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There’s nothing quite like Canon glass…
If you’ve landed on this page looking for the definitive answer as to which are the best Canon lenses for travel photography then you’re in luck.
This is the only article you’re going to need.
So you can stop searching through countless posts all over the internet right now.
Listen up, because these are the 10 Canon lenses you are going to learn all about in the next 10 minutes:
Since minimising size and weight is the goal, choosing the best Canon lenses for travel photography can be tricky…
But luckily we’re here to help.
Canon make some truly amazing lenses.
Quality is a theme that runs throughout their whole range. But is it really necessary to carry around a 85mm f/1.4 L lens for portraits as well as a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens when you could save money and weight by getting a 70-200mm f/2.8 L lens and a good quality macro extension tube?
Or perhaps you’re wondering what lenses would give you the best results for a landscape photography trip without weighing you down?
Well, I’m about to share with you my thoughts on the subject from personal experience. What I like, what I don’t like and how I save weight, space and money without compromising on the quality of my photography.
But first, a few things to consider
All of the lenses Canon manufacture can be grouped into four categories: EF, EF-S, EF-M and RF.
- EF lenses are designed to be used with BOTH Canon’s full-frame and APS-C DSLR camera bodies without an adapter, and with an adaptor they will also work with full-frame (EOS R) and APS-C (EOS M) mirrorless bodies.
- EF-S lenses are for APS-C DSLR bodies, but will also work on APS-C (EOS M) mirrorless bodies with an adaptor.
- EF-M lenses ONLY work with Canon’s APS-C (EOS M) mirrorless cameras.
- RF lenses ONLY work with Canon’s range of full-frame (EOS R) mirrorless cameras.
Across all of Canon’s lenses there are varying levels of quality, and of course price.
For example, you can pick up an EF 50mm f/1.8 STM for almost a 10th of the price of the same focal length EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens.
The difference being a slightly larger max aperture and, of course, that all important letter L.
About Canon L lenses
When you see the letter L in the title of a Canon lens it means it’s part of the exclusive club of L lenses. L lenses are considered to be some of the best currently available not just from Canon, but all manufacturers. You can spot an L lens from the signature red ring that runs around it near the focus ring.
Canon currently only make L lenses for the EF and RF range but since the EF range can be adapted to work on all Canon cameras, it shouldn’t be a problem for anyone wanting some crispy L lens goodness no matter which body you have.
Best Cheap Canon Lens for Street Photography
EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
- One of the best cheap Canon lenses
- Great for street photography
One of the most useful and versatile prime lenses any photographer can have in their bag is a 50mm.
With Canon you have two options.
The first option is one of the best cheap Canon lenses you can buy. It’s the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM, otherwise known as the nifty fifty because of its cheap price and general day-to-day usefulness.
You can simply throw this workhorse into your bag, pull it out when you need it and you don’t have to worry about it in between time. It won’t take up any space and it hardly weighs anything.
For budget-conscious travel photographers, this is a great stop-gap lens until you can afford to upgrade. It’s a great first step into the world of prime lenses.
For a full video review of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens (with sample pictures) click here.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF (but compatible with all other types of Canon cameras with the right adapter)
Prime/Zoom?: Prime
Focal Length: 50mm
Maximum Aperture: f/1.8
Number of Aperture Blades: 7
L Lens?: No
Image Stabilisation?: No
Weather Resistant?: No
Size (LxW): 2.7″ x 1.6″ / 69.2mm x 39.3mm
Weight: 5.7oz / 160g
Closest Focusing Distance: 1.15 ft. / 0.35m
Filter Thread Size: 49mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Best Canon Lens for Street Photography Money Can Buy
EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM
- High-end option
- Great for street photography
- One of the best prime lenses for travel photography
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM is a monster of a lens. Being part of the L series you would expect no less.
Everything about this lens is top drawer. Sharpness, build quality, bokeh and of course price.
This top-of-the-range L lens with its 50mm focal length produces some of the best quality street photography images any lens is capable of producing. For professional or serious hobbyist photographers this lens is a must-have.
For me personally I like to travel with only one prime lens, a 50mm. The rest I take with me are zooms. It took me a few years to get around to splashing out and upgrading my 50mm to this f/1.2 L version but I’m glad I did and I’m sure it will be a lens I carry in my gear bag for many years to come.
