canon r6 travel lens

5 Best Lenses For Canon EOS R6 Mark II (…and 3 to avoid)

The Canon EOS R6 Mark II is a pro-level full frame 24.2 megapixel mirrorless camera that is designed to do everything pretty well. That makes it essential to use high quality lenses to get the most out of your camera.

My favorite lens for this camera would be the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 . It’s a very useful focal length and among the best Canon lenses in terms of image quality.

But depending on what you shoot most, you may want a different option. So keep reading to see my complete breakdown of the best lenses for the Canon R6 Mark II based on what might be right for you.

Photography Goals uses affiliate links. When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission.

1. Canon 24-70mm f/2.8

The 24-70mm f/2.8 is a staple in any pro photographers bag because of the wide variety of shots you can get and the excellent image quality.

The 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is one of the most popular lenses in any lens lineup and for good reason. The combination of the focal range that covers wide to slightly telephoto and the wide f/2.8 maximum aperture covers a huge variety of shot types and shooting situations.

So when it comes time to invest in a high quality lens for your full frame mirrorless R6 Mark II, this should be your top choice if it’s within your budget.

This lens has the “L” designation on it that Canon uses to identify its professional quality lenses.

You’ll get an extremely sharp lens that has great contrast and good color reproduction.

At 900g, it’s not a small lens and is actually on the bigger side of 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses from other manufacturers. But with the size comes a very strong build quality that is weather sealed.

As an added bonus, you’ll get about 5 stops of image stabilization so you can shoot still subjects at slower shutter speeds than you would normally be able to. That means better low light images without having to crank up the ISO.

The R6 Mark II body stabilization already gives you 8 stops, so combining it with this lens makes it an impressive combo for shooting still objects in low light.

Overall, this is simply one of the best Canon lenses you can buy, so it make sense to pair it with the impressive R6 Mark II.

This lens is also my “Pro Pick” on my list of the best Canon lenses for portraits .

2. Canon 24-105 f/4

This lens covers a wide focal range with a fixed f/4 max aperture which makes it a great lens to keep on your camera in a variety of situations.

The 24-105mm f/4 lens gives you a decent f/4 maximum aperture with a very wide focal range and still delivers very good image quality.

I like this lens for the R6 Mark II because of its relatively compact size coupled with a big focal range.

You can shoot everyday shots and even some landscapes at 24mm and still have the reach for far away objects at the 105mm end. This makes it the kind of lens that you can put on your R6 Mark II and leave it there.

I like this option as an everyday lens for this camera a lot better than the RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM that is often sold as a kit lens with it. You’ll get sharper images and better colors as well as the consistent f/4 max aperture across the entire focal length.

The f/4 aperture isn’t the fastest lens in the lineup but it is decent for getting shots in low light. Of course, for very low light situations, you may want to have the 50mm f/1.8 below , but this lens will work in most circumstances.

If you travel a lot and don’t want to bring multiple lenses or are just looking for one lens that can handle the widest variety of shooting situations then this is a great option.

I would consider this more like a less expansive top choice rather than a second place pick. It falls right between the top pick and the budget pick below in terms of price. So while it may not be up to the impeccable sharpness and image quality of the 24-70 above, but its also about $1000 less than that lens.

So it really comes down to how much you want to invest in lenses for your R6 Mark II. If you’re on a tighter budget, then check out the option below.

3. Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM

The 50mm is popular, sharp, useful, and affordable.

The 50mm f/1.8 (of the “nifty fifty” as some photographers call it) is one of those lenses that every photographer should have in their bag.

It’s an extremely sharp and well made lens with a wide f/1.8 aperture and the best part is that it’s the least expensive lens in the Canon RF lineup. So you’re getting a ton of value for a low price.

On the full frame R6 Mark II, the 50mm is considered a “normal lens” which means that the field of view is similar to how we see with our eyes. This also means there is minimal distortion, even along the edges of the frame.

While the fixed focal length may initially seem limiting, this is a great lens, especially for someone learning to improve their photography skills. The wide maximum aperture opens up a lot more possibilities than the average kit lens, such as low light photography and shallow depth of field portraits.

4. Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM

This 70-200mm lens is among the best in Canon’s lineup and one that you’ll see in the bags of many pro sports and wildlife photographers.

If you want to use your R6 Mark II and its 30 frames per second electronic shutter shooting speed for sports and action, then you’ll need a good quality telephoto lens. This 70-200 f/2.8 is the lens you want.

This lens is the top of the line mid-range telephoto in the Canon lineup and is among the industry best in sharpness, contrast, color rendition, and focusing speed.

The consistent f/2.8 makes a big difference here. When you shoot a longer focal lengths, you need a faster shutter speed to avoid blur from handholding the camera and shooting sports means even faster shutter speeds.

This lens will let you reach those higher shutter speeds even in darker venues like school gyms. So you can freeze the action and get clean sharp sports photos almost anywhere.

Less Expensive Option: If you want to save about $1000 and still get excellent telephoto performance, you may want to consider the RF 70-200mm f/4 option from Canon . You give up a little bit of low light performance with the f/4 compared to the f/2.8 but its still a sharp quality lens at a lower price point.

5. Canon 16mm f/2.8

This 16mm f/1.8 gives you a wide angle and a fast aperture for shooting almost any kind of landscape from mountains to astrophotography.

You might be surprised that I didn’t choose one of the wide angle zoom lenses for this pick. To show you why, let’s take a look at some of those options…

Upgrade Options: The 10-20mm f/4 comes in at $2,299 MSRP, the 15-35mm f/2.8 comes in at $2,099 MSRP , and the most affordable wide angle zoom is the 14-35mm f/4 at $1,199 MSRP . Compare this to the 16mm f/2.8 at $299 MSRP and you can see why it’s such an attractive option for most R6 Mark II owners.

That being said both of those zooms are excellent landscape lenses and if they’re within your budget then I would recommend either of them as they give you more versatility with the focal range and are exceptionally sharp so you’ll be able to take full advantage of the 24.2 megapixel sensor on your R6 Mark II.

I like the 16mm because you’re getting a lot for a low cost and a small lightweight lens.

If you’re shooting landscapes in remote places where you need to carry your camera and lens while hiking, then the weight savings can make a big difference.

You’re also getting exceptional sharpness with this 16mm lens, so your images will look every bit as detailed as any shot on the wide angle zooms.

In addition, the f/2.8 max aperture makes it a great option even for astrophotography.

Lenses To Avoid For Your R6 Mark II

The truth is that there really aren’t many bad lenses in the Canon RF system. Canon hasn’t opened up the specs to third-party manufacturers to create their own lenses and they’ve done a great job at making high-quality lenses.

With the adapter you can use Canon’s DSLR lenses too, so you have a massive selection.

That being said, some lenses really aren’t worth getting for this particular camera.

These aren’t necessarily bad lenses. I just don’t think they’re worth the investment given the other options above.

Canon RF 24-50mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM

This is the kit lens that Canon offers as an option with the R6 Mark II. Compared with the top pick above you’re getting a smaller focal range, smaller maximum aperture, and decreased images quality with some softness around the edges of the frame.

But it’s far less expensive than the top pick above. So why isn’t this a great option for those on a budget?

Well, I think if cost is a concern, then you would be far better off with the 50mm f/1.8 above . For a similar price, you’ll get a much sharper lens and an f/1.8 max aperture.

Canon RF 24-105 f/4-7.1

The main thing that makes me not want to recommend this lens is the f/7.1 maximum aperture at the longer (105mm) end.

When you shoot at longer focal lengths, you need a faster shutter speed. Plus this is a focal length you may want to use for shooting sports or wildlife as well, which also tend to require faster shutter speeds.

So being limited to a maximum of f/7.1 means you’ll be using some very high ISO settings to get the right exposure. While the R6 Mark II is decent at higher ISOs, it has its limits.

But if you are constrained by budget, then you may also be better off using this Canon RF to EF adapter and finding a used EF mount lens with a faster aperture for a better price.

Canon 15-30 f/4.5-6.3

Similar to the 24-30 above, you can get much better image quality and a better max aperture with a prime lens in this focal range such as the 16mm f/2.8 above .

What To Look For When Choosing A Lens For Your Canon R6 Mark II

In addition to the usual things you look for in a lens like image quality, sharpness, and a large maximum aperture, there are a few things specific to the Canon R6 Mark II that you may want to think about.

The Canon R6 Mark II is a professional level camera. With features like 30 frames per second shooting, an ISO range of 100-102400, dual card slots, and 8 stops of in body image stabilization…you’re getting a very high quality piece of gear when you buy this camera (and investing a decent amount of money).

So I wouldn’t recommend pairing this camera with a cheap kit lens. If budget is a concern then go for a less expensive camera so you can invest in good lenses.

That’s why the lenses on this list are higher quality “pro-level” lenses. I also included some budget options like the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens that are both affordable and produce very high quality images, but I would avoid the affordable zooms because you’ll only be disappointed with the results.

Choosing a lens is much more than just finding the “best” lens for the R6 Mark II.

The Canon R6 Mark II is a bit of a “do everything” camera for Canon, so lens choice is going to highly dependent on what you want to shoot or what you shoot most of the time. It’s important to consider what you’ll be using it for and how useful that particular lens would be for a variety of different things.

For example a 50mm prime lens is great for shooting portraits and everyday photos, but it might not be wide enough to get a great landscape shot on that same camera.

So you would have to decide whether you want a lens that does a decent job for both or two lenses that are excellent for each specific type of shot.

Future Upgrades

The R6 Mark II is a very good camera. So you can use this camera for everything from everyday shooting to professional quality work.

That means that once you have a body like this, you’ll only really be limited by the lenses that you have. So consider any lens purchase as an investment. If you buy a quality RF lens, you can get multiple decades of use out of that lens.

Price vs. Quality

One of the main reasons I recommend photographers on a budget get a low cost prime lens as opposed to a cheaper kit lens is that you’ll get a much higher quality image for the dollars you’ll be spending.

I started a portrait photography business with just a camera body and a 50mm f/1.8. I couldn’t have done the same and gotten the same results for my clients with a kit lens.

So consider this when making your lens choice. Of course the big expensive f/2.8 zoom lenses are amazing, but they’re also thousands of dollars. So if that’s within your budget, then go for it, but if not consider those very high quality prime lens options.

landscape Portrait Macro

equipment reviews Photo editing

2024 © Photography goals

10 Best Canon Lenses for Travel Photography in 2024 (Top Picks)

Table of Contents

Your lens can make or break your shots; that’s why we’re going to discuss the best Canon lenses for travel photography in this article.

With Canon’s extensive range of lenses, it can be a daunting task to choose the best one for your needs.

Whether you’re shooting wide landscapes or capturing intricate details, there’s an ideal Canon lens just waiting to enhance your images.

This roundup focuses on the battle between Canon’s EF and RF lenses, two leading choices among Canon travel photographers worldwide. We’ll provide top-notch recommendations for both types that cater specifically to travel photography enthusiasts.

So, if you’re keen on upping your photography game and capturing stunning travel memories with ease, scroll down as we unveil our top picks in this category.

Canon EF vs RF Lenses for Travel Photography

Canon EF and RF lenses are both excellent choices for travel photography, each with their unique features and benefits.

EF lenses , introduced in 1987, are Canon’s lens mount standard for their full-frame DSLR cameras . They are renowned for their wide variety and high-quality performance. EF lenses are also compatible with Canon’s APS-C DSLR and mirrorless cameras , making them a versatile choice for photographers.

On the other hand, RF lenses are the newer generation, designed specifically for Canon’s full-frame mirrorless cameras.

The RF lenses have a larger mount and shorter back focus distance, which allows for a greater optical design freedom. This results in lenses that are typically sharper, faster, and with less distortion than their EF counterparts.

