Best Canon Lens for Travel Photography
- Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II
- Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM
- Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS
- Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC
- Tamron 18-400mm f/3.5-6.3 VC
- Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM
- Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
- Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM
- Canon RF70-200mm F4 L is USM
photo by martin-dm via iStock
If you have a Canon camera and aren’t sure what Canon lens to bring on your next trip, you’ve come to the right place! I’m here to tell you which are the best canon lenses for travel photography and why.
The main thing to consider when deciding on a Canon travel lens is portability. Other things you will want to consider are focal length, aperture, image stabilization, mount compatibility, weather sealing, and, of course, price.
When traveling, you have limited space and, unfortunately, most of the time, it’s impossible to bring your whole kit. Carrying only one or two lenses is what I recommend for most people. That’s why choosing the right lenses is critical!
Zoom lenses are a popular choice for travel photographers due to their versatility, while new superzoom lenses are also gaining popularity. Prime lenses are less versatile, and telephoto’s are often quite heavy, but depending on the type of travel photography you like to shoot, they can also come in handy.
With all that said, let’s jump into this ultimate guide of the best Canon lenses for travel photography!
Best Canon Zoom Lens for Travel Photography
The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM is my overall favorite canon travel lens! Speaking plainly, it’s hands down one of the best lenses for travel photography ever built, regardless of brand.
For starters, it weighs in at a very reasonable 1 pound, 8 ounces, and has an incredibly useful 24-105mm focal length. If you’re using it on an APS-C camera, the focal length grows by 1.6x to 38.4-168mm.
Additionally, the constant f/4 aperture helps in low light situations and creates a nice bokeh effect when shooting portraits and street photography.
If you shoot video, this lens works great too! It has image stabilizer technology built into the lens, which helps avoid shaky footage, and if paired with a gimbal, it works even better! It’s a top choice by travel vloggers, wedding videographers, and documentary filmmakers alike.
Other fantastic features of this Canon lens for travel photography include a dust and moisture resistant metal construction, silent and quick autofocus, and a large easy to use focus ring.
Best Canon Superzoom Lens for Travel Photography
Superzooms have been getting extremely popular in the world of travel photography in recent years due to more of them being made as well as the fact that they cover such a wide range of focal lengths.
Without a doubt, the best superzoom lens for travel photography is the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM! If you only want to carry one lens when you travel, this is certainly the best Canon lens for travel photography.
At almost half the price of the Canon 24-70mm that we just spoke about, this is a terrific budget lens for travel photography. It weighs in 1 pound, 5 ounces,, which is also less than the 24-70mm and has an unbelievable zoom range of 18-300 (28.8-480 with an APS-C camera).
More travel features I love are the fast autofocus, optical stabilization, a zoom lock switch which helps prevent accidental zoom adjustments, and its compact build.
The biggest faults of this lens are the plastic body and the lack of any sort of weather resistance. When shooting outdoors, you have to be a little more careful with it and try to avoid dust and water. Also, when compared with the Canon 24-70mm, the images aren’t quite as sharp.
Learn More:
Best Canon Prime Lens for Travel Photography
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is the perfect prime lens for travel photography to pair with a traditional zoom lens. This nifty fifty is compact and lightweight (6 ounces) and will take up almost no additional space in your camera bag.
With this lens on, your camera will be much more low key and may even fit in your jacket pocket, depending on which body you pair it with.
The 50mm focal length is the closest to that of the natural eye and is a superb option for street photography. Additionally, the f/1.8 aperture makes this lens great for shooting portraits, sports, and astrophotography!
Further features this lens provides are an 80mm focal length when paired with an APS-C camera, smooth and silent autofocus when shooting video, a metal mount to increase its durability, and the fact that it’s the most compact Canon 50mm lens ever!
Best Canon Telephoto Lens for Travel Photography
The majority of people won’t want to travel with a telephoto lens since they are some of the biggest and heaviest lenses out there, but if you like photographing animals, sports, or super detailed shots (of architecture, for example), you may decide you need to pack one.
My go-to Canon telephoto lens for travel photography is the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. That’s a whopping 160-640mm when paired with an APS-C crop sensor camera. It’s compact for a lens of its focal length, but at 3 pounds, 7 ounces, it’s definitely not light.
This lens was built for the outdoors and is extremely weather-resistant. You can comfortably take this beast even into the harshest of conditions without a second thought.
Moreover, it has three image stabilization modes that deliver astounding results no matter the situation. There are tons of customization options on this lens, too, so you can set it up and adjust it however it best works for you.
One thing to keep in mind is that this is certainly a professional lens. The performance and the price tag both reinforce that. While the quality of the images is hard to match, unless you are a pro photographer, I’d opt for a superzoom such as the Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM.
Final thoughts on the Best Canon Telephoto Lens for Travel Photography
photo by alejomiranda via iStock
Personally, I like to travel with two lenses when I travel. If I’m going to be mostly staying in the city, I’ll go for a setup that includes a zoom lens and a prime lens.
On the other hand, if I’m going to be heading into nature, I like to pack a superzoom and a prime. The extra zoom range is useful for both wide dramatic landscapes shots as well as close-up animal shots.
Want to see more options? Check out these bonus Canon lenses for travel photography:
And if you have a Canon mirrorless camera with the RF mount, these lenses are great choices:
