All my camera gear stolen. Need advice on buying replacements!

caphotovideo wrote:

A few weeks ago, I had two cases of cameras and lenses stolen. I was devastated but luckily it was covered under my home insurance. At first I thought I would just get a claim adjustment in the amount of the depreciated gear. In other words, I would get what the gear would cost used. And so I considered switching to the Sony or Nikon systems with the funds I would get. But then I received notice from my insurance that if I replace the gear I had, they would cover the replacement cost of each item. And since this was almost double the funds than if I just took a cash payment, I decided to stick with Canon.

Here are the main items that were stolen: 2x5D3, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8II IS, 24L II/1.4, 40/2.8, Sig85/1.4, 200/2.8.

Looking at the state of camera development, it seems prudent to now move to mirrorless. The R6s are clearly great replacements for my 5D3s. And I see that Canon has a 24-70 and 70-200 in the RF mount so I'm good with those two.

But what about primes? At 24mm, I see there is a 24mm f/1.8 version with IS in RF mount, which seems good. But it's not 1.4 and I'm worried about build quality and weather sealing. Should I just rebuy the 24L and use an adapter?

I can replace my 40mm with the RF 50/1.8. I've read reviews that claim this is an upgrade. And the extra stop of light is welcome. Agreed?

Now here's where I'm torn. I could replace the Sigma 85/1.4 with another Sig85mm and use an adapter. Or if I opt for the 50mm instead of the 40mm stated earlier, I could upgrade the Sigma 85mm to the Sigma 105/1.4 to better complement the 50mm, but I would still need to use the adapter. I would need to pay any difference out of my pocket between the 85 and the 105. Or I could go for the RF 85/2.0, lose a stop of light but get the RF mount and IS.

And finally, there's the old Canon 200mm f/2.8. You can't buy these new any longer and they are hard to find used. There is no RF equivalent that I'm aware of. This was my sharpest lens, sharper than my 70-200mm II IS at 200mm. What's a good replacement for this? Just find one used and use the adapter?

I appreciate any advice you have.

One thing about the EF 200mm f2.8, it will not allow for full fps on the R5/R6 due to it's age.  It works just great at a lower fps, so the images are fine and not sure how important the full 12 fps is for you.