However, it’s important to note that while RF lenses are only compatible with Canon’s RF-mount mirrorless cameras, Canon’s EF lenses can be used on RF-mount cameras with an adapter. This gives photographers the flexibility to use their existing EF lenses on new RF-mount cameras.

In terms of performance, both EF and RF lenses deliver high-quality images.

A quick note on other Canon lens mounts

In total, there are four Canon lens mounts: EF, EF-S, EF-M and RF .

EF-S and EF-M are more niche, so I won’t be talking about them in this round up, but they are worth knowing about.

• 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.

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 Canon “L” series 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.

In this roundup, I will only be recommending EF and RF lenses.

Each has its own strengths and can be the best choice depending on the specific needs and photographer’s equipment.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding enthusiast, both EF and RF lenses offer excellent performance and versatility for travel photography.

Best EF Canon Lenses for Travel Photography

Canon ef 50mm f/1.8 stm lens, compact, affordable and versatile.

If you’re on the hunt for a compact camera lens that won’t break the bank, look no further than the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens . This baby is perfect for capturing those stunning portraits, action shots, and nighttime scenes when you’re out exploring.

The best part? It’s got a stepping motor (that’s what “STM” stands for) that ensures near-silent continuous Servo AF. That means you can snap away without disturbing your subjects or getting unwanted noise in your video footage.

And guess what else? Its minimum focusing distance is only 1.15 feet (0.35 meter). Yeah, you heard it right! You can get up close and personal with your subjects without losing focus or detail.

Now let’s talk about its effective focal length – it varies between APS C and full-frame cameras. So whether you’re shooting with an entry-level DSLR or a high-end professional camera, this lens will give you fantastic results.

But here’s the kicker: despite its compact size and affordable price tag, this Canon EF lens doesn’t skimp on quality. It features dual pixel CMOS AF for fast and accurate autofocus in live view mode, making it ideal for vlogging or streaming.

With all these killer features packed into one compact size, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens truly gives other lenses in its category a run for their money!

Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L II USM Lens

The perfect all-rounder.

If you’re into travel photography, the Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L II USM lens is your all-purpose buddy. This high-performance standard zoom lens comes with a constant f/4L aperture. This means whether you’re capturing the Eiffel Tower at sunrise or snapping shots of bustling night markets in Bangkok, this baby will deliver consistent light throughout the entire focal length.

The lens sports an Air Sphere Coating that seriously cuts down on flare and ghosting. No more worrying about those annoying spots ruining your perfect shot! Even in tricky lighting conditions, this lens has got your back.

But wait, there’s more! The image stabilizer corrects up to 4 stops of shake. That’s right folks, say goodbye to blurry images due to shaky hands or moving subjects. This feature ensures sharp images even when you’re on the go.

One cool thing about this lens is its new optical design which improves peripheral brightness. In simple terms, it means your photos won’t have dark corners anymore. Your pictures will be evenly lit from center to edge giving them a professional look.

The Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L II USM lens is like having multiple lenses packed into one without lugging around extra weight in your bag – a dream come true for any would-be or successful travel photographer !

This bad boy isn’t just versatile; it’s also built tough for rugged use while maintaining top-notch image quality. It’s a no-brainer choice if you want stunning photos without breaking a sweat (or your bank).

Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L USM Lens

An excellent wide-angle zoom for landscapes.

Get ready to be blown away by the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L USM lens . It’s a real game-changer, folks!

I mean, who doesn’t love a lens that offers full-time manual focus in AF mode? Talk about precision! This feature is a lifesaver when you’re trying to capture that perfect shot and need just the right amount of focus.

But wait, there’s more. The color balance on this bad boy is top-notch. You won’t have to worry about your photos looking too warm or too cool. They’ll come out just right every time.

And let’s not forget about the rounded 9-blade diaphragm. This little gem helps create beautiful bokeh effects in your photos. It’s like having your own personal photo editor built right into your camera!

The focal length range on this lens is also worth raving about. With its wide-angle zoom, you can capture everything from stunning landscapes to intimate portraits with ease.

One of my favorite features of the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L USM lens is its compatibility with various Canon models. No need to worry if it will fit your camera body – chances are it will!

Finally, we can’t ignore the Dual Pixel CMOS AF that covers approximately 100% area. This means fast and accurate autofocus for all your travel photography needs.

To sum up, this lens has got it all – versatility, precision, excellent color balance and a broad focal length range. Best part? It’s all packed into one durable piece of equipment ready to hit the road with you.

So whether you’re an experienced photographer or just starting out, I’d say give the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L USM lens a shot (pun intended!) . It’s a solid investment that will take your photography game to the next level.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

Best telephoto lens.

The Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM lens is your go-to gear. It’s a lightweight champ that doesn’t skimp on quality.

So what makes this lens stand out? For starters, it’s got Optical Image Stabilization with up to five stops of shake correction. This means even if you’re bouncing around in a jeep on safari or cruising on choppy waters, your shots will still be crystal clear. No more blurry zebra stripes or fuzzy dolphin fins!

But the features don’t stop there. This lens is also dust and water-resistant making it perfect for any adventure – whether you’re trekking through a sandy desert or caught in a tropical downpour.

You know how some lenses struggle when tracking moving subjects? Well, not this one! The Canon EF 70-200mm has three Image Stabilization modes that ensure excellent results when capturing motion. So whether you’re shooting a bustling cityscape or an action-packed sports event, this lens has got you covered.

And let’s not forget about its reduced minimum focusing distance from previous models. You can get closer to your subjects without losing any image quality – great for intimate portraits or detailed close-ups!

In terms of weight and length, this lens is surprisingly compact considering its capabilities. It won’t weigh down your camera bag but will definitely punch above its weight in performance.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens

Best ef macro lens.

If you’re all about capturing those tiny details that make your travel snaps pop, then this bad boy is for you! The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens is a top-notch gadget for macro photography.

Its focal length of 100mm means it’s got a superzoom that’ll let you get up close and personal with your subjects, without having to invade their personal space. You’ll be able to capture the intricate patterns of exotic flowers or the intricate architecture of historic buildings with ease.

Now, let’s talk about its inner focusing system with USM (Ultra Sonic Motor). This feature ensures rapid autofocus without making a racket. Plus, there’s also a full-time manual focus option if you prefer to take control and fine-tune your shots yourself.

One thing I absolutely love about this lens is its maximum close-up magnification of 1x. It literally lets you fill your frame with small subjects as if they were larger than life!

But what about blurry images? Well, worry not my friend! The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens comes equipped with sophisticated Image Stabilization technology that compensates for camera shake and helps deliver clear, sharp images even at slow shutter speeds.

Whether you’re shooting indoors or shooting in low light conditions outside, this lens performs brilliantly thanks to its maximum aperture of f/2.8 which allows plenty of light in.

Setting up this lens on your APS-C or full-frame Canon camera is easy-peasy too! So no matter where in the world you are, whether inside locations like museums or outdoors exploring nature, whipping out this lens and getting ready for some serious photography won’t be an issue.

In short, the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro lens is your go-to tool for capturing stunning close-up shots on the move.

Best RF Canon Lenses for Travel Photography

Canon rf50mm f1.8 stm lens, best grab-n-go option.

This little dude is compact and lightweight – the Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM is just what you need when you’re traveling with photography gear and want to keep things light. No more lugging around heavy gear, this lens is as portable as they come. It fits snugly into your camera bag or even your pocket!

But don’t let its size fool ya. This baby packs a punch with its large F1.8 aperture that’s ideal for low-light photography. So whether it’s a beautiful sunset or an indoor event, this lens has got you covered.

Now let’s talk video recording – it’s smooth sailing all the way with the stepping motor in this lens offering quiet continuous AF during video recording. No more annoying motor sounds ruining your videos!

And here’s where things get really cool – the control ring on this lens allows direct setting changes without having to fiddle around with your camera settings.

So, if you’re looking for a versatile travel companion that can handle both photos and videos like a pro, Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM Lens is worth checking out.

Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L Lens

Perfect for all scenarios.

Hey shutterbugs! If you’re in the market for a new lens, check this out. The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L lens is like the Swiss Army knife of camera lenses, ideal for just about anything you throw at it.

What’s so special about this RF lens? Well, let me tell you – it’s all about that bright f/2.8 aperture and optical image stabilization up to 5 stops. This means even if your hands are a bit shaky from too much coffee (or excitement), your photos will still come out crisp and clear.

Now, let’s talk autofocus because nothing ruins a great shot like blurry subjects. Thanks to the Nano USM technology in this baby, you get high-speed, smooth, quiet autofocus. That means no more awkward moments when everyone hears your camera focusing during that hushed sunrise shoot.

One thing I totally dig about this rf lens is the control ring. With it, you can make direct setting changes without having to fiddle with your camera body – super handy when you’re on-the-go and need to adjust quickly.

And guess what? This canon rf is compatible with various Canon Mirrorless Cameras! So whether you’ve got an EOS R or an RP sitting at home, this lens will fit right in.

In short, if you’re looking for a versatile lens that can handle everything from landscape shots to portrait photography with ease and precision, then look no further than the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L Lens.

Canon RF 15-35mm Lens

Best wide-angle zoom for landscapes.

Nothing beats a versatile wide-angle lens. Say hello to the Canon RF 15-35mm lens . This bad boy is not just big; it’s a beast in the world of wide-angle lenses.

Now, if you’re thinking, “What makes this lens so special?” Well, let me tell you. It’s got an impressive f/2.8 aperture that lets in loads of light for those early morning or late evening shots when natural light is low.

But here’s where it gets even cooler! The lens features optical image stabilization up to 5 stops. So even if your hands are shaking from the cold (or excitement), your photos will still come out sharp and clear.

And let’s talk about autofocus for a second because this lens has some serious game there too! Thanks to Nano USM technology, focusing is quick and smooth as butter.

Another neat feature? You can get super close with this lens – its minimum focusing distance is just under one foot (0.92 ft./0.28M). Perfect for capturing all those intricate details in nature without disturbing the peace!

This lens works great on both full-frame cameras like Canon R5 and crop sensor cameras. No matter what sized camera you use, you’ll be able to capture stunning wide-range photos with beautiful 4k image quality.

Bottom line? If you’re into travel photography and love shooting large format landscapes scenes or need various focal lengths at your disposal, then the Canon RF 15-35mm should definitely be on your radar.

Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L USM Lens

A powerful telephoto option.

Let’s talk about the big gun in travel photography, the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L USM lens . This bad boy is compact and lightweight, making it a breeze to carry around on your globe-trotting adventures.

Its design is top-notch, just what you’d expect from a high-end telephoto lens. It’s like having a whole bag of lenses in one neat package!

But don’t let its size fool you. This lens packs a punch. With its bright f/2.8 aperture, this zoom lens can capture stunningly sharp images even in low light conditions.

And here’s the kicker – it has optical image stabilization that offers up to five stops of shake correction! That means you can say goodbye to blurry photos caused by shaky hands or moving subjects.

One more thing I absolutely love about this telephoto lens is its dual Nano USM technology, which ensures smooth and quiet autofocus. Whether you’re capturing wildlife in action or shooting candid street photography , this feature will come in super handy.

In short, the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L USM Lens offers excellent image quality without weighing down your camera bag.

Canon RF100mm F2.8 L Macro USM

Best rf macro lens.

Ready for a lens that’ll knock your socks off? You gotta check out the Canon RF100mm F2.8 L Macro USM , my friends. This bad boy is the world’s first medium telephoto macro lens with a maximum magnification of 1.4x. Yeah, you heard it right!

Now, what does that mean in plain English? Well, this usm lens can get you super close to your subject and still keep things crystal clear. Perfect for capturing those tiny details on your travels.

But wait, there’s more! Ever had a shot ruined by shaky hands? We’ve all been there, dude! But with this lens’ optical image stabilizer, those days are history. It compensates for both angular and shift camera shake during macro shooting. So even if you’ve just downed three cups of coffee (not that I’m speaking from experience or anything), your shots will be steady as a rock.

One thing I absolutely love about this usm is its Spherical Aberration (SA) control ring. This nifty feature lets you adjust the bokeh shape and character to suit your creative vision. Want soft, dreamy backgrounds? You got it! Prefer something sharper and more defined? No problemo!

And let’s not forget about the bright, fixed f/2.8 aperture on this rf mm prime lens! Even in low-light conditions (think dimly lit street markets or dusky landscapes), you’ll get high-quality images every time.

Plus, with firmware updates regularly released by Canon, this lens just keeps getting better over time.

In short (or should I say “in focus”?), the Canon RF100mm F2.8 L Macro USM is a top-notch choice for travel photography – whether you’re an old hand at it or just starting out. It’s got all the features you need to capture your adventures in stunning detail.

Buyer’s Guide to Selecting a Travel Photography Lens

First things first, think about what you’ll be shooting most. Love capturing sprawling landscapes? Or are you more into street photography? Maybe both? If landscape photography is your thing, consider a wide-angle lens. For street snaps or portraits, a prime lens might be your best bet. You’ll also have to jump into the zooms vs primes debate and decide whether you value versatility and cost-effectiveness or pin-sharp images the most.

Now let’s get real about size and weight. You’re gonna be lugging this thing around on your trip, right? So it better not weigh a ton! Look for something compact and lightweight but doesn’t compromise on optical quality.

And lastly, let’s talk moolah! Lenses can cost a pretty penny but remember: you don’t always have to go for the priciest option. Compare features across different price ranges and find one that gives you the biggest bang for your buck!

There obviously a lot more to it, but remember these tips when shopping around and I guarantee you’ll find the perfect companion for your camera! Check out which three lenses I recommend for travel photography ; in the article, I talk about types of lenses rather than the manufacturer, but it should give you a better idea of the kinds of lenses you’ll get to capture the different scenes you’ll likely come across.

Concluding Thoughts on Best Canon Lenses for Travel Photography

So, you’ve made it this far. You now have a solid understanding of the top Canon lenses for travel photography. Whether you’re capturing sweeping landscapes or intimate portraits, there’s a lens here that’s perfect for your needs. The versatility of the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L USM Lens, the affordability of the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens, and the all-around excellence of the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8 L Lens are just a few examples.

But remember, these are just tools to help you capture your vision. The best camera is always the one you have with you – so don’t let gear hold you back! Now it’s time to get out there and start shooting. And if you need any further advice or information about these lenses or other photography equipment, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! We’re here to help make your travel photography dreams come true.

The best Canon lens for travel photography can depend on your specific needs and shooting style. However, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L USM Lens is a versatile option that offers excellent color balance and full-time manual focus. For those interested in portraits or low light photography, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens could be ideal.

Canon RF lenses such as the RF 24-70mm F2.8 L Lens, RF 15-35mm Lens, RF 70-200mm F2.8 L USM Lens, and RF100mm F2.8 L Macro USM are designed to be compatible with Canon Mirrorless Cameras including EOS RP, EOS R, EOS R5, and EOS R6.

Image stabilization in Canon lenses works by correcting camera shake to produce sharper images at slower shutter speeds. Some of the Canon lenses offer up to 5 stops of shake correction like the RF 24-70mm F2.8 L Lens or even Hybrid IS that compensates for angular and shift camera shake during macro shooting like in the case of RF100mm F2.8 L Macro USM.

Yes! Many of these lenses feature technologies like stepping motor (STM) or Nano USM which ensure near-silent continuous Servo AF making them suitable not only for still photography but also for movie recording.

Absolutely! The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens allows you to get really close to your subject offering a maximum close-up magnification of 1x while maintaining high-quality images thanks to Canon’s sophisticated Image Stabilization technology. Alternatively, the RF100mm F2.

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 
• XF 10-24mm f4: Best Fuji Landscape Lens?

I’m a professional travel photographer, and I’ve been living the digital nomad lifestyle since 2016. I make money by working on client assignments, selling stock photography and helping other photographers by sharing my experiences on this website. 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.

My writing and photos have been featured on industry leading websites such as Digital Photography School , Atlas Obscura and the world’s leading underwater photography resource The Underwater Photography Guide . I authored an eBook called “ Breaking Into Travel Photography: The complete guide to carving out a career in travel photography ” that has been published on Amazon. My stock images have also appeared in ads promoting destinations and companies that sometimes has been a surprise, even to me. But I guess that’s the nature of stock photography, you never know who will license them!

I’m always happy to connect, so feel free to reach out!

Canon R6 review: The 2024 Ultimate Travel Camera?

Portability

• 20-megapixel full-frame sensor
• 4K video recording capabilities
• Fast and accurate autofocus system
• In-body image stabilization
• Average battery life
• No built-in flash
• Limited dynamic range in high ISO settings

If you love to travel and create content, you know the importance of having a reliable and versatile camera that can capture your experiences in stunning detail. That’s where the Canon R6 comes in. This full-frame mirrorless camera is a powerhouse of features and performance, making it an ideal choice for anyone who wants to push the boundaries of their photography or videography.

Whether exploring a new city, hiking through rugged terrain, or documenting your everyday life, the Canon R6 has much to offer. Its fast and accurate autofocus system, in-body image stabilization, and 20-megapixel full-frame sensor combine to deliver sharp and vibrant images in a wide range of shooting scenarios. Plus, with 4K video capabilities, dual card slots, and a weather-sealed body, the Canon R6 is a versatile tool that can handle whatever challenges you throw its way.

In this review, we’ll closely examine the Canon R6 and evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. We’ll consider factors like image quality, autofocus performance, battery life, and more to help you decide whether this camera is right for your travel and content creation needs. So if you’re in the market for a new camera that can take your photography or videography to the next level, read on to find out if the Canon R6 is the one for you.

Page Contents

Unique Features of the Canon R6

The Canon R6 is a full-frame mirrorless camera with a few unique features that make it an excellent choice for photography and video. One of its most significant selling points is its advanced autofocus system , powered by Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology. This system provides fast and accurate autofocus across the entire frame, making capturing sharp images and video easy even in challenging lighting conditions. The R6 also features eye-detection AF , particularly useful for portrait photography, and animal-detection AF, which can help you capture stunning wildlife images.

The Canon R6 ‘s 20.1-megapixel CMOS sensor is another unique feature differentiating it from its competitors; the sensor has a low-pass filter that reduces moiré and false color, making it ideal for capturing images with high levels of detail and sharpness. The R6 also has an ISO range of 100-102400, allowing you to shoot in low-light conditions without worrying about excessive noise.

When it comes to video, the Canon R6 is a top-performing camera that can shoot 4K video at up to 60 frames per second . This is thanks to the camera’s powerful DIGIC X image processor, which provides excellent image quality and color accuracy. The R6 also features Canon Log (C-Log) and HDR PQ video formats, which are essential tools for professional videographers looking to achieve high-quality footage with extended dynamic range.

Another unique feature of the Canon R6 is its dual card slots, which allow you to shoot with two memory cards simultaneously. This provides peace of mind, as you can simultaneously set the camera to record to both cards, ensuring that you always have a backup copy of your footage or images.

Canon R6 Video

The Canon EOS R6 is a powerful camera for video, with a range of features that make it a popular choice among content creators and filmmakers; one of the most important video functions of the R6 is its ability to record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second. This means it can capture high-resolution footage with excellent detail and clarity while allowing for slow-motion effects. The R6 also supports the All-I and IPB compression formats , allowing users to choose between higher quality or smaller file sizes, depending on their needs.

Another significant feature of the R6 is its Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system, which is one of the best in the market. This system has 6,072 selectable AF points covering almost 100% of the frame and can track the faces and eyes of humans, animals, and birds. When recording video, this autofocus system can track moving subjects with impressive accuracy and speed, making it easier for users to keep their subjects in focus while filming. The R6’s autofocus system also allows setting specific focus areas, adjusting the tracking sensitivity, and using touch-to-focus, which can be incredibly helpful in different video shooting scenarios.

In addition to its autofocus capabilities, the R6 also features a 5-axis in-body image stabilization system that provides up to 8 stops of compensation when used with certain lenses. This stabilization system is highly effective in reducing camera shake and helping to produce smoother, more stable footage. It also makes the R6 more versatile and suitable for handheld shooting, especially in challenging shooting conditions.

Finally, the R6 features Canon Log (C-Log) support, which is a highly desirable feature for video production. C-Log is a flat color profile that allows for greater dynamic range and more flexibility in post-production color grading. This means that users can adjust their footage’s color, brightness, and contrast without losing any detail or quality. The R6 also supports HDR PQ and Canon’s own HDR-PQ format, allowing users to capture high dynamic range footage with improved brightness and contrast.

Canon R6 vs Sony A7III

The Canon EOS R6 and Sony Alpha 7 III are full-frame mirrorless cameras offering excellent still photography and video capabilities. The R6 has a 20.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, while the Sony A7III has a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, which gives the Sony A7III a slight advantage in resolution. However, the R6 offers faster autofocus performance thanks to its Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system, which provides 6,072 selectable AF points and can track moving subjects with speed and accuracy. The Sony A7III ‘s autofocus system is also excellent, but it has fewer AF points than the R6.

When it comes to video, both cameras can shoot 4K video, but the R6 can shoot up to 60 frames per second, while the A7III can shoot up to 30 frames per second. This means that the R6 can capture more frames per second, resulting in a much smoother and more detailed video output than the A7III . In situations involving fast-moving subjects, such as sports or action scenes, the R6 could capture more detailed and smooth footage with less blur and stuttering. 

However, it’s worth noting that shooting at a higher frame rate can also have some downsides. For example, it can require more storage space and processing power, which can be considered when choosing between the two cameras. Additionally, higher frame rates can result in a more “cinematic” look, which may or may not be desired depending on the creative goals of the video.

The R6 also supports Canon Log (C-Log) and HDR PQ formats, which can be useful for professional video production. Additionally, the R6 has a higher burst shooting rate, at 12 frames per second, compared to the A7III ‘s 10 frames per second.

The R6 has a slightly better grip and weather-sealing design, making it more comfortable and durable in adverse conditions. The A7III , on the other hand, has a slightly larger viewfinder and a longer battery life.

Canon R6 vs Nikon Z6 II

The Canon EOS R6 and Nikon Z6 II are full-frame mirrorless cameras offering high-end performance and features. The R6 has a 20.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, while the Z6 II has a 24.5-megapixel CMOS sensor, giving the Z6 II a slight advantage in resolution. However, the R6 offers faster autofocus performance thanks to its Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system, which can track moving subjects with speed and accuracy. The Z6 II ‘s autofocus system is also excellent but has fewer AF points than the R6.

When it comes to video, both cameras can shoot 4K video, but the R6 can shoot up to 60 frames per second, while the Nikon Z6 II can shoot up to 30 frames per second. 

In terms of design, the R6 is slightly smaller and lighter than the Z6 II , making it more portable and easier to carry around. The R6 also has a more advanced LCD display, with higher resolution and touch sensitivity, making it easier to use for both still photography and video. The Z6 II , on the other hand, has a higher-resolution electronic viewfinder and two memory card slots, which can be useful for professional photographers.

Canon R6 vs Panasonic Lumix S5

The Canon R6 and Panasonic Lumix S5 are both high-performance full-frame mirrorless cameras. While the S5 has a slightly higher resolution with a 24.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, the R6 boasts faster autofocus performance due to its Dual Pixel CMOS AF II autofocus system. Both cameras can shoot 4K video, but the R6 can shoot at a faster frame rate of up to 60 frames per second and supports additional video formats like Canon Log (C-Log) and HDR PQ. 

In terms of burst shooting, the R6 offers a faster rate of 12 frames per second, while the S5 offers seven frames per second. The Lumix S5 ‘s autofocus system is also excellent but has fewer AF points than the R6. Overall, the R6’s faster autofocus and higher burst shooting rate make it a better choice for capturing fast-paced action and sports, while the S5 ‘s higher resolution sensor may appeal more to photographers who prioritize image detail.

Travel photography with the Canon R6

If you are a photography enthusiast who loves to travel, the Canon R6 could be the perfect camera for you. With its advanced features and lightweight design, the R6 is an excellent choice for capturing stunning photos and videos while on the go.

One of the key advantages of the Canon R6 is its portability. This camera is much lighter and more compact than many other high-end cameras, making it easy to carry with you wherever you go. Whether you’re walking through a bustling city or trekking through the wilderness, the R6 won’t weigh you down or take up too much space in your backpack.

In addition to its lightweight design, the Canon R6 is packed with features that make it a great choice for travel photography. For example, the R6 boasts an advanced autofocus system that can precisely track moving subjects, making capturing sharp, clear photos of wildlife, athletes, and other fast-moving subjects easier.

City Photography

In bustling cities, the R6’s fast autofocus system is a huge advantage, allowing you to quickly capture candid moments on the street. Its compact size also makes it easy to carry around, so you can be ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. The camera’s image stabilization system is also useful when shooting in low light, reducing camera shake and producing sharp, clear images. The Canon R6 ‘s Dual Pixel CMOS AF system also excels at tracking moving subjects, which is especially helpful when capturing action in crowded environments.

Landscape Photography

For landscape photography, the R6’s full-frame CMOS sensor, and high-resolution image quality are major assets. The camera captures stunning, detailed images that showcase the beauty of the natural world. The R6’s dynamic range is also impressive, allowing you to capture both bright highlights and shadow detail in your images. The camera’s image stabilization system is also helpful when shooting handheld in windy conditions, which is often the case when photographing landscapes.

Best Canon EOS R6 Lenses to travel with

When it comes to lenses, the Canon R6 is compatible with a wide range of high-quality Canon lenses. For travel photography, we recommend bringing the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM lens for capturing wide-angle cityscapes and sweeping landscapes. The Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM lens is also an excellent choice for travel, offering a versatile zoom range that can handle a variety of shooting situations. You can find more lens recommendations in our guide highlighting Canon Lenses to Travel With .

In Summary: Is the Canon R6 worth buying in 2024?

The Canon R6 is a highly capable and versatile camera that offers a lot of value for its price. It boasts a 20-megapixel full-frame sensor, fast and accurate autofocus, 4K video capabilities, and a robust image stabilization system. Its weather-sealed body, ergonomic design, and intuitive user interface make it a joy to use for both amateurs and professionals.

If you’re a photographer or videographer who’s looking for a camera that can handle a wide range of shooting scenarios, from landscapes and portraits to sports and action, the Canon R6 is definitely worth considering. Its autofocus system, in particular, is one of the best in the market, allowing you to easily capture sharp and detailed images of moving subjects. The camera’s video features, including high-resolution recording, 10-bit color depth, and dual-pixel autofocus, also make it a great choice for content creators who want to produce high-quality footage.

Of course, no camera is perfect, and the Canon R6 does have some drawbacks. Its battery life is only average, and its high-speed shooting modes come with some limitations in terms of autofocus and image quality. Additionally, the camera’s price point may be out of reach for some budget-conscious buyers, especially if they already have a collection of EF-mount lenses that require an adapter to work with the R6.

• In-body image stabilization (IBIS)
• Dual card slots (SD and CFexpress)
• Weather-sealed body
• Intuitive user interface and ergonomic design
• Excellent low-light performance
• Wide range of compatible lenses
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• Some compatibility issues with EF-mount lenses (requires adapter)
• Relatively high price point compared to some other cameras
• Some users may find the control layout unintuitive or confusing.

Share this:

Hey there! I'm Elliot Clennam, a passionate photographer based in Brussels, Belgium. My love for capturing the essence of my surroundings has led me on countless adventures, from exciting road trips to bustling city escapes.

Similar Posts

How To Scan Film With A Digital DSLR Camera in 2024

Canon R6 $2,299.00 8.8 Casual Use 9.0/10 Imaging 9.0/10 Portability 9.0/10 Video 8.0/10 Pros 20-megapixel full-frame sensor 4K video…

DJI Osmo Action Review: A Worthy Rival to the GoPro Hero 10 Black?

The 7 Best Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizers for iPhones and Android phones

Review: Huawei P30 Pro, a photographer’s best friend

Review: How does Loupedeck Live impact your editing process?

The Best Sony Lenses for Traveling in 2024

• Skip to main content
• Skip to header right navigation
• Skip to site footer

RF Shooters

News & Community for Canon RF Shooters

The Best Lenses for the Canon EOS R6 Mark II in 2024

Welcome to our Canon EOS R6 Mark II lenses guide for 2024.

In this guide you’ll find our top ten recommendations for the best lenses to pair with your Canon R6 Mark II.

We have also included a complete list of all Canon RF lenses on the market today along with the latest firmware version for each lens.

If you find this guide helpful you might also enjoy our Canon R6 Mark II Memory Card Guide where we have tested 23 cards in-camera to find out which cards perform best.

Compatible Lenses

1. canon rf 14-35mm f4 l is usm, 2. canon rf 15-35mm f2.8l is usm, 3. canon rf 24-70mm f2.8l is usm, 4. canon rf 24-105mm f4l is usm, 5. canon rf 50mm f1.2l usm, 6. canon rf 85mm f1.2l usm, 7. canon rf 70-200mm f2.8l is usm, 8. canon rf 100mm f2.8 l macro is usm, 9. canon rf 100-500mm f4.5-7.1l is usm (or canon rf 100-400mm f5.6-8 is usm), 10. canon rf 135mm f1.8 l is usm, complete rf lenses list & latest firmware, canon r6 mark ii guides & resources.

Canon R6 Forum & Facebook Group

If you are looking for further help and advice on the Canon R6 Mark I / II or would simply like to share your photos and videos, then please head over to our friendly  Forum . If you prefer Facebook then we also run the  Canon R6 Shooters Group .

The Canon R6 Mark II has a 35mm full-frame sensor and features Canon’s RF-Mount.

It’s compatible with Canon RF (Full-Frame) lenses and also Canon RF-S (APS-C) lenses when used in crop mode (approx 1.6x crop).

You can also use older Canon EF and EF-S lenses providing you use an EF-RF Lens Mount Adapter .

The 10 Best Lenses

Here are our top ten lens recommendations for the Canon R6 Mark II including reviews worth watching to learn more about each lens.

Our complete list of all compatible RF and RF-S lenses together with the latest firmware version for each lens can also be found a little further down this article.

If you are looking for a wide-angle lens for landscape, cityscape or real estate photography then the Canon RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM lens is definitely worth considering.

The maximum aperture is f/4 and the minimum f/22. This lens delivers high levels of sharpness across the frame and zoom range, even into the corners. However it does suffer from heavy vignette at the wide-end and distortion at 14mm.

The Nano-USM focus system is quick, quiet and accurate. 5.5 stops of image stabilization is built into the lens and when combined with the R6 Mark II’s in-body stabilization this increases to 7 stops.

This intro video from Canon is worth watching to find out a little more about this excellent lens.

The lens is constructed of 16 elements in 12 groups and features 9 circular aperture blades. The minimum focussing distance is 7.9 in. (0.2m) and there’s a 77mm filter thread. The lens is also weather sealed.

On the lens barrel you’ll find a control ring towards the front of the lens and also two switches, an AF/MF switch and an on/off switch for the stabilizer.

The lens measures approx. Ø3.3 in. / Ø84.1 mm in diameter by approx. 3.9 in. / 99.8 mm in length. It weighs approx. 1.2 lb. / 540g.

• Compact and light with great build quality
• Weather sealed
• 5.5 stops of image stabilization
• Chromatic aberrations are well controlled
• Good flare resistance
• Good coma control
• Heavy vignette through a lot of the range
• Heavy distortion at 14mm

What’s in the Box

• RF14-35mm F4 L IS USM
• Lens cap E-77II
• Lens hood EW-83P
• Lens pouch LP1219 

If you’d like to learn more about the Canon RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM lens then this review from Dustin Abbott is worth watching.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 14-35mm F4 L IS USM

At: B&H Photo | Amazon

If the 14-35 F4 lens doesn’t quite tick all of your boxes then perhaps the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens will.

This lens delivers consistent performance across the frame and zoom range although it does suffer from heavy vignette at the wide-end which still remains after a correction profile is applied. The lens is also vulnerable to flare.

The Nano-USM focus system is quick, quiet and accurate. With its wide f/2.8 maximum aperture (minimum f/22) and L branding this is a high quality lens which also comes with a high price.

The lens is constructed of 16 elements in 12 groups and features 9 circular aperture blades. The minimum focussing distance is 0.92 ft./0.28 m and there’s a 82mm filter thread. The lens is also weather sealed.

5 stops of image stabilization is built into the lens and when combined with the R6 Mark II’s in-body stabilization this increases to 7 stops.

The lens measures approx. Ø3.48 in. / Ø88.5 mm in diameter by approx. 4.99 in. / 126.8 mm in length. It weighs approx. 1.85 lbs. / 840 g.

• Great build quality and weather resistance
• Quiet, quick and accurate autofocus
• 5 stops of image stabilization, 8 stops with IBIS
• Consistent performance across the frame and zoom range
• Heavy vignette
• Vulnerability to flare
• Close up image quality a little soft
• RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM
• Lens Cap E-82II
• Lens Hood EW-88F
• Lens Case LP-1222
• Lens Dust Cap RF 

If you’d like to learn more about the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens then this review from Dustin Abbott is worth watching.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

The Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM is a very useful zoom lens with a strong optical performance across the image frame and zoom range.

With its wide f/2.8 maximum aperture (minimum f/22) and L branding this is a high quality lens which also comes with a high price, although not as high as the Canon RF 28-70mm F2L USM lens.

The Nano-USM (Ultrasonic Motor) is fast, quiet and importantly also very accurate.

The lens is constructed of 21 elements in 15 groups and features 9 circular aperture blades. The minimum focussing distance is 0.69 ft./0.21m at the wide end and 1.25 ft./0.38m at the telephoto lens. There’s an 82mm filter thread and the lens is also weather sealed.

5 stops of image stabilization is built into the lens and when combined with the R6 Mark II’s in-body stabilization this increases to 8 stops.

The lens measures approx. Ø3.48 in. / Ø88.5 mm in diameter by approx. 4.95 in. / 125.7 mm in length. It weighs approx. 1.98 lbs. / 900 g.

• Excellent build quality and weather resistance
• Fast and quiet autofocus motor
• Effective image stabilization
• Excellent focal range
• Strong optical performance across image frame and zoom range
• Vignette at 24mm
• Pretty expensive
• Large and heavy
• RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
• Lens Hood EW-88E

If you’d like to learn more about the Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM lens then this review from Dustin Abbott is worth watching.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM

The Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM is a full-frame lens with a very versatile focal range.

If you are looking for a lens that covers wide-angle, standard and telephoto focal lengths with a constant aperture of F4, then this might be the lens for you.

The autofocus is driven by Canon’s fast and ultra quiet Nano USM focus motor and there are 5-stops of Image Stabilization which increases to 8 stops when combined with the R6 Mark II’s IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization).

This zoom lens has a focal length of 24-105mm and a fast maximum aperture of F4, the minimum aperture is F22. This lens does extend to zoom.

The minimum focusing distance is 45cm and the maximum magnification is 0.24x.

