Canon’s top 16 lenses

No self-respecting photographer can be without accessory lenses. But how to decide on which one to buy? For example, there are now several hundred lenses for Canon DSLR cameras – so don’t get lost in the multitude? This article will help you find your way around.

Check out a selection of the best optics designed for Canon photographic equipment available to buy right now. Expertology has divided all its products into several categories, because there is no point in directly comparing portrait lenses with lenses with a focal length of 400 mm. Separately, we would like to point out that this is dedicated exclusively to Canon products. We’ll probably talk about third-party optics next time.

Canon’s top lens picks

Best standard single-frame lenses for Canon cameras

Canon EF85mm f/1.2

IUSM

Rating: 4.9

One of the most inexpensive lenses, which, nevertheless, is sometimes used even by professionals. Approximately $21k. rubles. You get a glass lens with 85mm focal length and an ultrasonic autofocus motor. Eight aperture diaphragm blades at maximum aperture down to f/1.8, which to some might seem insufficient parameter. But it’s hard to fault the resultant image and with the right skills, you can achieve very nice bokeh. Another good thing about these optics is a small weight of 425g.

Beginning photographers will find it difficult to use the widest aperture. The thing is, autofocus can miss at times like these. This is the usual problem with all inexpensive portrait “lenses.

Advantages

• High sharpness;
• Ultrasonic autofocus;
• High aperture ratio;
• Nice bokeh;
• The lens is quite lightweight;
• No chromatic aberration.

Disadvantages

• Unreliable construction;
• Autofocus at f/1 aperture.8 regularly misses;
• Very difficult to use on a tilted camera.

Canon EF50mm f/1.4USM

Rating: 4.7

A versatile lens that can be used on a frame camera as well as on a full frame camera. This “glass” is very inexpensive at just over 17k. rubles. Such an affordable price tag is due to the plastic body. On the one hand this makes the design less robust – dropping the lens is not recommended. On the other hand, the optics weigh only 290g, which is especially appealing to amateurs.

Advantages

• Well-defined bokeh;
• High sharpness;
• Minimal size and weight;
• Good light output;
• Low price.

Disadvantages

• I would not call it a long lasting lens;
• The autofocus does not always work perfectly;
• Not all lenses are glass.

Canon’s best portrait lenses

Canon EF35mm f/1.4

IUSM

Rating: 4.9

Not everyone likes to use the long focal lengths for portraits. It’s the one which lets you get the most out of your background. At 135mm, and with the aperture of f/2 it literally turns into a sieve or milk. Amazing that a lens with these characteristics only costs 49k. rub. Looks like the manufacturer realizes that there will be very few people interested in such a big “portrait lens”, so they are enticed by the price.

Before you buy a camera, you have to move very far away from your subject at this focal length, so you risk losing contact with the subject. No other portrait lens can offer such blurry background bokeh.

Advantages

• Quiet autofocus;
• Comparatively small weight for such a lens (750g);
• The price tag can’t be called extremely high;
• High aperture ratio;
• Perfect color reproduction.

Flaws

• Not the best choice in low light;
• Focal lengths don’t suit everyone.

Canon’s best zoom lenses

Canon EF28-300mm f/3.5-5.6

S USM

Rating: 4.7

One of the most affordable zoom lenses Canon has ever produced. In Russia, for this “glass” for about 23 thousand. rubles. In this regard, do not be surprised by the 600-gram weight, which speaks of the high quality of the case expired. Still, it’s a great option for cropped cameras. It even has an image stabilizer so you don’t have to worry about your aperture not opening wide enough. In short, the lens should suit many people who have decided to try their hand at photography.

Advantages

• It has an optical stabilizer;
• Macro mode is available;
• Very high magnification of the zoom (11.1x);
• Relatively small size and weight;
• Affordable even for amateur photographers.

Disadvantages

• There is some geometric distortion at the smallest focal length;
• Sharpness is far from ideal;
• Unreliable design;
• Poor color reproduction.

Canon’s best telephoto lenses

Canon EF70-200mm f/2.8

S IIUSM

Rating: 4.9

A lens with a fixed 135mm. Has a black body. Like almost all the products we reviewed, it has an ultrasonic autofocus. Also very fast in this case, because the focusing motors do not need to move through the many different focal lengths. Fixed fpr allowed the creators to introduce an f/2 aperture. It makes the lens bright and very sharp. Of course, this value results in a beautifully blurred background.

The advantages are

• High aperture ratio for such a lens;
• Beautiful bokeh;
• Quick and quiet autofocus;
• The price tag is not exorbitant (49k. rubles.);
• Weighs less than 750g.