Even though the 50mm focal length is covered by the zooms I carry, nothing can beat the sharpness of this prime. And thanks to its small form factor and inconspicuous design it’s my go-to lens when walking the street or around a market trying to capture intimate shots of day-to-day life.
This fast lens with a max aperture of f/1.2 produces some incredible bokeh and makes handheld shooting in low light using a low ISO possible when you would otherwise struggle.
When it comes to my own workflow, I’ve found the EF 50mm f/1.2 L USM to be one of the most indispensable and best Canon lenses for travel photography.
If you’d like to see a video review of this lens, click here.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF (but compatible with all other types of Canon cameras with the right adapter)
Prime/Zoom?: Prime
Focal Length: 50mm
Maximum Aperture: f/1.2
Number of Aperture Blades: 8
L Lens?: Yes
Image Stabilisation?: No
Weather Resistant?: Yes (filter needed for full sealing)
Size (LxW): 3.4″ x 2.6″ / 85.4mm x 65.5mm
Weight: 20.5oz / 580g
Closest Focusing Distance: 1.48ft. / 0.45m
Filter Thread Size: 72mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Best All-Round General Purpose Canon Lens
EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM
- Good balance between affordability and quality
- Great all-round and versatile lens
The first zoom lens on this list is perhaps one of the most versatile lenses Canon make, the EF 24-105mm f/4 L mark II version. Having every focal length from 24mm right through to 105mm covered in a package that weighs only 28oz / 795g is a weight conscious, travel photographer’s dream.
Not only that, but it’s one of the more reasonably priced L lenses. If you consider the fact that a huge range of focal lengths are covered and that you’re getting the quality that comes with an L lens, the price isn’t unreasonable at all. Especially in comparison to other L lenses.
It doesn’t have the widest max aperture, far from it. But a constant aperture of f/4 is more than enough for me for 3 reasons:
- As I said before, I travel with the 50mm f/1.2 so I have the option of shooting with a fast lens if I need to.
- A constant aperture is always better than a variable aperture on zoom lenses
- If the max aperture was any wider it would add size and weight to the lens which, for me, would be more of a negative than any positive factors you’d gain from the extra stops.
So, that’s the reason why the EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS II USM is the second lens (along with the 50mm f/1.2) I ALWAYS travel with. There is one more lens that I sometimes travel with depending on where I will be going and what I’ll be doing, but we will get onto that in a minute.
A full video review with sample pictures can be found here.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF (but compatible with all other types of Canon cameras with the right adapter)
Prime/Zoom?: Zoom
Focal Length: 24-105mm
Maximum Aperture: f/4
Number of Aperture Blades: 10
L Lens?: Yes
Image Stabilisation?: Yes
Weather Resistant?: Yes (filter needed for full sealing)
Size (LxW): 4.7″ x 3.3″ / 118mm x 83.5mm
Weight: 28oz / 795g
Closest Focusing Distance: 1.5 ft. / 0.45m
Filter Thread Size: 77mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Canon’s Best Telephoto Lens
EF 70–200mm f/4 L IS II USM
- Telephoto lens
- Great for sports, wildlife and landscape photography
Now, Canon make a lot of different telephoto lenses to suit all types of photographers and all budgets. So, depending on your personal needs, you might not agree with me on this one.
You can get the 70-200mm lens with a max aperture of f/2.8 if you feel like you need the extra stop of light, but I use this lens mainly for landscapes and hardly ever wide open anyway. So for me it’s not necessary.
Let me explain exactly why I think this lens is Canon’s best telephoto.
I said before that on an average trip I travel with two, sometimes three, lenses. Well, this is the third lens that I sometimes pack. Because I love it for landscapes believe it or not. If I know I’m going somewhere where I’ll be shooting grand vistas I really like to have the ability to drill down and pick out individual scenes as opposed to always going for the wide angle shot.
There are three main reasons why I think this is the best telephoto lens by Canon:
- Weight. I specifically chose the f/4 version of this lens and not the f/2.8 version because the f/2.8 weighs 1440g compared to the f/4 which comes in at only 780g. That’s a huge difference! The f/2.8 is almost double the weight and since I use it for landscape photography (never shooting wide open) and I also travel with it, that’s just obscene in my point of view.