Canon USA’s Technical Advisor, Jon Lorentz takes a closer look at the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM lens in this video.

The lens is constructed from 18 elements in 14 groups and it has 9 circular aperture blades and a 77mm front filter thread.

The lens features a dedicated zoom, focus and control ring, an MF/AF toggle switch and IS (image stabilization) on/off switch. There’s also a zoom lock switch that locks the lens at 24mm to prevent the lens from extending when carrying it around.

The lens measures approx. 3.29 in. (83.5mm) in diameter and 4.22 in (107.3mm) in length. It weighs in at 24.7 oz. / 1.54 lb. / 700g.

Thankfully unlike the more budget friendly RF lenses the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM does include the Bayonet Lens Hood EW-83N and also a drawstring soft pouch LP1319.

• Very well built
• Extremely fast and quiet autofocus
• Excellent color rendition
• Great contrast
• Good sharpness across focal range
• Prone to flaring
• Some barrel distortion at 24mm
• Small amounts of lateral CA
• Some vignette
• RF 24–105mm F4 L IS USM
• Lens CAP E-77II
• Lens Dust CAP RF
• Lens Hood EW-83N
• Lens Case LP1319 II 

To learn more about the Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM lens we would recommending watching this review from Christopher Frost.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 24-105mm F4L IS USM

The Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM offers outstanding image quality but this comes with an extremely high price. If you are looking for a more affordable nifty fifty then you may want to take a look at the Canon RF 50mm F1.8 STM instead.

The ring-type USM (Ultrasonic Motor) is pretty fast and moves the large and heavy glass elements effortlessly, although it’s not as quiet as Canon’s Nano-USM motors found in many of Canon’s RF lenses. Focus accuracy is spot on which is important when shooting at f/1.2.

The lens is constructed of 15 elements in 9 groups and features 10 circular aperture blades. The minimum focussing distance is 1.31 ft. / 0.40m and the lens is weather sealed.

There’s no image stabilization built into the lens but you’ll get 5 stops when used with the R6 Mark II’s in-body stabilization.

On the lens barrel you’ll find a control ring towards the front of the lens and also two switches, a focus limiter switch and a AF/MF switch.

The lens measures approx Φ3.54 in. / Φ89.8mm x 4.25 in. / 108.0mm. It weighs approx. 2.09 lb / 950 g.

• Outstanding build quality and weather sealing
• Amazing optical performance across the frame
• Very good contrast
• Lovely smooth bokeh
• Accurate autofocus
• Good control of flare and aberrations
• Very expensive
• RF 50mm F1.2 L USM
• Lens Cap E-77II
• Lens Hood ES-83

If you’d like to learn more about the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM lens then this review from Tony & Chelsea is worth watching.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens delivers near perfect image quality across the frame even at its maximum aperture of f/1.2. This should really be expected since this is a very expensive lens.

If you’re a portrait, lifestyle or wedding photographer then this is definitely a lens you’ll want to take a much closer look at.

The focus motor isn’t the fastest or quietest which could be an issue for video shooters. There’s also no image stabilization built into the lens but you’ll get 5 stops when used with the R6 Mark II’s in-body stabilization.

The lens is weather sealed and constructed of 13 elements in 9 groups, there are also 9 (circular) aperture blades and a 82mm filter thread. The minimum focus distance is 2.79 ft./0.85 m.

On the lens barrel you’ll find a control ring towards the front of the lens and also two switches. There’s a focus limiter switch and a AF/MF switch.

The lens measures Φ4.06 in. / Φ103.2mm in diameter and 4.62 in. / 117.3 mm in length. It weighs approx. 2.63 lbs. / 1,195g.

Canon’s Rudy Wilson takes a closer look at the design, performance and optics of the RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens.

• Excellent image quality
• Amazingly sharp at f/1.2 right across the frame
• Beautiful bokeh
• Distortion free
• Practically no color fringing or chromatic aberrations
• Superb build quality
• No image stabilization
• Focus noise from AF motor can be an issue for video
• RF85mm F1.2 L USM
• Lens Dust Cap RF
• Lens Hood ET-89
• Lens Case LP1424 

If you’d like to learn more about the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens then this review from Christopher Frost is very useful.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM

The Canon RF 70-200 F2.8L IS USM lens is extremely compact compared to it’s EF predecessor yet it still manages to delivery excellent image quality.

With a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and Canon’s L branding this is most definitely not a cheap lens. If you are looking for a more affordable 70-200 lens to mount on your R6 Mark II then take a look at its little brother the Canon RF 70-200mm F4L IS USM.

This short introductory video from Canon provides a quick look at the key features of this lens.

The Dual Nano USM focus motor is both fast and quiet and helps to deliver accurate focus making your job of tracking the action so much easier.

The Canon RF 70-200 F2.8L IS USM lens is a great choice for portraits, events, weddings, sports and many other events.

The lens is constructed of 17 elements in 13 groups, along with aspherical and Super UD elements, SWC and Super Spectra coatings. This L-series lens is weather-sealed and fluorine coatings help to guard against dust and water.

It has a minimum focusing distance of 2.3 ft./0.7m and features a nine-blade (circular) aperture diaphragm.

The filter thread is 77mm and image stabilization is up to 5 stops or 8 stops when paired with a camera with in-body stabilization like the R6 Mark II.

The lens also boasts a customizable control ring at the base of the lens, in addition to the zoom and focus rings. The IS switch offers 3 modes. Mode 1 is for general shooting, Mode 2 panning shots, and Mode 3 only engages the IS system when the shutter is released which helps to conserve battery power by not running the IS constantly.

The lens is approx. Ø3.54 in. / Ø89.9mm in diameter and approx. 5.75 in. / 146.0mm in length. It weighs approx. 2.36 lbs. / 1,070g with the included tripod mount.

• Very light and compact in size
• Extremely fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus
• Highly effective image stabilization system
• Beautiful bokeh, contrast and color rendering
• Very good central sharpness
• Good control of aberrations and lens flare
• Not compatible with the 1.4x or 2x extenders
• Tripod foot is not Arca-Swiss compatible
• A little corner softness at the maximum aperture
• RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM
• Lens Hood ET-83F (WIII)
• Lens Pouch LP-1424 

If you’d like to learn more about the Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens then this review from Dustin Abbott is very helpful.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM

The Canon RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM is a great macro lens for the R6 Mark II. It features a wide maximum aperture of f/2.8 and a minimum aperture of f/32.

This lens delivers excellent sharpness across the frame, well controlled chromatic aberrations and flare resistance, and a very fast and silent Dual Nano USM focus motor.

The maximum magnification is 1.4x and the minimum focussing distance is just 0.86 ft. (10.2 in.) /0.26 m.

The lens is constructed of 17 elements in 13 groups and it has 9 circular aperture blades. This lens is also weather sealed.

There are 5 stops of optical IS correction in the lens body itself, but this increases to 8 stops when paired with a camera like the R6 Mark II that features IBIS.

The RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM features Canon’s first adjustable Spherical Aberration (SA) control ring on the lens barrel that allows you to adjust the depiction of the image’s background bokeh. This can be used to add a unique emphasis to your imagery. A minus setting creates a dreamy, soft-focused look, while a Plus setting creates a bubble-bokeh-type look.

The lens has a 67mm filter thread and measures approx. 3.21 in x 5.83 in. / 81.5mm x 148mm. it weights in at approx. 1.6 lbs. (25.8 oz) / 730g.

If you are looking for a macro lens for the R6 Mark II then this lens is definitely worth considering.

This video from Canon ambassador and macro photographer Oliver Wright provides a closer look at what this excellent lens is capable of in the right hands.

• Excellent sharpness across the frame
• Magnification up to 1.4x
• Fast and silent autofocus
• Up to 8 stops of image stabilization with the R6 Mark II
• Beautiful color and great contrast 
• Very good flare resistance
• Smooth bokeh
• Focus can shift when changing aperture
• RF100mm F2.8 L MACRO IS USM
• Lens cap E-67II
• Lens hood ET-73C
• Lens pouch LP1222 

If you’d like to learn more about the Canon RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM lens then this review from DPReview is very helpful.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 100mm F2.8 L Macro IS USM

The Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM is a full-frame telephoto lens with L-series build quality.

If you are looking for one of the best RF lenses for shooting sports and wildlife then you don’t really need to look any further than the RF 100-500.

The autofocus is driven by Canon’s Dual Nano USM motors that enable fast, smooth and near silent AF. 5-stops of Image Stabilization which increases to 6 stops when combined with a camera that features IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) such as the R6 Mark II.

This zoom lens has a wide focal length of 100-500mm (160-800mm full-frame equivalent) and a variable maximum aperture of F4.5-7.1, the lens extends to zoom in.

The minimum focusing distance is 90cm at 100mm and 120cm at 500mm. The maximum magnification is 0.33x.

Just like the RF 100-400, the RF 100-500 lens also supports Canon’s RF 1.4x and 2x Extenders. The 1.4x increases the focal length to 140-700mm and aperture to F6.3-13. The 2x increases the focal length to 200-1000mm and aperture to F9-18.

Canon USA’s Mason Higa takes a closer look at the Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM lens in this video.

This video from wildlife photographer Robert Marc Lehmann and Canon Ambassador Richard Walch is also worth watching.

The lens is constructed from 20 elements in 14 groups and it has 9 aperture blades and a 77mm front filter thread.

The lens features a dedicated zoom, focus and control ring, an MF/AF toggle switch, an IS (image stabilization) on/off switch along with 3 IS modes and a focus distance limiter switch with 2 settings (Full, 3m – Infinity). There’s also a rotation-type torque ring adjustment that adjusts the zoom action from smooth to tight.

An adjustable lens collar allows you to easily rotate the lens when mounted on a tripod or gimbal via the included lens foot / tripod mount.

Being an L lens there are also dust and water resistant seals so you can carry on shooting even if the heavens open, although we would still recommend protecting your gear with a waterproof bag if you are shooting in wet weather for extended periods.

The lens measures approx. 3.69 in. (93.8mm) in diameter and 8.17 in. (207.6mm) in length when retracted, extending the zoom takes it to around 11.71 in. (297.6mm). It weighs in at 53.79 oz. / 3.36 lb. / 1525g with the tripod mount.

The Lens Hood ET-83F (WIII) is included in the box as is the Lens Case LZ1328.

I own this lens myself and it rarely leaves my R5. Here’s a shot of a beautiful male chaffinch in our garden.

• Useful focal length of 100-500
• Reasonably light at 1525g with the tripod mount
• Lens hood is included
• Very fast and accurate autofocus
• 0.33x magnification
• 1.4x and 2x extenders supported
• Removable tripod collar
• Excellent aberration control
• Maximum aperture of F7.1 at 500mm
• Lens can not be fully retracted when used with extenders
• RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
• Lens hood ET-83F (WIII)
• Lens case LZ1328 

To learn more about the Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L lens we recommending watching this excellent review from Christopher Frost.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM

This lens delivers outstanding image quality and very impressive background blur. The maximum f/1.8 aperture together with image stabilization will help you to keep the ISO settings low and reduce noise.

The Nano USM focus motor is both fast and quiet and helps to deliver accurate focus and outstanding image quality.

The Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM lens is a great choice for portraits, events, weddings, sports and many other events.

The lens is constructed of 17 elements in 12 groups, including three Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) elements.

It has a minimum focusing distance of 70cm (27.6″) and uses a nine-blade aperture diaphragm.

There’s a 82mm front filter thread and the lens uses Canon’s Air Sphere Coating for minimizing flares and ghosting, as well as a flourine coating on the front-most element.

Image stabilization is up to 5.5 stops of compensation (CIPA-rated) or 8 stops when paired with a camera with in-body stabilization.

You’ll find a customizable control ring in front of the focus ring and two lens functions buttons. This lens is also weather sealed to help keep moisture and dust at bay.

The lens measures 130mm (5.1″) long by 89mm (3.5″) in diameter and weighs in at around 935g / 32.98 Oz.

• Very good chromatic aberration control
• Fast and quiet AF motor
• Image stabilization
• Not compatible with the 1.4x and 2x extenders
• RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens
• Lens Hood ET-88B
• Lens Case LP1319
• Dust Cap RF

If you’d like to learn more about the RF 135mm F1.8L IS USM lens then this review from Christopher Frost is very helpful.

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon RF 135mm F1.8 L IS USM Lens

And that’s it for our 10 best lens recommendations for the Canon R6 Mark II.

There are of course many more amazing RF lenses that you could pair with your R6 Mk II. Keep scrolling down to view our complete list.

Please visit our Canon RF Lenses List for a complete list of Canon RF and RF-S lenses including extenders, adapters, third-party lenses and the latest firmware versions.

Best Canon R6 Mark II Memory Cards With Speed & Buffer Tests

Canon R6 Mark II Battery & Charger Guide

Canon R6 Mark II User Manual (PDF) & Online Help

Canon R6 Mark II Firmware Update Version 1.4.0

Check Price & Buyer Reviews: Canon EOS R 6 Mark II

About Timothy Mayo

I love shooting wildlife the most but will happily point my camera at pretty much anything. I started RFShooters.com with my amazing sister Emma to share our own adventure with the Canon R Series. At present I own the R5 + RF 100-500 lens. I also run a similar site for Sony Alpha Shooters and also shoot with a Sony A1. I find new camera technology fascinating so I unfortunately suffer from a very bad case of GAS! You can follow me on Instagram if you wish! Although I don’t post as often as I should.

Reader Interactions

23 January 2024 at 1:23 am

Very informative

15 January 2024 at 4:00 pm

Great review. Great camera and lens. Had the R6ii with the 100-500mm lens for a while now. Just wish they would drop the price and do away with the cashback offers – still waiting for my cashback after 3 months!!!!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The best Canon RF lenses in 2024: top lenses for the EOS R system

Check out the best Canon RF lenses for whatever you shoot, whether you're a full frame or APS-C shooter

• ↪ The Quick List
• Best budget
• Best for video
• Best for astrophotography
• Best for macro
• Best for travel
• Best for weddings
• Best third-party
• Best for street
• Best wide-angle
• How to choose
• How we test

When I first put together a list of the best Canon RF lenses back in 2018, when the EOS R system launched, things looked very different!   

It used to be a range with lots of missing lenses, dominated by bulky and pricey L-series glass, designed solely for full-frame camera bodies. Today, the best RF lenses span everything from pricey performance optics to cheap Chinese glass, and now includes a slew of dedicated RF-S lenses for APS-C cameras like the Canon EOS R50 and R7 – with third parties such as Sigma and Tamron now making lenses.

(I've included the APS-C equivalent focal lengths for each suggestion, so you know how the lenses will perform on your camera. For more on the differences between RF and RF-S lenses, and whether you should choose full frame or APS-C optics for your camera, read the RF vs RF-S lenses section below.)

For my needs, if I could only have one RF lens to keep on my camera it would be the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 – the brilliant little nifty fifty that's tiny, affordable and takes great images. Everybody's needs are different, however, so here's my list of the best Canon RF lenses to point you in the right direction based on what you shoot. And since there's so much choice, I've included an honorable mention for every category!

I was a day one adopter of the EOS R system, and I've used every RF lens that Canon has launched since then – as well as exotic and unusual optics from third-party brands. I've bought, sold and shot with the best Canon RF lenses for the past six years, so I can give you honest, first-hand experience of what's worth getting.

The Quick List

There's a reason that everyone says you should have a "nifty fifty" in your bag: they're cheap, have an all-purpose field of view that's good for everything, and they take great images! Read more below

The most commonly needed lens for videography is a wide-angle – especially on APS-C bodies. The RF 15-30mm is nice and wide, and its variable aperture keeps the price down. Read more below

For typical astro you need a wide angle and a fast aperture – and autofocus doesn't matter. This is why I love Laowa's ultra-wide, ultra-fast, distortion-free manual lens! Read more below

Canon's top-tier macro lens offers 1.4x magnification, up to 8 stops of image stabilization, ridiculously sharp results and a new bokeh control ring for additional creative effects! Read more below

This all-in-one 10x superzoom lens covers all the bases for travel! Good for subjects that are close up, far away, shooting interiors, landscapes, portraits, even wildlife – perfect for travel. Read more below

The perfect pro tool, its fast f/2.8 aperture enables you to blur backgrounds and work in low light, with stabilization and weather sealing to keep you shooting when things get tough. Read more below

More and more third-party glass is appearing, but I right now love the Argus 28mm f/1.2. Its super-fast aperture and wide field of view give you incredible creative freedom.   Read more below

One of my favorite RF lenses, it offers a great focal length for street and reportage, it's stabilized, and it also offers light macro capability for those spontaneous close-up moments. Read more below

The widest prime lens in Canon's RF lineup, this is great for everything from vlogging to astrophotography – and it's both super compact and super affordable, making it irresistible! Read more below

The best Canon RF lenses list 2024

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Best budget Canon RF lens

1. Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

✅ You want bang for buck:  This is Canon's ultimate price-to-performance lens. Quality punches well above its weight!  ✅ You want an all-purpose lens:  Close to the human eye's perspective, it's versatile enough for multiple disciplines. 

❌ You need stabilization:  If you want an image stabilized lens then look elsewhere, as this lacks any. ❌  You want weather sealing:  This lens isn't moisture or dust resistant, so won't withstand challenging conditions.

🔎  Canon RF 50mm f/1.8  The nifty fifty is regarded as the one lens that everybody should own, and for good reason: low price, high quality, and shoots most things! ★★★★★

One of the cheapest Canon RF lenses is also one of the best! It's on the front of my camera so much that it's become my de facto body cap – but a body cap that takes amazing stills and video, with a versatile focal length that covers almost every eventuality, meaning my camera is always ready to pick up and start shooting.

You've probably heard that the "standard" 50mm field of view is similar to how the human eye sees the world, making this lens perfect for everyday shooting, travel and street photography, half-length portraiture and more. 

(Bear in mind that, on an APS-C body, the focal length is 80mm – which makes it perform like a portrait lens rather than a standard lens.)

The fast f/1.8 aperture offers two big upsides. Firstly, it opens nice and wide to enable your camera to gather tons of light – meaning it's great for working in low light conditions. 

And secondly, it delivers dreamily shallow depth of field for those blurry backgrounds and cinematic scenes. 

I love that this is such a compact lens, too, as it enables me to keep my setup nice and small – ideal for my everyday carry camera, or when keeping your setup light and lean. 

Read my full Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM review

Honorable mention

Lensbaby Spark 2.0 (APS-C 80mm) Lensbaby lenses are love or hate, but this is one of my favorite creative tools. A manual tilt-shift lens, it comes standalone or with the Sweet 50 Optic – which creates areas of subtle or striking defocus with a "sweet spot" in focus. It's also an incredibly fun lens to use – the bellows system is even more satisfying to use than a manual lens! 

• Back to the top ⤴

Best Canon RF lens for video

2. Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM

✅ You want to shoot wide:  Great for general coverage, establishing shots, and scenes with more than one person.  ✅ You need stabilization:  If you're shooting handheld, this lens offers up to 7 stops of shake compensation. 

❌ You want background blur:  Wide angles don't blur easy at the best of times, but especially not at these apertures. ❌  You shoot in rough weather:  There's no weather sealing on this lens, so you'll need to keep it safe from the elements.

🔎  Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3  If you don't want to fork out for the 15-35mm f/2.8, this covers the same wide and ultra-wide focal range. ★★★★ ½

Choosing the best lens for video depends, of course, on what it is you're actually filming. 

However, an essential lens for every videographer's arsenal is a wide-angle zoom – something that's equally true for vloggers and content creators filming themselves. 

A wide-angle zoom gives you plenty of flexibility to work in confined spaces, such as indoors, whether you're framing a solo subject, setting up a two-shot or capturing group or environmental shots. 

The benefit of the RF 15-30mm (which is 24-48mm on an APS-C body) is that it gives you ultra-wide to wide coverage at an affordable price, thanks to that variable f/4.5-6.3 aperture. 

This will limit your low light options and ability to render shallow depth of field, so if those are important then look to the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L – though be aware that it's a pro lens with a pro price! 

If you can work around those factors, I think this is a brilliant lens – especially with the image stabilization, which offers 5.5 stops of compensation on its own and jumps up to 7 stops when used on a camera with in-body stabilization. 

Read our full Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM review

Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8L IS USM Z (APS-C 38-168mm) It's way more expensive, but Canon literally designed this to be the best RF lens for video. A previously impossible lens, it's a true dream with a constant f/2.8 aperture across the entire range, superb sharpness, 5.5 stops of compensation (up to 8 with IBIS bodies), along with power zoom functionality and incredibly well-controlled focus breathing. 

Best Canon RF lens for astrophotography

3. Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D

✅ You want a fast lens:  With its f/2 aperture, this lens can gather tons of light for shooting dark night skies.  ✅ You want minimal distortion:  This is a near distortion-free optic, so you won't need to worry about those corners!

❌ You want autofocus:  As a fully manual lens, there is no AF here – nor any EXIF data transmission for your settings. ❌  You need weather proofing:  If you're shooting in the wet or cold, you might need a more robust lens.

🔎  Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D  An ultra-wide lens that's this sharp and this distortion-free is remarkable enough – especially at its speedy f/2 maximum aperture. ★★★★ ½

For general-purpose astrophotography I love this third-party lens from Laowa – one of the most trusted third-party lens makers. 

Since autofocus isn't necessary for astro work, the manual nature of this lens is actually a benefit – especially with such a long throw for pinpoint precision.

Although there we found a tiny bit of barrel distortion during our lab testing, this is pretty much the Zero-D ("zero-distortion") lens it's billed at – which is frankly incredible for the ultra-wide 15mm angle of view (which translates to 24mm on an APS-C camera). Especially one with such a wide aperture!

Obviously you need to gather as much light as possible when shooting astrophotography, which means you need the widest aperture you can get in order to get what little light is available in the night sky. 

Not only does the Laowa's f/2 aperture gather huge amounts of light, it does so without sacrificing sharpness – this lens is outstanding even when shooting wide open, which is exactly what you want for astro work. 

The aperture ring is de-clickable, too, should you want to use it for video! 

Read my full Laowa 15mm f/2 Zero-D review

Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM (APS-C 45-112mm) My first thought for an alternative was the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L , but since 15mm is covered by the Laowa I would point to the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L. It's a big, heavy, expensive lens, but the focal length is very versatile and the constant f/2 aperture exceeds even the 24-70mm trinity lens – this is one of the showcase optics for the RF mount. 

Best Canon RF macro lens

4. Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

✅ You want better than 1:1 macro:  Its 1:1.4 reproduction ratio captures subjects even bigger than life size.  ✅ You want to shoot handheld:  Not all macro can be done on a tripod – but with 8 stops of stabilization, it's no bother.

❌ Price is a factor:  As one of Canon's specialist lenses, and an L-series one at that, this is a pricey piece of glass. ❌  You already have the EF version:  There's no doubt this is a better lens, but the old DSLR one is perfectly adaptable.

🔎  Canon RF 100mm Macro  This really is as good as it gets for macro. Pristine image quality, 1.4x magnification, epic stabilization, and even a creative effect dial. ★★★★★

The EOS R system is surprisingly well served for macro lenses, but the undisputed king is this: the RF 100mm f/2.8L from Canon, which replaces its legendary DSLR equivalent. In fact, it doesn't just replace it but upgrades it in every way.

