One of the major benefits of being a Canon shooter is the incredible lens selection available for Canon cameras. In my opinion, while Canon falls behind in the features race to companies like Sony and Nikon, their lens selection is far superior to the likes of Sony and Nikon (don’t talk to me about Leica…) That’s why I haven’t abandoned the Canon ecosystem for the greener pastures of those other guys. If you’re wondering which professional level prime lenses you should get first, this article is for you! We’ll separate our list of the best canon prime lenses into the following buckets:
Best Canon Prime Lenses for Beginners
When starting out in photography, there’s so much to learn: rules of composition, the exposure triangle, how to use and modify light etc. Additionally, there’s the whole discussion of equipment that can make you go cross eyed! Learning which lenses you should buy and how you should use them can take a lot of time. Thankfully, in this post you’ll learn what prime lenses you should buy for your Canon camera when starting out.
When I started out in photography, my wife bought me a Canon T3 with a kit lens. While the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my T3 was very versatile and just fine for getting started, I quickly learned that in order to take the kinds of photos I was dreaming of (something with creamy bokeh, great color, and edge to edge sharpness) I’d need some better lenses. In that mindset, I’ll recommend the three prime lenses I think every Canon shooter should buy when starting out. These lenses are great to get that professional feel without breaking your bank!
The Nifty 50 – Canon 50mm 1.8
[Related Reading: The Ultimate Portrait Kit For Canon | Must Have Lenses for Portrait Photography]
The Canon 50mm 1.8 is often referred to as “the nifty 50” for a good reason. It’s the best lens you can buy for $125, period. On a crop sensor it’s more like an 85mm lens on a full frame camera, but for the money you can’t beat it. It takes beautiful images with plenty of sharpness and enough bokeh to make you feel like a rockstar. The build quality isn’t that great, but you’re getting started so I wouldn’t worry about that at this point. If you’ve never taken photos with a prime lens with a wide aperture before, you’re never going to go back. More light + more bokeh = more fun! When you’re ready to upgrade, the Canon 50 1.4 is only $349 and gives you a little bit more of everything. It’s well built, gives you some extra light and beautiful bokeh.
Pros:
- Nice bokeh
- Great price
- Extra light
- Small
- Light weight
Cons:
- Not as sharp as it could be
- Not as much bokeh as it’s f/1.2 cousin (but you probably don’t need that anyway)
- A little loud when focusing
- Not the best build quality
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Canon EF-S 35mm f2.8 Macro
The Canon EF-S 35mm 2.8 Macro is designed specifically for crop sensor cameras (which is what you most likely have). While it doesn’t have as wide open an aperture as the 50mm 1.8, it makes up for a lack of light input by providing macro capabilities. Do you like those pictures of bees really close up? That’s macro! With this lens you can get those close detail shots you’ve seen of wedding rings, flowers, or products like watches and jewelry. It also has image stabilization, so if your hands are a bit shaky or you want to shoot at lower shutter speeds, you can do it with this lens. Moreover, this lens falls rights in that middle focal range. You might call this one the goldilocks lens—it’s not too close and not too far. It’s a very versatile lens that you can use in almost any situation from street photography to portraits. While it’s not quite wide enough for most landscape work, or tight enough for headshots, it’s ideal if you’re just starting out and want to practice a little bit of everything. Finally, while it’s not as affordable as the nifty 50, at $299, it’s really reasonable. If the 50mm 1.8 wasn’t such a great lens overall, this is the prime lens that I’d recommend you get first.
Pros:
- Very versatile
- Sharp enough to cut a steak
- Great price
- Macro for close up shots
- Light weight
- Image stabilization
Cons:
- Only 2.8 aperture
- Build quality isn’t great
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Canon EF 85mm 1.8
[Related Reading: Top 5 Must Have Fujifilm X Lenses]
The Canon 85 1.8 is one of my all-time favorite lenses. At only $369 this thing is a steal for the quality of the images it produces. It’s so good that I sold my much more expensive 85mm in favor of this one. I love this lens because it’s lightweight, well built for a sub-$400 lens, and takes incredible images with excellent detail and smooth bokeh. If you’re looking to get into portrait work or headshots, you won’t go wrong with this lens. It’s a bit tight on a crop sensor camera (roughly equivalent to a 135mm lens on full frame), but if you’re ready to start taking photos of subjects that are a little farther away, or want to create some mind blowing portraits, this is the lens you’ll want first.
