By Brian Jones

This is the perfect lens for macro photography. It is light, has a very close focus distance, a wide aperture, and gets you close enough for some stellar shots. If you are even slightly interested in macro photography, this is the lens for you. The focus system in this lens is completely internal too. That means as the lens changes focus, the physical length of the lens doesn’t change. Your subject will not be disturbed as you get closer and have to refocus. Very important when it comes to macro photography. This lens is also very reasonably price at $409.99-$469.99.

Quick Specs

• Only works with EF-S mounts
• 52mm filter thread
• 0.65ft closest focus distance
• Ultra Sonic Motor for fast and quiet auto focus
• 11.8 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

A powerful zoom lens should be a standard in any photographers bag. This 55-250mm from Canon is the perfect example. The focal length makes this a very versatile lens. It can be used in situation where the subject is fairly close as well as getting great shots of far away subjects. The trade off for the great price is the less than stellar low light performance. The maximum aperture at 55mm is f/4 and at 250mm is f/5.6. These aren’t bad for sunny day shooting, but a wider aperture is important for telephoto shooting since it will reduce shutter speed. All in all, this is one lens you should own. It normally sells for $199.99 to $299.99.

Quick Specs

• Works with EF-S mounts only
• 58mm filter thread
• Image stabilization makes taking zoom shots easy
• Affordable zoom lens
• 13.8 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

If you are interested in macro photography, this is one lens worth checking out. The first thing to look at is the 1 foot closest focusing distance. There are lenses that go closer out there, but with a 100mm focal length there is no need to get any closer than that. Then there is the aperture. F/2.8 is a pretty decent maximum for all types of shooting. You will be able to work in low light and keep a shallow depth of field that makes macro photography so interesting. You can find this lens for $549.99 to $599.99.

Quick Specs

• Works with EF and EF-S mounts
• 58mm filter threads
• Ultra Sonic Motor for high speed and quiet focus
• 1ft closest focusing distance
• 21.1 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

This is a zoom lens that takes care of the very low focal lengths. It is be perfect for indoor shooting, landscape photography, and it would even be a good choice for macro photography. So versatility is a very good quality in this lens. The low light performance is pretty decent here too. The maximum apterture of f/3.5 pulls in a lot of light while maintaining a shallow depth of field for the blurry background effect. At 10mm you’ll achieve a 107 degree viewing angle, so you’ll see a whole lot of what is in front of you. This lens is available for $678.95 to $859.99.

Quick Specs

• Made for EF-S mount only
• 107 degree viewing angle
• 0.79ft closest focusing distance
• 77mm filter thread
• 13.6 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

This medium telephoto canon lens is a top competetor for one of the best lenses you could have in your camera bag. The 85mm focal length makes this a useful lens in many situations. It’s perfect for taking your camera on walks, nature shoots, sporting events, and some indoor shooting. If anything gets to intimate it may be too much. The maximum aperture is f/1.8, so you’ll never worry about low light performance. This lens is also specifically designed to create beautiful background blur. If that is what you are after, this is the lens for you. You can find this lens for the reasonable price of $369.00 to $419.99.

Quick Specs

• Works with EF and EF-S mounts
• 58mm filter thread
• Ultra Sonic Motor for quiet autofocus
• 2.8ft closest focus distance
• 15 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

This lens tries to do very many things all at once. The very large range in focal length makes this a very useful lens for any situation. You could be shooting indoors, on a hike, or at a sporting event and this will be the one you choose. It’s really perfect for parents who love getting shots of their kids throughout the days and the years of growing up. Low light performance isn’t bad here on the wide end and a little less so on the zoom end. It will be hard to find a situation where this lens doesn’t do a good job. This Canon lens is available for $559.99 to $699.99.

Quick Specs

• Only for EF-S mounts
• Image stabilization helps with clear images
• 11x zoom range
• 72mm filter threads
• 20.99 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

Here is a macro lens that has the potential to be your best friend. It is a little different from the other two on the list. You will have to work a little closer to your subjects because of the 50mm focal length. That’s not a bad thing depending on your style. If you work with a lot of flowers and still life, you might want to be a little closer for those interesting angles. This one is also a very good candidate for a general-purpose lens, which is important to consider when picking out a new lens. This lens sells for $279.99-$299.99.

Quick Specs

• Works with EF and EF-S mounts
• 0.5x life size focusing
• 0.8ft closest focus distance
• 52mm filter thread
• 9.9 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

This is one of the smallest and most lightweight lenses out there. It’s pretty impressive. It is a prime lens, so there is no zoom. This means you will have to be creative in how you frame each and every image. The 40mm focal length is good for general shooting while you are out and about in town or on a hike. The wide f/2.8 aperture means you are going to get good low light performance and a shallow depth of field. When this lens is on your camera, it looks and feels like nothing is there. That is probably one of the best features in this lens. You can find this ultra portable lens for $199.99.

Quick Specs

• For EF and EF-S mounts
• 52mm filter threads
• 0.98ft closest focus distance
• Stepping Motor for quiet auto focus during video recording
• 4.6 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

If you are looking for a prime lens, let this be the one you consider seriously. A 35mm focal length makes this a good lens for portrait shooting and a very good walk around lens. The fast f/2 aperture captures great portraits in low light situations and leaves a blur in the background that is very appealing as well as subject enhancing. A focus distance of 0.8 feet is very interesting and really expands the possibilities of this lens. The auto focus can be a bit noisy since it lacks the silent motor technology that a lot of other Canon lenses utilize. This lens can be had for $309.99 to $319.99.

Quick Specs

• Works with EF and EF-S mounts
• 52mm filter threads
• 0.8ft closest focus distance
• 7.4 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

This is going to be the best general-purpose lens out there you can find. The 15-85mm focal length will work for virtually any situation that does not require an insane amount of zooming power. 15mm is pretty wide and you’ll be amazed at what you can do with it. The aperture provides decent low light performance and should be enough for indoor shooting. To make up for that, Canon has a image stabilization in this lens that will let you shoot at pretty low shutter speeds and maintain a crisp image. You can pick up this lens necessary for every camera bag at $694.00 to $799.99.

Quick Specs

• Only for EF-S mounts
• 72mm filter threads
• Ultra Sonic Motor for fast and quiet auto focus
• 1.15ft closest focus distance
• 20.3 ounces

Prices

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

By Brian Jones

DSLR cameras are becoming much more of a consumer camera than they use to be. People are getting in touch with the photographer inside and want to step up their game. Cell phone cameras and smaller point and shoot cameras just aren’t going to do it anymore. A DSLR comes with many pros, the best being the choice of what kind of lens you will use. Canon has a vast array of lenses that will complement any situation perfectly. The trouble comes with choosing which one is right for you. We looked at 10 of the best Canon lenses and rated them with the following criteria:

1. General-purpose vs. specialized use
2. Low light performance
3. Image stabilization and quiet focus
4. Compatibility with different Canon lens mounts
5. Weight and size
6. Minimum focus distances
7. Price

Canon Lens Buying Guide

Lenses are the most important piece of equipment behind the actual body of the camera. Some might even say the lens is more important. Either way, the lens really changes the how you are going to tackle a certain subject or idea. So what are you supposed to look for in a lens. This buying guide will go over some of the key points to look at in a lens depending on what type of shooting you plan on doing.

Focal Length

Focal length is very important in any type of photography. A lot of people think the more zoom you have the better, but that is not always the case. The more zoom you have means you have more weight to carry around and that zoom lens definitely cost an extra arm and leg. If you are going to be shooting at a wedding reception or a school event, a zoom lens in the 18-100mm area is going to be perfect. If you are shooting a sporting event you might want to bump that up to 200mm or 300mm so you can get the greatest shot. There really is no reason to go higher than 300mm if you aren’t doing professional shooting. Look at all the options available and make the right choice.

Aperture

Aperture is listed on the barrel of the lens. It is important to know what the numbers mean and what they will do for you. The lower the number the wider the aperture can get and the more light that enters the camera. The lower the number also means the depth of field will be more shallow. That means the field of focus perpendicular to the camera will be shallow. That’s how photographers make the background and foreground nice an blurry. So, if you plan on doing a lot of low light shooting or want to add a lot of artistic blur a lens with a f/1.8 will do the trick for you.

Filter Thread Size

Buying lots of filters can be expensive. There is nothing worse than finding out that your collection of filters won’t fit on your new lens. 52mm is a pretty standard size, so you should feel pretty comfortable getting filters for that size. A lot of special lenses like the fish-eye and macro will have different. Be aware and know what you are getting into.

Extra Features

Things like Canon’s Ultra Sonic Motor and Optical Image Stabilization make good lenses great lenses. Silent focusing can be a plus if you shoot around people and don’t want to disturb them or if you are shooting an event where you really need to be quiet. VR image stabilization is very good for low light shooting because you will be using slower shutter speeds most of the time. Canon also uses a lot of different lens coatings that help with light transmission and reflections. Look for things like that on your next lens purchase.

You will surely find a lens that works with your camera set up flawlessly if you look out for all of these things on your next lens purchase. It is worth the time and effort of research since buying a new lens is a pretty big investment.

Brian Jones has had a passion for photography and anything related for the majority of his life. One photography class in high school was all it took to get hooked on everything to do with the subject. He became more focused on learning about camera… See more about Brian

Featured Camera Articles

Samsung Galaxy Camera on AT&T Network

Android based cameras are a very new thing to the digital photography world. You might ask: What about the camera on my Android phone? Well, that’s not exactly what is going on here. An Android based camera has all the features of a dedicated camera, with the ability to connect to the internet, share on social networks… [more]

A Guide to ISO Settings on Your Digital Camera

If you have ever visited an aquarium, then you know it’s difficult to get a good shot of the fish in the tanks awash with light and color because the room is otherwise really dark. A shot taken in auto mode might turn out dark and underexposed, and using a flash could cast an annoying … [more]

Digital Zoom vs. Optical Zoom: What’s the Difference?

Many digital cameras include both digital zoom and optical zoom. It’s helpful to understand the difference between these two zooming features when you’re trying to get a close-up view of something far away. Optical zoom maintains a high clarity as … [more]

More Top 10 Lists

Top 10 Nikon Lenses

Digital SLR cameras are becoming much more of a consumer camera than they use to be. People are getting in touch with the photographer inside and want to step up their game. Cell phone cameras and smaller point and shoot cameras just aren’t going to do it anymore… [more]

Top 10 Digital SLR Cameras

The most important factors that we looked for in selecting our top 10 digital SLR cameras included: 1. Megapixels, 2. Video and audio quality, 3. Button and menu interface, 4. Battery life, 5. Anti-shake technology, 6. ISO level and minimal noise, 7. LCD screen size and articulation … [more]

Top 10 Compact Cameras

As we chose the top 10 compact digital cameras, we considered a number of factors that set the winners apart from the rest. These qualities include: 1. Number of megapixels to produce sharp, detailed images, 2. Optical zoom that doesn’t degrade the picture quality, 3. Lightweight, slim, portable design, 4. Large and … [more]

Top 10 Camera Bags

Now that you have your camera in hand, it’s time to take it every where with you. You don’t want to be without your camera when that picture perfect moment occurs right before your eyes. The right camera bag will make all the difference in the world when it comes to lugging your camera gear around. That’s why it’s so important to choose the right one for your style of shooting… [more]

Top 10 Tripods

Tripods are an essential piece of photography equipment. They allow photographers to achieve a stability in their pictures that could not be had in hand holding the camera. Sometimes a shot required much slower shutter speeds or the photographer is trying to catch movement with out shaking the whole camera… [more]

Top 10 Photo Printers

In today’s world we all have a camera within reach almost at all times. Our camera phones are capable of taking wonderful pictures and our dedicated digital cameras are small enough to fit in our pockets. So what are we going to do with all of these photographs? That’s easy. Make prints! With a photo printer you will be able to have hard copies of your favorite memories in literally less than a minute…. [more]