- Image stabilisation. Having IS is very important in any telephoto lens if you ever want to be able to shoot it handheld especially at the long end. Most of the time it doesn’t matter when I’m shooting landscapes because it’s on a tripod but I do also use this lens for sports and wildlife occasionally and it’s nice to have the option to handhold it.
- Sharpness. This is just simply one of the sharpest pieces of glass Canon makes.
This is one of the most versatile telephoto lenses out there. It can handle everything from portraits to sports to landscapes to wildlife and much more. And coupled with a teleconverter, you have an enormous range of focal lengths to plays with.
An in-depth video review covering more specs with sample images can be found here.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF (but compatible with all other types of Canon cameras with the right adapter)
Prime/Zoom?: Zoom
Focal Length: 70-200mm
Maximum Aperture: f/4
Number of Aperture Blades: 9
L Lens?: Yes
Image Stabilisation?: Yes
Weather Resistant?: Yes
Size (LxW): 6.9″ x 3.1″ / 176mm x 80mm
Weight: 27.5oz / 780g
Closest Focusing Distance: 3.94 ft / 1.2m
Filter Thread Size: 72mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Best Macro Lens for Canon APS-C Cameras
EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM
- Macro lens
- Affordable lens for APS-C bodies
This EF-S mount macro lens is only compatible with APS-C DSLR and mirrorless Canon cameras. So if you’re interested in a full-frame macro lens instead then scroll down, you’ll find what you’re looking for next.
Macro lenses aren’t usually associated with travel photography, but since there are no strict rules on what defines travel photography I thought it best to include a couple of great options.
The EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM is the best macro lens for Canon if price and/or weight is a sticking point for you. Since this lens only works on the more affordable APS-C bodies, it’s fitting that it itself is affordable.
This lens comes with a built-in macro light which helps to light up your subject so you can capture every small detail even in low light. It also comes with image stabilisation. Having these two features packed into a such an affordable lens is the reason it has made it onto this list.
The 35mm focal length is Canon’s widest macro lens but as it’s designed for use on APS-C bodies the crop factor has the effect of increasing the focal length by 1.6x. This means the full-frame equivalent focal length is 56mm.
It might not produce as much bokeh (background blur) as a longer focal length macro lens would, but does that make it the perfect lens for travel/food bloggers? Or maybe just for anyone who likes to take the obligatory photo of their food for Instagram before they tuck in?
Check out this video for a better look at this lens and the images it produces.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF-S (only for APS-C format cameras)
Prime/Zoom?: Prime
Focal Length: 35mm
Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
Number of Aperture Blades: 7
L Lens?: No
Image Stabilisation?: Yes
Weather Resistant?: No
Size (LxW): 2.7″ x 2.2″ / 69.2mm x 55.8mm
Weight: 6.7oz / 190g
Closest Focusing Distance: 0.43 ft / 0.13m
Filter Thread Size: 49mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Best Macro Lens for Canon Full-Frame Cameras
EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
- Macro lens
- Possibly the best Canon macro lens for the price
The reason I chose to include the non-L version of Canon’s 100mm macro lens as opposed to the L-version on this list is that, in terms of image quality, there is very little difference between them.
They are both 100mm f/2.8 macro lenses and unless you like to pixel peep the difference in sharpness is negligible. The main advantages the L-version has is image stabilisation and weather sealing. But for the extra cost, I don’t consider it worth it.
The problem with non-L lenses is that people consider them to be drastically worse than L lenses which is just not the case sometimes, and this is one of those times.
This is a great entry into the world of full-frame macro photography and, if not having weather sealing and image stabilisation isn’t a deal-breaker for you, there’s no reason why it couldn’t remain your primary macro lens for years to come.
Have a look at what this lens can produce by clicking here.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF (but compatible with all other types of Canon cameras with the right adapter)
Prime/Zoom?: Prime
Focal Length: 100mm
Maximum Aperture: f/2.8
Number of Aperture Blades: 8
L Lens?: No
Image Stabilisation?: No
Weather Resistant?: No
Size (LxW): 4.7″ x 3.1″ / 79mm x 119mm
Weight: 21.1oz / 600g
Closest Focusing Distance: 1 ft. / 0.31m
Filter Thread Size: 58mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Best Canon Lens for Landscape Photography
EF 16-35mm f/4 L IS USM
- Wide-angle zoom lens
- Great for landscape photography
- Also great for video shooters
Landscape photographers will love this lens. It’s simply a must-have. It is perhaps Canon’s best lens for landscape photography due to its ultra-wide capabilities on a full-frame camera and it’s ability to produce very sharp images with little chromatic aberration or vignetting.