Going above and beyond, this lens offers a reproduction ratio of 1:1.4 – meaning it will magnify your subjects 1.4x, making them bigger than life size to really fill your frame. 

On top of that, it offers 5.5 stops of image stabilization – and jumps all the way to a crazy 8 stops when used in conjunction with an image-stabilized camera. I find this immensely useful because, while I use a tripod for macro whenever possible, sometimes I'm shooting a tiny subject handheld – and at 100mm (or 160mm on an APS-C camera) the stabilization really helps me out.

Also super-helpful here is the autofocus, which is both quick and quiet all the way to infinity – and as someone who has wrestled with the slow, clunky AF of other macro lenses, I can assure you this is not the norm!

Another bonus is that there is virtually zero focus breathing on this lens, making it superb for videography. And of course, the 100mm focal length is perfect for close-up portraiture as well as close-up macro work – so in effect, this lens serves triple duty.

A feature that some will love and others will hate is the SA Control dial. This enables you to dial in spherical aberration – a subtle or not-so-subtle soft focus effect, which in my opinion can look great for macro but should be used sensitively for portraits.

Read my full Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM review

Laowa 90mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro APO (APS-C 144mm) While almost the same focal length, Laowa's lens offers 2x magnification to double the size of your subjects! As a much cheaper option, it lacks the autofocus, electronic aperture control and EXIF data offered by Canon, but it's supremely sharp across the entire frame even at small apertures – with pleasing background blur, as an added bonus.

Best Canon RF lens for travel

5. Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM

✅ You want a do-it-all lens:  With its incredible 10x zoom range, you won't need to change your lens!   ✅ You don't have a stabilized camera:  With 5 stops of stabilization, your shots will stay steady – even at 240mm. 

❌ You want speed:  To accommodate the enormous zoom, the lens slows right down to f/7.1 at the long end. ❌  Image quality is top priority:  It takes great pictures, but some optical compromises are necessary due to the range.

🔎  Canon RF 24-240mm  An amazingly impressive lens that combines portability, performance and price. It's perfect for covering all eventualities while travelling. ★★★★★

With a massive 24-240mm range, this is the lens to go for if you want to carry just one RF lens in your bag – but you still want to be able to shoot things that are both close and far away, from portraits and interiors to landscapes, architecture and even some wildlife. 

This isn't one of Canon's L-series lenses, so there's no weather sealing. And, like with all superzoom lenses, there is some compromise on image quality. 

However, I was still impressed with the results – especially since in-camera corrections help to avoid major aberrations. 

The lens also benefits from fast and accurate autofocus and 5 stops of image stabilization – something I definitely appreciate when shooting all the way at 240mm, especially at slightly slower shutter speeds when balancing the narrow apertures.  

For anyone who likes to shoot with minimal kit instead of carrying multiple lenses around with you and having to keep changing them, this option may be very welcome indeed – and it won't weigh you down too much. 

Read our full Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM review

Canon RF 24-50mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM (APS-C 38-80mm) Want a smaller lens? Personally I'd go with a prime (the RF 35mm or RF 28mm ) but if you want to keep the versatility of a zoom and you don't need crazy range, this 24-50mm lens is a good compromise. You won't be able to shoot subjects far away, but for landscapes and scenery and group shots it's absolutely perfect – and much cheaper.

Best Canon RF lens for wedding photography

6. Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM

✅ You need pro performance:  Constant f/2.8 aperture, great image quality, weather sealing… this has it all!  ✅ You want to shoot video:  With zero focus breathing, this is also an excellent lens when it comes to videography. 

❌ You're on a budget:  All this performance comes at a premium price. The EF version is more wallet-friendly. ❌  You want 24-70mm on APS-C:  There isn't an equivalent for RF yet, but check out the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 .

🔎  Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8  It's not the optical juggernaut I expected, but it's still a monster performer – and essential for any pro, especially in wedding photography. ★★★★

The workhorse lens for most professionals, the 24-70mm Trinity lens is an absolute must-have for wedding photographers. 

It's pricey, yes, but if you want clients to pay for your pictures then it's more than worth paying for its performance. 

The 24-70mm (which is 38-112mm on an APS-C body) covers you all the way from wide-angle to portrait range – which is exactly what you need for wedding and event photography, where you need to quickly zoom from wide interior and group photos to intimate portraits of bridegrooms and guests. 

This is where the fast, constant f/2.8 aperture comes into play (and into the cost) as you'll be able to work across the entire focal range even in challenging lighting conditions. 

And, thanks to the weather sealing, in challenging weather conditions as well. So if it starts to rain, or if the wedding is on a sandy beach, you don't need to worry about your gear.

The 5 stops of image stabilization enable you to keep your shots steady, even at longer focal lengths and working with slow shutter speeds. 

There's no focus breathing, either, making this a brilliant lens for hybrid shooting and dedicated videography. 

Read my full Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM review

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM (APS-C 136mm) If you've got the standard zoom covered, I'd recommend a good portrait lens – and they don't get better than this. It's razor-sharp, renders gorgeous background blur and can be used in minimal light. An alternative is the RF 85mm f/2 Macro , which is smaller, cheaper and also offers light macro capability – great for close-ups of rings and place settings.

Best third-party lens for Canon RF

7. Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2

✅ You need speed!:  At f/1.2 this matches Canon's fastest RF optics – great for defocus and working in low light.  ✅ You're watching your wallet:  At a fraction of the price of an f/1.2 Canon lens, you get way more for your money here.

❌ You don't want to shoot manual:  There's no autofocus or electronic aperture control, as this is a 100% manual lens. ❌  You want to know your settings:  Since there are no electronic contacts, no lens EXIF data is communicated. 

🔎  Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2  If you enjoy shooting manually and love the f/1.2 look, this wide-angle lens will be your best friend whether you're into stills or video. ★★★★

Thankfully, we've started to leave the dark ages of the RF mount where Canon forbade third parties from producing lenses with autofocus and stabilization. 

However, while Tamron and Sigma have each announced forthcoming lenses, currently the only third-party RF lenses are fully manual. 

That said, not having to worry about complex autofocus performance or expensive electronic communication means that brands like Laowa can focus on lenses like this one – which delivers a lightning-fast aperture without Canon's sky-high prices. 

I own a lot of fast glass from third parties, and you often have to compromise optical performance to achieve that speed. 

Not here, though, as the Argus delivers stunning center sharpness – though it's a little less impressive towards the edges. 

The sturdy metal construction is also worth noting. This isn't a weather-sealed lens, but it's an incredibly well-made and robust one – suggesting something far above its price tag.

I think videographers will really love this lens, too. At 28mm (which behaves like 45mm on an APS-C camera) is a very useful focal length, especially with a fast aperture when you want to work in low light or create subject separation. 

The aperture ring is de-clickable, too, making it even more video-friendly. 

Read our full Laowa Argus 28mm f/1.2 review

Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 (APS-C 80mm) The Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L is stunning, but it's way too expensive for most people. I'm a huge fan of this Zhongyi Optics lens that's even faster, at f/0.95 – and is thousands of dollars cheaper! You sacrifice sharpness to get that speed, but it's beautiful for portraiture – and it renders bokehlicious blur that looks like it was shot on a medium format lens. 

Best Canon RF lens for street photography

8. Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM

✅ You want a second prime:  After 50mm, a 35mm is most people's next step in the world of prime (non-zoom) lenses.  ✅ You like close-ups:  Although it's not a full macro lens, its magnification and close-focusing come in very useful.

❌ You need snappy AF, close up:  Being really nitpicky, the focusing could be faster for shooting subjects up close. ❌  You want weather protection:  If you want to shoot in all conditions, you might want a weather-sealed lens.

🔎  Canon RF 35mm f/1.8  Pocket friendly in terms of price and size, this super compact lens is packed with features, from stabilization to light macro capability. ★★★★ ½

For my money (literally, given that I bought one!) this is one of the best-value and most versatile lenses for the RF mount. 

First and foremost, the 35mm focal length is perfect for street photography – and a 35mm f/1.8 is considered the classic lens for street shooting. While this is effectively 54mm on APS-C cameras, the "nifty fifty" is also a popular option for the genre.

It provides an entirely natural viewing perspective that also works well for landscape and architectural photography, and environmental portraits where you want to include the subject's surroundings. 

The f/1.8 aperture enables faster shutter speeds in dim lighting, which is great for moody street scenes – and can even get you a bit of subject separation.

On top of that, the lens has a short 0.17m minimum focus distance that enables 0.5x macro shooting. That's not true macro (unlike the Canon RF 100mm above), but I always find this to be a great lens for capturing close-up details. 

Add in a hybrid 5-stop stabilizer that corrects for x-y shift in addition to the more usual angular vibrations, and I think this is the most interesting of the more affordable RF lenses that Canon has produced.

Read my full Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM lens review

Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 STM (APS-C 45mm) Do you want the teeniest, tiniest lens possible to keep your street setup as stealthy as possible? The RF 28mm is a pancake lens, and a perfect dance partner for similarly svelte cameras like the R50 and R100 – but is equally at home on bigger bodies as well. This is one of my absolute favorite lenses on the system, and one of the cheapest from Canon.

Best Canon RF wide-angle lens

9. Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM

✅ You're a vlogger:  Or anyone who films themselves – this gives you the wide angle you need to fit in the frame!  ✅ You want to stay small:  As one of Canon's most tiny RF lenses, this is the perfect complement to a small body.

❌ You need stabilization:  With no shake compensation of its own, you'll need a stabilized body or a gimbal. ❌  You're fussy about RAWs:  A lot of in-camera magic is required, so uncorrected RAW files will be quite distorted. 

🔎  Canon RF 16mm f/2.8  Another great pocket prime from Canon, the 16mm is a great little wide-angle option whether you're shooting on a full-frame or an APS-C body. ★★★★ ½

While Laowa's 15mm Zero-D (above) is a shade wider and faster, it's also a completely manual lens. So, for ultra-wide shooting on a prime lens with autofocus, Canon's 16mm f/2.8 is usually my go-to. 

Even on an APS-C camera, where it becomes an effective 26mm, this is still a very wide lens – which makes it the weapon of choice for vloggers (who need wide angles for self-filming indoors) as well as anyone interested in shooting interiors, street scenes and landscapes.

The f/2.8 aperture is a real boon for the former, as indoor photography and videography often requires shooting in tricky lighting conditions. So the more light a lens can gather, the better!

Like the RF 50mm, this is another absolutely tiny lens – I can't quite believe how small and lightweight it is, again making it a great solution for solo vlogging and videography. 

However, in order to achieve this, imagery requires a lot of in-camera corrections – the barrel distortion on RAW files is as huge as this lens is tiny. 

This isn't a major problem, as JPEGs are automatically corrected and it's just a couple of clicks to fix in Photoshop , but still something worth bearing in mind if you shoot RAW.

Read our full Canon RF 16mm f/2.8 STM review

Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM (APS-C 24-56mm) For the ultimate in ultra-wide performance and versatility, you can't beat Canon's 15-35mm trinity lens. It's weather-sealed for all-purpose shooting, is virtually distortion-free despite the viewing angle, boasts 5 stops of image stabilization to keep shots steady… it's a powerful professional tool, through and through. 

What's the difference between RF and RF-S lenses?

The first thing to consider is what kind of mirrorless camera you own. Do you have a full-frame body, like the Canon EOS R5 or R6 Mark II , or an APS-C body like the Canon EOS R50 or R7 ? Canon makes two kinds of mirrorless lenses: full-frame (RF) and APS-C (RF-S).

RF lenses are designed to cover a full-frame image sensor, but they can still be used on an APS-C body. And since an APS-C sensor only covers the most central part of the lens, you're getting the "fillet" in terms of sharpness and distortion.

