Thursday, March 28, 2024

Canon easily has the widest range of lenses that a photographer can think of, and that trend appears to be holding steadfast across their camera lines, too. From ultra-wide lenses to telephoto lenses, you can be sure that you can get one that suits your expansive tastes and budgets. For those that have been looking for some lenses for their Canon camera, here are some of the best which provide bang for your quickly fleeting bucks, taking high and low budgets into consideration.

Value Lenses – The EF 50mm f/1.8 II by Canon

There are reasons why the 50mm f/1.8 lens by Canon is one of the must-haves for any Canon users. The lens is not only cheap but also light and fast. It works well with both full-frame and crop body image handling, and is certainly one of the favorite lenses to go with when it comes to portraiture. However, because it is cheap, it also means that the body is made out of plastic and has an older, less responsive focusing system. Nevertheless, it is a great lens to have, especially when operating at aperture above f/2.0.  Professionally speaking, that’s pretty darn good.

Value Lens – The EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM by Canon

As compared with its bigger and bulkier f/2.8 IS II USM variant, the Canon EF 70-200 f/4L IS USM is certainly a good telephoto lens for those that simply cannot afford the aforementioned variant. The built-in IS means that it can compensate for a few stops of aperture and when taking videos, Image Stabilization can be a blessing as well. The tripod collar for this lens, however, costs a bit more than $100, which leads us towards another question to consider when lobbying for value lenses: how much is too much for tripod collars?

Value Lens – The 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC by Tamron

If you want a telephoto lens that will cost you less than $500, the one by Tamron can be considered. The vibration compensation (VC) is similar to Canon’s IS technology and this will give the user 3 stop stabilization. The optics on the Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC is good and can almost be compared with the 300mm prime lens by Canon. One potential downside of the lens is that it has a variable aperture.

High-end Lens – EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II USM by Canon

This lens is without a doubt, a must-have for any photographer that can afford it. Suffice to say that when you go to an event that has professional photographers, you will definitely see this lens being used by them. It has a silent USM focusing and the new IS II is much better than the one before. On a cropped body, you will get an effective range of 105-300mm.

In The End…

All that really counts is what you’re comfortable learning, spending and wish to implement into your daily pictography needs.  Once you’ve chosen the lens, make sure you’ve factored in collar costs and other protective sheaths to assure this hefty investment holds value for decades to come.

About The Author

Roger Kowalewski is a freelance writer and gadget guru from Indiana.