Pros:
- Gorgeous bokeh
- Very sharp!
- Great price
- Good build quality for the price
- Quick auto-focus
Cons:
- “Only” 1.8 aperture.
- There’s not many negatives with this lens for the price.
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Each of these lenses would provide an excellent foundation for a burgeoning Canon photographer. But remember that a camera and lens isn’t going to create great photos for you. They’re tools, not visionaries. When I started out, I got a few affordable lenses and spent most of my money on great educational resources from SLR Lounge. To learn more about how to take and edit amazing photos, check out our educational resources.
Best Canon Prime Lenses for Pros
In this article I’ll provide my recommendations for the prime Canon DSLR lenses you should get if you’re a burgeoning professional photographer looking to create incredible photos with the best equipment. I’ll write another article in the future for Canon mirrorless, so if you’re wondering where the Canon RF 50 1.2 lens is in this article, don’t worry. It’ll be in a future article.
Canon EF 50mm 1.2 L
The Canon EF 50mm 1.2 L is one the first professional level prime lenses I bought and I still use it almost every day. One of the “Best Lenses for Wedding Photography,” the lens is actually not as sharp wide open as one might hope. It doesn’t have image stabilization or some other fancy feature. What it does have though is character, lots and lots of character. Wide open, the bokeh from this lens is sublime. The look of images taken with this lens is also really pleasing to the eye. It’s hard to describe but you can see it in photos. Stopped down to f/4 and beyond and it’s plenty sharp for mid-range portraits, landscapes, or whatever you can think to use this lens for. One of the best features of this lens is the quality of its lens flare. As you can see in the image below, it creates gorgeous light flares right in camera.
Pros:
- Gorgeous Bokeh
- Character
- Well built
- Quiet Auto-Focus
- Beautiful lens flare
- Small compared to other pro-level prime lenses
- Weather-sealed
Cons:
- A bit too soft at wider apertures
- Auto focus could be faster
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Sigma 35 1.4 DG HSM Art
The Sigma 35 1.4 ART is the best 35mm lens I’ve used. It’s sharp, it takes gorgeous photos (character), and it’s cheap compared to the competition. At $699, its hard to beat this lens even for professional use. It also had very little distortion. So while it’s wide, you can take a portrait with this lens if you need to. You can also put your subject in the outside edges of the frame without them warping. The auto focus on the Sigma 35 is fast and extremely quiet. (While I haven’t used it yet, I’ve heard the new Tamron SP 35 1.4 is pretty incredible. Click here to read our latest review.)
Pros:
- Excellent sharpness
- Lots of character
- Quiet auto focus
- Well built
- Minimal distortion
Cons:
- No weather sealing
- Some people have complained about inconsistent auto focus (I haven’t had an issues)
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Canon EF 85mm 1.2 L II
The Canon 85 1.2 L is one of this most incredible lenses I’ve ever used. If you like bokeh, this lens is the undisputed master of bokeh. I love almost every photo I’ve taken with this lens. It’s plenty sharp wide open. The images this lens produces are also incredibly unique. For portraits, you’d be hard pressed to find a better lens. The auto focus can be a bit slow, but it’s as quiet as a whisper and very accurate. But for all the goodness of this lens, you’re going to pay a hefty price ($1899). Is it worth it? That depends what your budget is, and how badly you want the absolute best. If you can’t afford this lens, you could settle for something like the Canon EF 85 1.8, a lens I still use and love.
Pros:
- Unreal bokeh
- Sharp
- Quiet auto focus
- Unique look
- Solid build quality
Cons:
- Slow auto focus compared to other lenses
- Expensive
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Conclusion
With each of these lenses you get something different to add to your creative toolbox. If you’re getting started doing professional work, and you shoot Canon, these are the prime lenses I’d recommend starting with. Of course there are so many other options out there. If you haven’t shot with any professional prime lenses yet, I’d recommend that you rent a few and give them a whirl. The lenses I recommended above can help you open the door to creative possibilities. But of course, without the skills to unlock the potential of these lenses, they are just tools in the box. The most important thing you can do is educate yourself! For that, I shamelessly recommend the SLR Lounge Workshops.
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