While there is no perfect lens, this comes close to taking the prize of being Canon’s best wide angle lens or, at the very least, Canon’s best lens for landscape photography.
There is a f/2.8 version of this lens but it is roughly double the price of the f/4 version. And since landscape photographers very rarely shoot at such wide open apertures, I can’t see the advantage of paying so much more for just 1 extra stop of light.
In fact, this cheaper f/4 version comes with image stabilisation whereas the f/2.8 doesn’t. Maybe not such an important factor in terms of landscape photography, but video shooters are bound to find having IS invaluable.
At f/8 – f/11 (a landscape photographers favourite place) this lens performs incredibly well and is hard to beat.
For a very good in-depth review of the EF 16-35mm f/4 L IS USM check out this video.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF (but compatible with all other types of Canon cameras with the right adapter)
Prime/Zoom?: Zoom
Focal Length: 16-35mm
Maximum Aperture: f/4
Number of Aperture Blades: 9
L Lens?: Yes
Image Stabilisation?: Yes
Weather Resistant?: Yes (filter needed for full sealing)
Size (LxW): 4.4″ x 3.3″ / 112.8mm x 82.6mm
Weight: 21.7oz / 615g
Closest Focusing Distance: 0.92 ft. / 0.28m
Filter Thread Size: 77mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Best Prime Lens for Canon APS-C Mirrorless Cameras
EF-M 22mm f/2 STM
- Pancake lens
- Great for street photography
While there isn’t a huge selection of prime EF-M lenses to choose from, for me the clear winner is the EF-M 22mm f/2 STM.
Since EF-M lenses are only compatible with Canon’s APS-C format mirrorless cameras which are designed to be smaller, lighter and more compact, it makes perfect sense that a tiny pancake lens such as this 22mm f/2 would be its perfect companion and the best travel lens for a crop sensor camera.
With a 22mm focal length, equivalent to 35mm on a full-frame camera once the 1.6x crop has been taken into account caused by the APS-C sensor, it’s great for street photography and other day-to-day general use.
It also has the additional benefit of being extremely affordable, not to mention it takes up no room and weighs only 105g. You could put it in your pocket and forget it was even there.
Click here for a video review.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF-M
Prime/Zoom?: Prime
Focal Length: 22mm
Maximum Aperture: f/2
Number of Aperture Blades: 7
L Lens?: No
Image Stabilisation?: No
Weather Resistant?: No
Size (LxW): 0.9″ x 2.4″ / 23.7mm x 60.9mm
Weight: 3.7oz / 105g
Closest Focusing Distance: 0.49ft. / 0.15m
Filter Thread Size: 43mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
Best All-round Lens for Canon EOS R Cameras
RF 24–105mm f/4 L IS USM
- Zoom lens for Canon EOS R bodies
- Great general purpose lens, will probably be most people’s RF kit lens
Canon’s newest line of cameras, the EOS R series, made photographers who have been wanting to make the switch to mirrorless but were waiting for the right time sit up and listen.
For years Canon dragged their heals when it came to full-frame mirrorless cameras but dropped a bombshell in September 2018 by announcing the EOS R and a brand new range of RF lenses. They announced 4 new lenses, the RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM, RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM and the RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM.
The only two that are even remotely close to not being ridiculously overpriced are the 24-105mm and the 35mm macro. The other two will make your eyes water.
And the 24-105mm is clearly a better general purpose lens than the 35mm macro is, so that’s why it’s taken the top spot as Canon’s best all-round lens for EOS R cameras.
The EF version of the 24-105mm is a favourite amongst travel photographers for its versatility and image quality yet Canon seems to have done the impossible, they improved on it.
The investment Canon has put into making their new EOS R camera system a series player in the full-frame mirrorless cameras market is huge and they have delivered some of the highest quality glass to go along with it.
The new RF range of lenses come with a new feature not seen before, a dedicated customisable control ring which can be set to control things like aperture, ISO, shutter speed etc…
One of the best video reviews of this lens can be found here.
