The best Canon lenses for DSLRs are some of the very best in the business. In fact, they're so good that many photographers are still using them on mirrorless cameras instead of the more expensive Canon RF lenses!
With over 200 optics to choose from, though, it can be difficult to know which one is best for you. So in this guide I've selected the best Canon lenses for DSLRs using the EF mount (which can be used on both full-frame and APS-C cameras) and the EF-S mount (which can only be used on an APS-C body).
The easiest way to find the right lens is generally to narrow it down by what you shoot, so you might be looking for one that's best for portraits or the best wide-angle for landscape shots. Personally, my favorite lens is the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM – it's super affordable and super versatile, and is one of the best all-round lenses you can have in your bag.
Again, these lenses aren't just for DSLRs; you can mount them to your EOS R or EOS M camera and get incredible results. And if you're looking for glass for a specific camera, check out the best lenses for Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, the best lenses for Canon EOS 90D & EOS 80D, and the best lenses for Canon EOS Rebel T6 and T7.
My first ever camera was a Canon AE-1 film SLR, and I've been using Canon kit from the 300D all the way to the R5 Mark II. I've used around 100 of Canon's DSLR lenses, and I still own and use a lot of EF and EF-S glass even on my mirrorless cameras – the best Canon lenses for DSLRs still work great on the EOS R system!
The Quick List
I think this is Canon's best-value telephoto zoom, offering a lot of range at a great price. It's not an L-series lens, but I'm always impressed by how sharp it is and it handles well on both full-frame and APS-C cameras.
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If you want even more reach and still a reasonably fast aperture, this Sigma telephoto lens for Canon is excellent value. I also love how light it is, considering the focal length, as well as how affordable it is.
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This is an excellent buy for landscapes and other subjects that need a wider focal length. I'm impressed with the sharpness across the frame, even at f/2.8, and distortions are minimal for an ultra-wide. It's even weather-sealed!
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As you'd expect of an L-lens it's super sharp and weather-sealed – but it also has stabilization along with a focusing scale. The fast, nine-blade aperture renders beautiful background blur, and image quality is just sublime.
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Canon's 'nifty fifty' is wonderfully light, compact and incredibly cheap. It has a great all-purpose focal length for full framers, and I love it for portraits on APS-C bodies. It really punches above its weight in image quality, too.
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I think this is the best value macro lens for EF shooters. With nano-structure coatings, weather-sealing and a hybrid image stabilizer that counteracts horizontal and vertical shift, I love how it handles close-up shooting.
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The best Canon lenses for DSLRs
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The best Canon telephoto zoom
Canon makes a pro-grade L-series 70-300mm zoom, which is weather sealed and has an optional tripod mount to take the weight and steady up your shots, but I've found that this cheaper lens is practically as sharp, only about two-thirds of the weight and less than half as much to buy. It has the same variable aperture, too.
It sports Canon's Nano USM autofocus system, which I found to be fast for tracking moving objects when shooting stills while giving smooth focus transitions during video capture. I also like the neat LCD display with options for showing focal length, focus distance and stabilization information.
Read our full Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM review
The best super-telephoto zoom
This is the first of several third-party lenses for Canon on my list. If money and muscle are no object then I actually prefer its sibling, the Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports. But that's a big and heavy lens, weighing in at nearly 3kg, which makes prolonged handheld shooting a struggle. This Contemporary version (designed to strike a balance between price, performance and portability) is much less expensive, more compact and almost a full kilogram lighter than its Sport counterpart (designed for pure performance).
While its maximum reach is 600mm on full-frame bodies, it delivers an incredible 960mm on APS-C bodies (thanks to the 1.6x crop factor on their sensors). You really do need lenses with this kind of reach for many wildlife subjects, long-range sports and aviation photography. This lens isn't quite as extensively weather-sealed as the Sport, but it's still very well made, almost as sharp, and has the same range of up-market features and controls. On balance, I think it’s the better buy for most folks.
Read our full Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C review
The best wide-angle zoom
For extreme viewing angles, the Sigma 14-24mm doesn’t go quite as wide as the expensive Canon 11-24mm zoom, nor Sigma’s 12-24mm Art lens, but it comes pretty close – and is only about half the price of the Canon. Our testing returned stellar sharpness across the entire image frame, even when shooting wide open at f/2.8. Distortion is minimal for an ultra-wide zoom, and color fringing is negligible.
The top-performance optics are encased in superbly well-engineered and fully weather-sealed construction. It remains my favorite ultra-wide zoom for full-frame DSLRs, but for APS-C cameras the equivalent 22.4-38.4mm isn't really that wide. Check out my pick for an APS-C wide-angle zoom below.
Read our full Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM review, and check out the best Canon wide-angle zooms for more options.