Flaws

• In low light you need a shutter speed of at least 1/160 sec;
• No optical stabilizer.

Canon EF400mm f/5.6LUSM

Rating: 4.7

The length of this lens is an impressive 256mm. That’s why you need to add lens hoods, you don’t want to take pictures without them. Such a long body hides underneath, oddly enough, only seven optical elements in six groups. A knowledgeable person will immediately realize that such a lens can not be aperture. And that’s with a huge 400mm focal length!

This model is on sale in Russian stores for about 61 thousand. rubles. In fact, it’s one of the cheapest “lenses” with a fixed f/400mm and a f/5.6 aperture. So it’s no wonder why this lens is the choice of many sporting events photographers who just started out. Before buying the lens you must take into account that it has no image stabilizer, which makes taking pictures of twists and turns out to be next to impossible. Difficult to hold a camera with a soptic, which weighs up to 1250g.

Advantages

• Very long focal length;
• Good aperture ratio;
• Robust design;
• Uses an ultrasonic motor;
• High sharpness throughout the frame.

Flaws

• No Image Stabilizer.

Canon’s Best Wide Angles

Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8

IIUSM

Rating: 4.9

Another lens with variable focal length, but a bit wider range. This “glass” is already less versatile, because the aperture here opens only up to f/4. It means that portraits with these lenses aren’t as pretty as they should be. Exactly because of its lack of versatility the price tag is only 35k. rubles. However, there’s another reason. It’s not the most reliable design, as the 500kg weight says.

Still, it’s a pretty good wide-angle lens for city buildings and cityscapes. Despite the relatively low price, it uses ultrasonic autofocus, which works quickly and without unnecessary noise. The picture is sharp and perfectly detailed. The only complaint is minor geometric distortion, which can be corrected in the graphics editor with just one click.

Advantages

• Excellent color reproduction;
• Sharpness is maintained throughout the frame;
• Autofocus is quick and quiet;
• The range of focal lengths that suits most buyers;
• Very light weight.

Disadvantages

• Barely noticeable geometric distortion
• The lens does not convey the impression of an expensive product;
• The fastest aperture ratio.

Canon’s best lenses for macro photography

Canon EF100mm f/2.8L Macro ISUSM

Rating: 4.9

Rather large and massive optics, designed for taking pictures of insects, coins and other small objects. In order to do so, the creators made sure that the “glass” is focused on a subject located 30 cm away from the camera. At the 100 mm focal length the subject turns out to be huge and well-detailed, even if it is a bug. Autofocus reacts quickly to subject movement, as does image stabilisation. You can’t even complain about the weight, you can hardly call a 625-gram “glass” heavy.

Advantages

• Quick and accurate focus;
• Relatively light in weight;
• Minimum focus distance of just 0.3m;
• Price (43k rbl. rubles.) cannot be called very high;
• Has the ability to limit the range of focusing;
• Perfectly functioning image stabilizer.

Disadvantages

• Some examples suffer from slack in the focus ring;
• Weakly holding the native hood that comes with it;
• Autofocus is a little too noisy.

Best fisheye lenses

Canon EF8-15mm f/4.0L Fisheye USM

Rating: 4.8

The lens with a pronounced convexity of the front lens. By this feature you can understand that the product has a huge viewing angle. The full 180-degree field of view, if you use the 8mm focal length! Unlike budget “fisheye”, you can change the FPS by choosing 15mm and get a 91 degree angle of view. So you can act depending on the circumstances, using one lens instead of two. It’s nice that the product is relatively light, as the aperture opening up to f/4,0 can not fail to please. The only thing that can make you feel uneasy is the price, which in Russia reaches 60 thousand rubles. rubles. Nevertheless, the authors of Expertology think that this “glass” should be in the arsenal of every wedding photographer who uses the technique Canon.

Advantages

• Variable focal length;
• Comparatively wide opening aperture;
• Weight does not exceed 540g;
• It is possible to get a picture with 180 degree view angle;
• High contrast and color reproduction;
• Excellent sharpness at the entire FFR range.

Disadvantages

• A little scary price;
• The lens hood does not lock tightly enough.

Conclusion

The Japanese company Canon has been producing lenses for many decades. And even if you take the stock of modern optics, designed for DSLR cameras, even it seems extremely wide. We selected the best lenses especially for you. Rest assured, buying any of them will definitely not disappoint. The downside of each lens is a high price – alas, the budget optics is far from ideal.