Some important specs
Mount Type: RF
Prime/Zoom?: Zoom
Focal Length: 24-105mm
Maximum Aperture: f/4
Number of Aperture Blades: 9
L Lens?: Yes
Image Stabilisation?: Yes
Weather Resistant?: Yes
Size (LxW): 4.22″ x 3.29″ / 107.3mm x 83.5mm
Weight: 24.7oz / 700g
Closest Focusing Distance: 1.48 ft. / 0.45m
Filter Thread Size: 77mm
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Yes/Yes
A Great Addition to Your Travel Photography Gear Bag
EF 2x Telephoto Extender III
- Telephoto converter
- Doubles focal length of certain lenses
The last lens on this list isn’t really a lens in and of itself. But nevertheless, a teleconverter can come in extremely handy especially for travel photography.
If you’re planning a trip somewhere that will involve photographing any type of wildlife then you will want the ability to stay far enough away from your subjects as to not disturb them but still be able to get the shot.
That’s where a teleconverter comes into play.
A teleconverter allows you to increase the focal length of your lens by simply adding this small extender between the camera body and lens.
That means you won’t have to travel with big heavy super-telephoto lenses such as the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L or the enormous and extremely expensive EF 300mm f/2.8 L. Instead you could travel with this 2x teleconverter and the EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM, which I talked about earlier in this article. Saving weight but still covering the same range of focal lengths.
But the benefits of travelling with a teleconverter don’t stop there. If you do travel with the combination I just mentioned (2x teleconverter and the EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM) then you also have the option of shooting without the teleconverter and reverting to your lenses’ native focal length.
Which means you have every focal length from 70mm right through to 400mm covered by a single lens.
Sample pictures and a short video review can be found here.
Some important specs
Mount Type: EF
Prime/Zoom?: N/A
Focal Length: N/A
Maximum Aperture: N/A
Number of Aperture Blades: N/A
L Lens?: Only compatible with L lenses
Image Stabilisation?: N/A
Weather Resistant?: Yes
Size (LxW): 2.8″ x 2.1″ / 72mm x 52.7mm
Weight: 11.5oz / 325g
Closest Focusing Distance: N/A
Filter Thread Size: N/A
Autofocus/Manual focus?: Is compatible with autofocusing lenses
What to consider when choosing the best Canon lenses for travel photography
Obviously, you have to think about things like size and weight. That much goes without saying when it comes to travelling with photography gear.
But versatility and price are factors in the real world.
Price: At the end of the day, if a lens is just simply out of your budget (let’s face it, they can get quite expensive) then it’s not an option. That’s why I want to help you choose the best lens for you.
Versatility: So yes, prime lenses are often small and lightweight in comparison to equivalent zoom lenses. Which might lead you to believe they are best suited to travel photography, but they are also restrictive. If one zoom can do the job of 3 primes, then you’re saving weight and space by going with the zoom.
It might sound obvious but I often see photographers travelling with 4-5 lenses when in reality, with a little bit of foresight, they could make do with 2 without limiting their photography capabilities.
So think about your own needs as a photographer and make a note of your budget. That should help to narrow this list down to a handful of options.
Final thoughts
The well-known saying goes: “there’s no such thing as the perfect lens”.
Which is 100% true.
There are always going to be trade-offs between quality, price, weight and size. No lens can be everything all at once. It’s about knowing what you want to get out of your photography and choosing accordingly.
The best thing you can do is experiment and see what works for you, but since you’ve come here looking for the best Canon lenses for travel photography I assume versatility, weight and size are your main priorities.
What good is it having a big, heavy high-quality lens if you end up leaving it in the hotel room most of the time because of its size and weight?
You need something that isn’t going to weigh you down and that will get the job done. After all,
“The best camera is the one that’s with you” – Chase Jarvis
More useful travel photography resources
- Best mirrorless cameras for travel photography
- How to become a successful travel photographer
- Selling stock photography isn’t impossible
- 8 ways to turn your passion for travel photography into a business
- Why it’s crucial for travel photographers to develop a brand
Since 2016 I’ve travelled full-time working as a travel photographer and writer remotely. I move around at my own pace (I hate fast-paced travel) and like to spend a few months getting to know each place I base myself in. Currently in the north of España 🇪🇸 and loving it.