The best Canon lens for portraits
When buying a portrait prime, you often need to choose between image stabilization or a fast f/1.4 aperture. This Canon lens gives you the best of both worlds, with no compromise in features or image quality – and it's weather-sealed, too, for all-purpose shooting.
I'm a big fan of the smaller and cheaper Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM, but if you can afford the extra outlay then this f/1.4 version is the one to go for. The faster, nine-blade aperture renders beautiful background blur and nice round bokeh balls, and Canon’s advanced Air Sphere Coating minimizes ghosting and flare.
The competing Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art lens is bigger and heavier, but while it's got more bite in its sharpness it lacks the stabilization – which can make all the difference, especially with a lens this heavy and when working in low light with a slower shutter.
Read our full Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM review
The best cheap Canon lens for DSLRs
Known as the 'nifty fifty' for its compact size, 'shoot everything' versatilty and excellent image quality, this lens is quite something for how cheap it is. It weighs just 160g but has a solid metal mounting plate and an improved stepping motor autofocus system compared to previous versions. There's also an electronically coupled fly-by-wire focus ring.
A handling benefit is that the focus ring no longer rotates during autofocus and, although audible, autofocus is quieter than in earlier editions of the lens. Focus transition is smooth, so it's suitable for video, but make sure the mic doesn't pick up the sound of the AF motor.
The wide f/1.8 aperture makes it ideal for shooting in low light conditions, while the seven-blade diaphragm enables well-rounded out-of-focus elements when stopping down. This lens is also an excellent and affordable portrait lens for APS-C owners, where the 1.6x crop factor gives it an effective 80mm field of view.
Read our full Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM review to see our test results. See more options in our guide to the best Canon portrait lenses.
The best Canon lens for macro
A focal length of between 90mm to 105mm is ideal for macro photography, as it enables a comfortable, natural working distance for close-up work. I love this high-quality Tamron G2 lens for its optical performance, but the build quality is also excellent, with nano-structure coatings, weather seals and a fluorine coating on the front element to repel moisture and grease.
The hybrid image stabilizer counteracts horizontal and vertical shift, as well as the usual angular vibration or ‘wobble’, making it more effective in close-up shooting. In this respect, I've found that this lens matches Canon’s esteemed but expensive 100mm IS USM L macro lens. It also performs every bit as well in terms of handling and image quality, so at only two-thirds of the price I think the Tamron is the better buy. For EF-S bodies, take a look at the best APS-C macro lens further down.
Read our full Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Macro review. We also have a guide to the best macro lenses.
The best zoom for Canon full-frame cameras
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM is the choice of many professional photographers around the world, but it’s not particularly good value for money and lacks image stabilization. This Sigma Art lens (designed for premium image performance) isn’t as fully weather-sealed as the Canon, but it’s beautifully built – and in our testing, it matched Canon for all-round performance and image quality.
Sharpness and contrast are spectacular, while bokeh is lusciously smooth. Autofocus is very quick and extremely quiet, while the four-stop stabilizer helps to ensure sharp handheld shots at relatively slow shutter speeds – something I truly appreciate when using DSLRs. At around two-thirds the price of the Canon lens, it’s a great buy.
Read our full Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM review
The best APS-C zoom Canon lens
This is the nearest thing to a pro EF-S standard zoom lens. It boasts a suitably wide f/2.8 aperture and fast, accurate autofocus, and our testing showed that sharpness and contrast remained good even at the widest aperture, which satisfyingly smooth bokeh. I also found barrel distortion pretty well controlled at the short end, and color fringing is minimal.
The equivalent 27.2-88mm focal length is slightly different to the standard 24-70mm range you find on full-frame cameras. This works great for me, as I find the longer reach useful for portraits and street photography, but some might miss the extra width for things like landscapes (see below for that).
The lens is quite heavy and relatively expensive for an EF-S lens, but I find that the weight gives it a reassuring heft without it feeling unbalanced even on smaller DSLRs. It's worth noting the usual drawbacks that come with non-L lenses, such as no weather sealing and no lens hood included in the box.
Read our full Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM review
The best APS-C wide-angle zoom
The 1.6x crop factor of Canon’s APS-C cameras is quite limiting for those who want to shoot wide. A regular kit lens that offers 18mm at the wide end gives an effective focal length of 28.8mm in full frame terms, which really isn’t that wide.
Tamron makes some great lenses that cost less than Canon equivalents, and I was impressed with the optics on this wide-angle zoom, as well as the four-stop Vibration Compensation stabilization. Handling is nice and responsive, and full-time manual override on an autofocus system is always welcome.
There are weather seals and a fluorine coating on the front element to repel dirt and moisture. The image quality is really very good and, while it's not the cheapest ultra-wide available, I think it's the best choice if you can afford it.
