Most people buy their first DSLR camera with the kit lens, but as you spend some time learning and shooting, you soon realize that lenses are far more important than the camera. Unfortunately, most are expensive and not really something a beginner with little to no experience would want to buy.
In this guide, we’ve selected the 6 best lenses for high quality photography without breaking the bank. The majority of the ones we’ve selected are actually quite versatile, and can be used for many different shooting styles (from indoor to outdoor, portraits to racing etc.).
1. Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
For years, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM has been number one choice for those on a budget due to its low price paired with excellent performance. Prime lenses (focal length does not change) usually have much better image quality because they contain less glass elements. This also results in a small and light lens that’s easy to carry around.
Quality wise, it’s worth every dollar. Its large aperture opening will allow you to shoot indoors and outdoors, along with getting some beautiful background blur in portraits and other photographs. There’s no better way to give your photographs that professional look and make your subject instantly stand out.
You can buy the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM at Amazon here.
2. Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
Normally we’d recommend the 10-22mm for wild angle work, but with the introduction of Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 last year, not only is quality the same, but it’s also twice as cheap and offers improved Image Stabilization.
Those who want to record videos should really consider getting this lens, as the STM (Silent Motor) makes auto focusing completely silent and smooth, allowing your videos to look more professional. For photography it’s obviously an excellent piece of glass designed for landscape, street, indoor and night photography.
You can buy the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM at Amazon here.
3. Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM
Yes, this is an actual lens designed for DSLR cameras. We call these ‘pancake’ due to their thin and funny design, making it one of the lightest lenses available from Canon. Surprisingly, the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM feels solid and not like a plastic toy, and just barely has enough space to fit the AF/MF button on it.
It fits on all Canon DSLR cameras, has a large aperture of f/2.8 and is pretty sharp wide open, closest focusing distance of 11.81″ (30cm) and is a tad slower at auto focusing than the 50mm f/1.8. It’s fast enough for outdoor activities, but expect hunting once in a while in harder to shoot conditions. The focal distance is perfect for those who think the 50mm is too long, and the STM is excellent for those who record videos.
You can buy the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM at Amazon here.
4. Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
Sports, wildlife and action are just few of the things where a telephoto lens comes in handy. Sometimes you simply can’t get closer to your subject, and other times you don’t want to scare your subject away. With the Canon EF-S 55-250mm IS STM, those types of photography won’t be a hassle, especially outside.
It delivers high quality, sharp photographers at all ranges, including 250mm. Auto focus is also quick, precise and silent, and you won’t find a better telephoto lens for such a low price. On top of all that, the Image Stabilization works up to 4 stops (aka pictures taken at 1/15 look the same as taken with 1/250 shutter speed).
You can buy the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM here.
5. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
I originally purchased the 50mm f/1.8, but upgraded to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 above after lots and lots of shooting. While they’re both good, the more expensive 50mm obviously has its pros; bigger and better build quality, faster and more precise auto focusing (it’s more silent as well) and slightly better image quality.
It’s usable at f/1.4, especially when you need as much light as possible, but stopping down to f/2.8 will give you unmatchable sharpness! Besides the USM (Ultra Sonic Motor), it also features full-time manual focus, so even if you have your lens set at AF, you can rotate the manual focus. This is excellent when shooting conditions where the lighting goes from good to bad quickly, and you can’t waste your time constantly switching between the two modes.
You can buy the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM at Amazon here.
6. Canon EF 24mm f/1.8 STM
For those who want a prime lens with a large aperture opening, this is the lens. It’s sort of like the 50mm f/1.8, but much more usable for real estate, street, night life, landscape and club photography. It’s also good for someone trying to upgrade from their kit lens, as the lens is better in all aspects.
The closest focusing distance is 6 inches, making it good for macro photography as well, and it focuses faster than the 50mm f/1.8! It weighs only 4.4 ounces (125g), is designed to work on APS-C cameras (all Rebels and non-Full Frame DSLRs).
You can buy the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM at Amazon here.
Any More Lenses?
We wanted to keep the prices low, and all lenses above cost less than $500! However, there are a few choices that were hard to ignore, and would make any photographer happy. The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM goes for around $700, and offers high image quality, fixed aperture throughout the whole range, and excellent build quality.
There’s also the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM, a game-changing lens with the performance/quality of something way more expensive.
Prime wise, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM is also a lens I’ve owned for years. On a crop DSLR it’s quite tight, making it perfect for concerts, portraits and just anytime you want tack sharp shots with beautiful background bokeh.
There’s also one lens that we could hardly recommend to anyone, it’s the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III. Yes it’s only $150, but image quality degrades quickly after 75mm, and it’s really not worth the money. You’re better off saving for something better, or getting something from the list above that a lot of people are already using and love it!
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