> I just want one lens that stays on the camera and can do everything like zoom in far but also take regular family photos. Look, i have been shooting field sports for years and that one lens dream is a bit of a trade-off with a high-end body like the R5 II. Since you have an $1800 budget, you really have two logical paths. The Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM is the only lens that truly does both. It zooms way out for those far-side soccer plays and stays wide for birthdays. I used one for a travel season and it is super convenient, but honestly, it is not the sharpest glass and that camera sensor is very demanding. Tbh, I would suggest the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM instead. It is professional grade and much sharper. You lose some reach for soccer, but since your camera has so much resolution, you can just crop the image later to get closer. In my experience, higher quality glass beats more zoom range every time.

> I just want one lens that stays on the camera and can do everything like zoom in far but also take regular family photos. I totally agree with what was said above about going for a versatile all-in-one zoom. I have been really satisfied with that kind of setup because swapping lenses in the middle of a windy soccer game is just a recipe for getting dust inside your shiny new R5. Basically, those numbers like 24 or 70 tell you how much you can see... lower numbers are wide for family shots, higher numbers are for zooming in on the action. You definitely want something that goes up to at least 200 or 240 for sports or the kids will just look like tiny dots. One small thing to consider is that some zooms get physically longer when you use them, which feels a bit weird at first but you get used to it. Such a killer gift tho, you are gonna love that camera once you get the hang of it!

I just saw this and totally feel your pain... my husband did something similar and i was lost at first too. If you really want just one lens that stays on there all the time, i would grab the Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM. It is honestly so versatile. I used it for my kids tournament last spring and it was perfect because i could zoom in for the goals but still get shots of the team huddling right in front of me. No complaints at all with the photos i got. Your other main option within that budget is the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM. People love it because it is an L series lens which means the glass is top tier, but honestly for soccer? 105mm is kinda short. Youll be cropping your photos a lot. Ngl the 24-240 is the way to go for a soccer mom setup. Plus it is way under your $1800 limit so you can pick up a fast SanDisk Extreme PRO 128GB CFexpress Type B card since that camera needs high speed storage to really work right.