Read our full Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD review
Best 2x macro lens for Canon
The Laowa 100mm macro is a manual focus lens designed for very close-up macro photography, and with 2x magnification you can get closer than the other macro lenses on this list – although this is at the cost of losing autofocus. That said, since macro is really a manual form of photography, this isn't really an issue.
What really matters for a macro lens is sharpness, and I was blown away by how sharp the Laowa is – even wide open, and across the whole frame, all the way to about f/11 before you start seeing a dropoff. It's not weather sealed, but otherwise this a very sturdy and well-built lens, with a smooth aperture ring and a well-tuned focus ring that facilitates super-fine adjustments.
See our Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro review
The best Canon lens for macro on APS-C
If you're shooting macro on an APS-C camera, this one is my choice. Like many of the later EF-S designs, it features a stepping motor autofocus system with an electronically coupled focus ring. The hybrid image stabilization is inherited from Canon’s range-topping 100mm L-lens, and is able to correct X-Y shift as well as vibration, making it more effective for close-up shooting.
At the minimum focus distance, however, the front of the lens comes to just 30mm from the subject and can block ambient light. To compensate, there’s a built-in LED ‘Macro Lite’, with two brightness levels and the option to use both sides or just the left or right. Sadly it’s not very bright, even at full power, but I really like this feature – even though the equivalent 56mm focal length is quite a bit shorter than traditional macro lenses, so you may need to do a little experimenting.
Read our full Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM review
How to choose the best Canon lens
The best Canon DSLR lenses will depend on your budget and the type of photography you do and what camera you have. In the guide above, we've picked out the best Canon lenses and third-party lenses for Canon EF and EF-S mount in different focal lengths and for different budgets based on our own reviews and testing.
For many photographers, a good telephoto zoom lens is the first extra lens they buy because it gives them that extra reach that most kit lenses aren't capable of. That's why we've placed the excellent value Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 at the top of our guide. If you're doing wildlife photography or sports, chances are you'll want still more reach, especially if you're using a full-frame camera. For that, we think the best option is the Sigma, 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM, which is great value compared to Canon's own super-telephoto zooms (see our full guide to the best Canon telephoto lenses for more options).
When shooting portraits, you generally want to lift people from their surroundings and make them the centre of attention. That can be hard to achieve if you’re shooting against a detailed or cluttered background. A lens with a medium to long focal length and a ‘fast’ aperture of f/1.4 or f/1.8 can solve the problem. With a tight depth of field, it’ll enable you to throw the background out of focus and make people stand out from their environment. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM does the job spectacularly well here. Those with APS-C cameras might prefer the classic nifty-fifty.
Standard zoom lenses are versatile pieces of glass, but if you're keen on shooting landscape or architectural photography, then you might want to consider investing in a wide-angle zoom.
Can you use other brand lenses on a Canon?
Yes. Several third-party manufacturers make lenses that fit EF and EF-S mounts, and some of them are very good. Sigma and Tamron are big lens brands that make optics for Canon DSLRs, and in some cases they are sharper or better value than Canon's own optics. There are also many Chinese manufacturers, such as Laowa, that offer fantastic optics at even lower prices.
What is the best Canon lens for shallow depth of field?
Shallow depth of field is achieved by three factors: the size of the image sensor, the focal length of the lens, and the widest (or fastest) aperture of the lens. That being the case, you would be looking at full-frame lenses with the longest focal length and fastest aperture. Depending on the use case, this could include the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2, the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 and the Canon EF 600mm f/4.
Are EF and EF-S lenses interchangeable?
Both EF and EF-S lenses can be used on Canon APS-C cameras, but only EF lenses can be used on Canon full-frame DSLRs. It's also important that you consider which type of camera you have when choosing the focal length of a lens. The crop sensor on APS-C cameras provides a narrower field of view. This means that to get an ultrawide effect on an APS-C camera, you'll need a shorter focal length than you would on a full-frame. Meanwhile, a 55-250mm zoom on a crop-sensor camera may give a field of view comparable to around 88-400mm on a full-frame camera.
Does Canon still make EF and EF-S lenses?
For the moment Canon is still making and selling many of the most popular lenses for its DSLRs, but it has also discontinued a good number too. That means that some Canon DSLR lenses are now only available secondhand or renewed.
How we test Canon lenses
Our team of writers has reviewed and tested all of the Canon DSLR lenses included in this guide both through standardised lab tests and by using them in real-world conditions for different uses. We find the combination of lab and real-world testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics of the lens.
Our lab tests are carried out in scientifically controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite – analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing.
To choose the best Canon EF and EF-S lenses to include in this guide, we considered our lab test results and our hands-on reviews. We also considered what each lens is useful for to provide recommendations for different needs. We also factored in value to make recommendations for photographers on different budgets. You can read more about how we test.
