Top Canon Lenses for 2019
Photo by Mario Calvo on Unsplash
Need to upgrade your Canon kit with a new lens or two?
The options I’ve outlined below are some of the best Canon lenses you can buy right now for their EOS system cameras.
No list of lenses can include every possible great lens, so I’ve focused instead on three very different lenses for Canon cameras.
No matter if you need a solid prime, a wide-angle zoom, or a telephoto zoom, you’ll find what you need below.
Have old lenses you no longer need? Sell them or trade them in to upgrade your kit!
Top Canon Lenses: Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM
Sigma’s Art series lenses are some of the best in the business, so it makes sense to include their impeccable 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM lens on this list.
Designed for Canon EF Mount full frame cameras, this lens offers incredible sharpness throughout the frame - even on the edges and in the corners when shooting at f/2.8.
The lack of distortion is unusual for a lens this wide, and color fringing is all but nonexistent.
The lens is beautifully designed and constructed, with full weather-sealing to keep out the elements.
As quality as the lens housing is, the optics are even better, with top-of-the-line glass that has helped Sigma Art lenses earn such a fantastic reputation.
As a bonus, the price of this lens is about half of what you’d pay for Canon’s version.
See this lens in action in the video above by Dustin Abbott.
Top Canon Lenses: 85mm f/1.4L IS USM
As part of Canon’s Luxury line of lenses, this 85mm f/1.4L is not cheap (unless you buy used). But you certainly get what you pay for…
Between the huge f/1.4 aperture and the four stops of image stabilization (two features you don’t usually find together), this is a perfect lens for portraiture. The 85mm focal length certainly helps in that department as well.
The large aperture and image stabilization also mean you can get cleaner shots because you don’t have to increase the ISO. The lens’s Air Sphere Coating also helps you create better images as it minimizes both ghosting and flare
This lens is not only expensive, but a tad heavy, too. However, the benefits this lens brings to the table is well worth it, especially if portrait photography is something you wish to pursue.
See a detailed review of this lens in the video above by Jared Polin.
Top Canon Lenses: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM
Yet another L-Series camera, yet this time you get the reach of a 70-300mm zoom.
Like other L-Series lenses, this one has been solidly built and includes weather sealing so you can keep shooting even if the weather isn’t ideal.
Like the Canon 85mm lens discussed above, this one also has image stabilization that offers you four additional stops.
Combined with the superb sharpness of this less throughout its zoom range, you get a lens that performs beautifully whether you’re at 70mm, 300mm, or somewhere in between.
Better still, since EF lenses are compatible with APS-C cameras from Canon, you can get even more reach (112mm-480mm) for photographing far-off subjects.
If sports or wildlife photography is your thing, this is an excellent lens to have in your bag.
Have an in-depth look at the 85mm f/1.4 in the video above by Zed Pro Media.
Also, remember that you can buy used gear and save a ton of cash, so perhaps you can even afford two of the lenses on this list instead of one! Read my MPB review for details on why buying used lenses from MPB is a smart move.
