Canon Lens Buyer’s Guide

Susan Fernandez November 11 2021

Are you looking for the best Canon lenses? You have come to the right place. This guide will help you find top-quality Canon lenses. These lenses not only deliver high performance but provide good value for money.

Let’s see what all-rounder Canon lenses are the best in the market. 

Best Canon Lenses 

For Canon EF camera users 

If you own Canon EF, then the best all-rounder lens would be Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM. The 50mm f/1.8 works with perfection on an EF-S body. This lens will serve as the best portrait lens.  Also, you can use it on Canon EF-S camera because it already shows compatibility with the EF body. So, it'll be very beneficial for the upgrade. 

If you need a lens that's petite and lightweight yet a little wider, then Canon 24mm f/2.8 is the best choice for your EF-S body.  This lens provides excellent performance and is best to carry around during traveling. Also, the maximal f/2.8 aperture creates a magnificent bokeh effect. After checking out affordable and compact lenses, let’s see lenses that are more on the superior side. 

Canon’s f/1.2 lenses are superb for Canon EF users, but we recommend you Canon 35mm f/1.4 II. The reason is that the f/1.2 lens is pretty expensive and heavy-duty, so only pros use it.  The 35mm f/1.4 II provides high versatile performance. This lens covers extensive focal length. 

It allows you to capture landscapes, portraits and experiment with various angles. It delivers efficient results in low-light sceneries and blurs the background aesthetically.  On the crop sensor EF-S bodies, you can try out Sigma 30mm f/1.4. This lens provides the same image quality and resolution as Canon lens at only half the price. So, it'll be a great addition to your collection for the price value.

For Canon EOS R users

The lenses recommended for EF cameras work fine with the EF-EOS R adapter. But, the RF lens beat other lenses, thanks to its high-grade quality and remarkable results. Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 and the RF 28-70mm f/2 are heavy-duty lenses and are super expensive. Yet, they make it to the top of the Canon best lenses list. 

When looking for zooms to shoot in a full-frame, the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 II is the most suitable choice. It is unquestionably the best zoom lens you'll ever need for shooting.  To save money on the long-range zoom lens, Canon 70-200m f/4 is the most preferred one. You'll get excellent value for the money and outstanding subject separation. 

It is evident that f/2.8 offers better performance in low-light places but, 70-200m f/4 also does a pretty good job in the dark. It is a lightweight lens and easy to carry around. It balances perfectly on the EOS R body too.

TOP-sales canon lens

  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM - This lens is one of the most popular lenses on the planet because it is generally inexpensive and offers great optical performance. There are no major cons of this lens except that it's not weather-sealed, which makes sense because not many people will use it in really bad weather conditions.
  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM - You get almost everything you need in a single package with Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, whether its low-light capabilities or creamy bokeh effect for portraiture, you get it all! The only thing about this lens is that some users report slight front focusing issues but nothing severe enough to prevent the lens from performing well.
  • Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM - You won’t be disappointed with Canon EF 135mm f/2L in your hands, especially when it comes to sharpness and bokeh quality. It is a heavy lens but worth it if you're able to bear its weight. The only thing is that the front element of this lens is so close to the surface that it's not recommended for use with circular polarizer filters or strong ND grads.
  • Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM - Despite being quite old, Canon EF 400mm 5.6 still manages to keep up with other modern telephoto lenses in recent years, which makes this lens a top-choice for Canon users. It is light and incredibly sharp! The biggest issue is that you can't attach filters to it, but this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker when looking at what you get in return.
  • Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM - If you're just starting out with the idea of getting into bird photography, then Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM would be an excellent choice for your EOS camera. However, if you want to use teleconverters or shoot long-distance sports such as football or rugby, then we recommend checking out one of the prime lenses because this lens does not allow for autofocus with teleconverters attached.
  • Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS USM - Just like Nikon AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm, this lens is another heavy-duty lens that will give you the best optical quality for your EOS camera. It is quite bulky and pricy but if you're already into bird photography then this prime beast may be worth every penny! The biggest issue that we found with this lens is that its focus limiter works only at certain focal distances which means it's not suitable for fast action shots.
  • Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM - This prime telephoto monster has the same weight as Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM but can magnify subjects twice as much! If you're looking for an excellent quality telephoto lens that can shoot in low light, then Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM might be the choice for you. The only issue is that it's really hard to get a hold of and very expensive!

FAQs

- What is the best all-rounder Canon lens? 

The best Canon lenses include EF 35mm f/1.4 II for delivering excellent all-rounder performance. The lens is durable, offers versatile focal length, and produces high-resolution images. 

- What’s the best Canon lens for portrait photography?

For portrait photography, we pick Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 due to it being lightweight, compact, cheap, and fast. It provides beautiful and captivating portraits.

- What’s the best Canon lens for astrophotography?

For astrophotography, we recommend you to buy Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 or Sigma 15mm f/2.8 lenses. Both of these give excellent performance in capturing the night sky.

- What’s the best all-purpose lens from Canon?

The EF 24-70mm f/4 IS is a versatile and high-performing lens with a wide range of focal lengths and image stabilization features.

- Which lens is the best choice for shooting birds?

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM has powerful zoom, works fine on Canon bodies, good results at full-frame, and is a long-range lens. It is the best choice for shooting birds.

- What’s the best Canon lens for sports?

The EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM is an efficient lens with accurate focus, effective image stabilization, rugged construction, and continuous autofocus performance. With this lens, you can capture fast-speed action clearly.

- Which lens will provide a perfect match for wildlife photography?

For wildlife photography, we recommend you to buy Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM or Sigma 150mm F2.8 APO EX DG OS HSM Macro lenses as they are affordable and also offer versatile focal lengths on full-frame cameras for capturing the action at a distance.

- What lens is best for shooting landscapes?

Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM is the best and most suitable lens to buy as it provides beautiful and breathtaking landscape photographs and comes with fast and accurate autofocus performance.

Final Thoughts

It is a known factor that for using a DSLR camera to its full potential, you would need a top-notch lens. That's why we hope that our recommendations can help you get your hands on a top-quality Canon lens. Enjoy your shooting experience and enter the pro field with these best Canon lenses.

We did our best to offer you the details of top-notch Canon lenses. Use our buyer's guide for knowing more about these lenses and choose the one that suits your needs.