RF-S lenses, meanwhile, only cover an APS-C sensor, but they can still be used on a full-frame camera – however, they can only be used in crop mode (which will use a smaller area, and so fewer pixels, of your sensor). As a result, I wouldn't really recommend using an RF-S lens on a full-frame body.

Either way, whatever lens you mount on an APS-body, you will need to multiply its focal length by 1.6x (the crop factor of the sensor) to find out the equivalent focal length on your camera. So an RF 50mm lens will perform like an 80mm lens on an APS-C camera (50 x 1.6 = 80), and an RF-S 10-18mm will behave like a 16-28.8mm (10/18 x 1.6 = 16/28.8). To make things easier, I've included the APS-C equivalent focal length for every recommendation on this list.

While a lot of third-party manufacturers have released RF lenses, currently Canon will not license anyone else to produce full-frame autofocus lenses or lenses with image stabilization (Sigma and Tamron have recently announced autofocus RF-S lenses). Plenty of third parties have produced fully-manual "dumb" RF lenses, with no autofocus or electronic contacts to communicate with the camera.

How to choose the best Canon RF lenses

Choosing the right lenses depends entirely on what you shoot. For example, a fisheye lens is very much the right for some people but very much the wrong lens for others! The RF range features pretty much every kind of optics except (ironically) fisheyes and tilt-shifts, but otherwise if you need a specific lens you'll find it here. 

While it's easy to be overwhelmed, and worried that you'll make the wrong choice, I'll just say that Canon doesn't make any bad lenses – so you really don't have to worry about buying a turkey in terms of optical performance. 

Work out what it is you like to shoot, and how you like to shoot it. I prefer primes, so I would recommend the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 as it's cheap, small, and it's versatile enough to shoot most subjects (the "nifty fifty" is the lens that you often hear "should be in everybody's bag"). If you're an APS-C user, the Canon RF 28mm f/2.8 is your 50mm equivalent. If you prefer the flexibility of zooms, go for a focal length appropriate to your subject matter.

In general, Canon's compact f/1.8 and f/2.8 primes are very affordable. For zooms, lenses with a higher and / or variable aperture number (such as f/4, or f/4.5-7.1) are more budget friendly than the L-series lenses with a signature red ring (and usually a constant aperture).

What is the most versatile lens for Canon RF?

The most versatile lens is the hitherto impossible Canon RF 24-105mm f/2.8L IS USM Z – a lens that has only become a reality thanks to the cutting-edge nature of the RF mount (previously, this focal length has only been possible with a slower f/4 aperture).

You can shoot almost anything on this one lens, which for some people replaces the need to carry all three "trinity lenses" as well as the most popular prime lenses. It's also a video-oriented optic with power zoom function and controlled focus breathing, making this arguably the first and ultimate hybrid lens.

What is the best RF lens for portraits?

As a portrait photographer, I recommend the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L – which is the lens I personally bought, after spending a lot of time testing the available options! 

A close second, to me, is the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L DS lens that features Defocus Smoothing for truly beautiful backgrounds. However, you lose over a stop of light (due to the optical coatings used to achieve the effect) and the backgrounds look a little bit artificial (indeed, AI-generated) for my tastes. 

The Canon RF 135mm f/1.8L is a great lens, and in many ways the 135mm focal length is more pleasing. But I find the working distance can be too challenging – both in terms of having enough space to shoot, and being able to connect and communicate with your subject. 

Can you use Canon RF lenses on a Canon DSLR?

No, Canon RF lenses are not compatible with Canon EF-mount DSLRs, and there is no adapter available to make them compatible. However, the reverse is possible. You can use old EF lenses on Canon R system cameras if you use an EF-EOS-R adapter .

What is the difference between L lenses and regular Canon RF lenses?

Like with the EF lenses for its DSLRs, Canon employs an 'L' in the names of certain lenses to denote higher quality build and internal optics. L-series lenses can be identified by the red ring around the lens barrel. Most of the longer lenses are white rather than black.

L lenses tend to have larger and higher-quality glass elements and superior lens coatings for sharper images with fewer distortions. They have full weather sealing, come with lens hoods and can also have better autofocus control and image stabilization. They also tend to have faster apertures than standard Canon RF lenses.

How we test the best Canon RF lenses

As part of my evaluation process, I use every lens I test in my personal and professional work. The best way to see what an optic is capable of is to take it into a real-world shooting environment, so I put lenses through their paces on paid commissions or when shooting for my own portfolio. 

I'm a portrait photographer by trade, so it's important to me that lenses perform well wide open – but it's equally important that they deliver the goods when stopped down. I shoot a lot of sport and wildlife, too, so I concentrate a lot on autofocus performance – including in challenging light. Equally, as someone who started with film cameras, I also consider a lens' ability to be focused manually!

Once I'm done using the lens in live shooting environments, I pass it into our lab manager Ben Andrews to be put through a suite of lab tests. As our lab manager, Ben's tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height – a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. 

Get the Digital Camera World Newsletter

The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox!

The editor of Digital Camera World, James has 21 years experience as a journalist and started working in the photographic industry in 2014 (as an assistant to Damian McGillicuddy, who succeeded David Bailey as Principal Photographer for Olympus). In this time he shot for clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal, in addition to shooting campaigns and product testing for Olympus, and providing training for professionals. This has led him to being a go-to expert for camera and lens reviews, photo and lighting tutorials, as well as industry news, rumors and analysis for publications like Digital Camera Magazine ,  PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine ,  N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine ,  Digital Photographer and Professional Imagemaker, as well as hosting workshops and talks at The Photography Show . He also serves as a judge for the Red Bull Illume Photo Contest. An Olympus and Canon shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and a fondness for vintage lenses and instant cameras.

Related articles

Travelfornoobs

The best lenses for Canon EOS R6

What lens to get for your canon eos r6 .

Released in the late summer of 2020, in the sequel to the R5, Canon revealed the release of a second full-size, high-end hybrid body. This is the prestigious Canon R6, sold at a more affordable price than the R5 due to a few technical variants. The most important difference is that of the sensor. The one of the R6 has 20 Mpx while the one of the R5 has 45 Mpx. The R6 is still equipped with a high definition sensor that handles low light more easily and causes less noise. Its ISO sensitivity ranges from ISO 100 to 102,400, expandable from ISO 50 to 204,800.

Depending on the desired performance, some will see an advantage to the R6’s sensor especially since it is coupled with the Digic X processor, the same as for the R5, and allows face and eye recognition and tracking of moving animals. Stabilization is done on 5 axes for professional image results, both in photo and video. However, the 20 fps burst remains silent, which is very appreciable. With its 6,072 autofocus points, the camera is responsive and delivers what it promises.

As long as you don’t want to record 8K movies, but rather prefer 4K at 60 fps, without cropping, the R6 satisfies the most demanding people in most shooting situations. In addition to this equipment, a 3.69 MP OLED viewfinder displays the relevant information and allows quick choices. The camera has no less than 21 functions that can be customized and 7 menu categories. A 1.6 MP touch screen takes over the viewfinder, if desired, for the choice of collimators, angle of view, white balance, quick settings, image playback, etc..

The magnesium alloy body weighs 698 g, including card and battery. The Canon EOS R6 is tropicalized and therefore resistant to dust and humidity. Sensor cleaning is integrated and the ergonomics of the body benefits from the brand’s experience. The grip is solid and the handle grips well.

Two card slots are available for SD formats. On the back of the case, there is an easily accessible PASM wheel to quickly change modes without fumbling. In addition, there are Wifi and Bluetooth, microphone and headset jacks, external support and of course, the flash shoe. The undeniable qualities of the high-performance Canon EOS R6 place it at the top of the range. It’s a smart choice for quality photos and videos.

Note: Product links in this article lead to Amazon.com

• High Image Quality features a New 20 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS Sensor
• DIGIC X Image Processor, Expandable to 204800
• High-speed Continuous Shooting of up to 12 fps with Mechanical Shutter and up to 20 fps Electronic (Silent) Shutter

Canon RF 24-105mm f4L IS USM

Canon rf 28-70mm f/2l usm, canon rf 35mm f/1.8 macro is stm, canon rf 50mm f/1.2l usm.

• Comparative table
• Useful accessories

This versatile zoom is offered as an entry kit into the EOS R market. Perfect for shooting all kinds of scenes such as streets, portraits or landscapes, with a minimum focusing distance of 45 cm, its 5-speed stabilizer and USM engine, it is a balanced, robust and waterproof tool. Responsive and space-saving, it avoids frequent optical changes and its constant maximum aperture at f/4 makes it bright. In manual mode, the distances are displayed in the viewfinder. Once again, the great novelty is the increased reactivity and sharpness of the image resulting from the 54 mm frame and its 12-pin connectors.

All the objectives of the range are designed in this way and represent tools for the future. A new control ring at the end of the lens allows the assignment of functions such as aperture aperture, exposure compensation, shutter speed, etc. In video, fluidity is also ensured. Note that a zoom lock button is available for transporting the camera.

• Compact, high-quality Lens with broad zoom range for the EOS R system
• Bright, constant f/4.0 zoom Lens
• First L-Series Lens with Nano USM

This new 28-70mm is really THE zoom above all, from a technical point of view. The quality of the recorded images is very surprising. With a constant aperture at f/2, it reaches an exceptional speed even at low speeds. A minimum aperture of f/22 gives a nice depth and a very detailed image. At first glance, his weight may seem a little off. However, the grip remains stable once the zoom is installed on the Canon EOS R. The lack of a stabilizer becomes uncomfortable in low light. It is more difficult to use correctly. For manufacturing, it consists of 19 lenses divided into 13 groups.

Its satin texture repels dust. An easily accessible button blocks the zoom when transporting it. The minimum focus requires 39 cm and the AF is silent. Like the other lenses in the range, a ring for personalized use is placed on the lens, allowing use adapted to the habits and needs of each photographer. It can be considered as part of the professional objectives. Its price is also intended for professionals or amateurs with a BIG budget!

• Bright, constant f/2 USM zoom Lens
• L-series Lens with high image quality
• Control ring for direct setting changes

Compact lens, this 35 mm 305 g lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.8 and a minimum aperture of f/22. It allows a focus at 17 cm and offers a reproduction ratio close to 1:2. We obtain a quality bokeh and its optical stabilization system compensates up to 5 EV. An STM engine provides smooth transitions that are highly appreciated in video applications. It is also equipped with a ring to be set which is close to the one used for focusing. There can be confusion between the two despite their different finishes.

As with the other lenses in the range, the distance scale is displayed on the viewfinder. However, it has a vignetting with a large diaphragm aperture. The cheapest in the RF range, it has no waterproofing treatment. Its lenses are not in the L range but have undergone a Super Spectra treatment on the surface.

It is a lens that allows you to take sharp pictures and its versatility is appreciated. Very useful for street photos, portraits or close-ups, its small size makes it a very popular tool. It is delivered with a sun visor.

• Compact macro Lens with 0.5x Magnification Ratio
• Minimum Focusing Distance of 0.56 ft. ; 0.17M
• Control Ring for direct setting changes

Very bright lens, the 50mm RF series allows to obtain high quality images and its high quality manufacturing makes it an excellent purchase despite its very high price. With a large aperture at f/1.2, pictures taken in low light are very successful. There is still a darkening at the corners. The minimum shooting distance is 40 cm and the minimum aperture is f/16.

The dive is excellent and homogeneous on all beaches. To make it so bright, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM, is made of 15 elements grouped into 9 groups. Its finish is the same as the others in the series, namely smooth black. There is also the very practical ring to set up and a manual or automatic focus selector. Another selector limits the focus from 80 cm to infinity. A USM motor ensures autofocus, which remains noisy. It’s embarrassing when using video. Another negative point is that there is no stabilizer for this lens.

• Fixed focal length, Lens with high image quality and bright f/1.2 aperture for the EOS R system
• