The BEST Canon EOS Lenses
[Updated late December 2009 - All tables revised to reflect current ratings, text revised to reflect new data]
Here is a list of the best lenses from Canon, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina as determined by user opinions from my "Lensplay" website. Of course there are many criteria for what's the best lens but here there are three sets of "best lens" data sorted by both price and overall rating. Just because a lens doesn't appear on the "best lens" list doesn't mean it's not a good lens of course. For example less popular lenses may not appear because they have not received enough ratings to qualify (at least 10 are needed before a lens will be rated as a "best lens").
Over on my other website, Lensplay.com I've been running an experimental database of lenses for Canon EOS bodies. Readers of the site were invited to give their own ratings on lenses on a scale of 5 to 10 which is fully explained on the Lensplay Ratings page. Briefly they are:
- 10 - Outstanding
- 9 - Very good
- 8 - Good
- 7 - Above average
- 6 - Average
- 5 - Below average
Rating below a 5 are reserved for me to assign to really bad lenses, though I haven't yet really found anything worth less than a 5 in a modern lens. I restricted users from giving anything less than a 5 rating to a lens because no lens in the database is that bad and ratings below a 5 would probably represent some sort of grudge that the user had against the lens maker (or maybe me!), or a deliberate attempt to skew the ratings, not the true quality of the lens.
As of December 29th 2009 here are currently 218 different lenses in the database with 12182 user ratings of 211 different lenses by 5645 different users. In the last year around 2500 new ratings have been added by about 1400 new users, so the database is growing well.
Of course users don't scientifically test lenses. They don't shoot resolution test charts and calculate MTF. They use the lens and if they are happy with it, they give it a good rating. So the user rating combine technical quality with probably some subjective bias on the part of the user about how much they like the lens and the results it gives them. Actually that's probably a better way of judging a lens than a purely technical test. It gives a better feeling of whether the average user of the lens is happy with it.
As with every community activity there will always be some members of the community who like to "mess with the numbers" and hand out great ratings to lousy lenses or lousy ratings to great lenses. Because of this only lenses rated by 10 or more users are included here, plus the method of calculating the overall rating looks and accounts for "spoilers" based on a number of parameters (which I'm not going to reveal).
I think the results are a pretty accurate reflection of user's feelings about the lenses. There are no lenses included that I'd have excluded and most of the lenses I would have picked are in the tables somewhere.
The listings on Lensplay.com are dynamic and show the results in real time. The tables here are static and reflect the results in the database in late December 2009. The previous list was from November 2008 and there really haven't been any significant changes since then except for the appearance of a few recently released or updated lenses. This is a good thing in that it shows that what were seen as good lenses still are seen as good lenses. If all the lenses in the list were different, there would be something to worry about!. The links will take you to a page on Lensplay.com with the full lens specifications and (usually) a few extra comments on the lens. The prices for lenses which are no longer available new are estimates of what you might expect to pay on the used market for a lens in good condition
Best Lenses for Canon EOS (price no object)
So here are the top 20 lenses based on user ratings with no regard to cost (note that only lenses with 10 or more ratings are listed)
UPDATED: December 2009
| Lens (click on link for full data) | Average User Rating |
# of User Ratings |
price ($) |
| 1 - Canon EF 85mm f1.2L USM Mark II | 9.8 | 177 | 1840 |
| 2 - Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM | 9.8 | 324 | 900 |
| 3 - Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM | 9.8 | 191 | 660 |
| 4 - Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 | 9.8 | 55 | 1100 |
| 5 - Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L USM | 9.7 | 179 | 1135 |
| 6 - Canon EF 500mm f/4.0L IS USM | 9.7 | 90 | 5500 |
| 7 - Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM | 9.7 | 65 | 1500 |
| 8 - Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM | 9.7 | 42 | 6600 |
| 9 - Canon EF 70-200mm f4.0L IS USM | 9.7 | 321 | 1250 |
| 10 - Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x | 9.7 | 43 | 830 |
| 11 - Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM | 9.6 | 135 | 4000 |
| 12 - Canon EF 200/1.8L USM | 9.6 | 126 | 3000 |
| 13 - Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX DG APO Macro IF HSM | 9.6 | 13 | 689 |
| 14 - Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro | 9.6 | 299 | 470 |
| 15 - Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM | 9.6 | 405 | 1700 |
| 16 - Canon EF 600mm f/4.0L IS USM | 9.5 | 47 | 7200 |
| 17 - Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM | 9.5 | 124 | 1100 |
| 18 - Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro | 9.5 | 96 | 489 |
| 19 - Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM | 9.5 | 317 | 990 |
| 20 - Canon EF 100mm f/2.0 USM | 9.5 | 89 | 390 |
The first thing you'll probably notice is that 18 out of the top 20 are Canon lenses. The other two are both macro lenses (one from Sigma, one from Tamron).
The second thing you may notice is that the top 8 lenses are all primes, and overall 17 out of the top 20 lenses are primes. The highest ranked zoom is the 70-200/4L IS and it's quite moderately priced among this competition. It's interesting to see a non-L, EF-S zoom on the list now, the EF-S 17-55/2.8L IS is now at #19.Some lenses would be on this list, but have not yet received enough ratings to qualify. For example the Canon EF 200mm f2.0L IS USM and the Canon EF 100mm f2.8L IS Macro USM would actually be at the top of the list!
Best lenses for Canon EOS under around $600
Of course, not everyone can afford a lens several thousands of dollars, so let's take a look at what the highest rated lenses under around $600 are. Some prices may have crept up a little since the database was last updated which is why I say under around $600
UPDATED: late December 2009
Again primes top the list and 13 out of the twenty lenses are primes. Macro primes are very sharp and in fact 7 out of 20 of these lenses are macro lenses.
Best Lenses for Canon EOS under around $300
But suppose even $600 is too much to pay for a lens, what can you get for under $300 (includes some discontinued lenses at typical used prices). Note that some prices may have crept up a little since the database was last updated which is why I say under around $300
UPDATED: late December 2009
| Lens (click on link for full data) | Average User Rating |
# of User Ratings |
Price |
| 1 - Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro | 9.1 | 80 | 240 |
| 2 - Canon EF 35mm f/2.0 | 9 | 111 | 230 |
| 3 - Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 | 8.9 | 60 | 260 |
| 4 - Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro | 8.8 | 51 | 269 |
| 5 - Canon EF 100-300/5.6L | 8.8 | 20 | 300 |
| 6 - Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 Macro | 8.8 | 21 | 150 |
| 7 - Canon EF-S 55-250mm f4-5.6 IS | 8.7 | 73 | 260 |
| 8 - Canon EF 50mm f1.8 | 8.7 | 163 | 150 |
| 9 - Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II | 8.5 | 361 | 100 |
| 10 - Canon EF 28-70mm f3.5-4.5 | 8.4 | 29 | 70 |
| 11 - Canon EF 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM | 8.4 | 44 | 200 |
| 12 - Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 | 8.4 | 82 | 290 |
| 13 - Canon EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 IS | 8.3 | 89 | 199 |
| 14 - Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO Zoom Macro II | 8.3 | 33 | 200 |
| 15 - Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM | 8.2 | 133 | 230 |
| 16 - Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 APO DG Macro | 8.1 | 57 | 200 |
| 17 - Canon EF 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 USM | 8 | 23 | 80 |
| 18 - Sigma 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Macro | 8 | 47 | 299 |
| 19 - Tamron AF55-200mm f4-5.6 Di -II Macro LD | 8 | 25 | 175 |
| 20 - canon EF 35-135mm f4-5.6 USM | 7.9 | 17 | 150 |
Again, the top 4 lenses are all primes, and 2 out of the 4 are macro lenses
So what are the conclusions you can draw?
- If you want the very best lenses, stick with Canon
- The very best lenses are prime lenses, not zooms, though there are some excellent zooms
- Macro lenses do very well in the ratings, both Canon and 3rd party
It's pretty clear that if you have a limited budget and you demand the best in optical quality, you can get it if you're prepared to give up the convenience of zooms
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Outstanding picks (without breaking the bank):
- Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM - Rating 9.9, price $900. Not cheap, but a really outstanding lens.
- Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM - Rating 9.8. A very good lens indeed for "only" $650. The highest rated low cost "L" series lens.
- Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro - Rating 9.5, price $470. Highest rated lens under $600. Very sharp and gives 1:1 magnification
- Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM - Rating 9.4, price $900. Highest rated EF-S series lens and one of the highest rated of all zooms.
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM - Rating 9.3 and Canon EF 100mm f/2.0 USM - Rating 9.4, Two very reasonably priced ($350-$400) fast short telephoto lenses which are ideal for portrait work.
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM - Rating 9.3, price $550. A highly rated zoom and the cheapest "L" series lens
- Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f2.8 XR Di-II LD Asph. IF - Rating 9.3, price $450. Very highly rated "general purpose" lens for APS-C sensor cameras. God wide to short telephoto range at a constant f2.8 aperture.
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM - Rating 9.2, price $350. A great portrait lens for full frame and short telephoto for APS-C digital.
- Canon EF 300/4L USM - Rating 9.2, price $700 (used). One of my favorite lenses and (if you can find one) a great telephoto that's affordable (and works great with a 1.4xTC too!)
- Canon EF-S 10-22/3.5-4.5 USM Rating 9.1, price $690. An excellent lens which doesn't appear in the above lists because it's too expensive for the $600 list and the rating is 0.2 points too low to appear on the absolute best list. However a 9.1 rating is very good and the price is still affordable.
- Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro - Rating 8.9, price $270. A high ratings/low cost for a 1:1 50mm macro lens.
- Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM - Rating 8.9, Price $550. A very good telephoto zoom with very effective Image stabilization.
- Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di LD Aspherical IF - Rating 8.5, price $390. A well regarded lens at 1/3 the cost of the Canon 24-70/2.8L (rated at 9.1)
- Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 (Rating 8.5, price $170) and Canon EF 35mm f/2.0 (Rating 8.7, price $230). Either one makes a good "normal" lens on an APS-C sensor DSLR
- Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II - Rating 8.5 , price $80. Clearly the best bang for the buck
- Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM - Rating 7.8, price $230. A good solid zoom for a very reasonable price.
