes lately. The MTF charts are not as good as expected when you are shooting wide open near bright neon lights, which is basically all of Tokyo... not ideal for professional level IQ. Unfortunately, the compact zooms in your price range have such slow variable apertures that your R6 is gonna be struggling with heavy noise once the sun goes down. Still, if weight is the main concern, you should just go with any of the cheap primes from Canon. You really cant go wrong with their newer glass for a casual trip even if the build quality feels a bit plasticky. Just pick a focal length you like and go for it. Youll have a blast anyway! I can dig into the optical data more for you if you need.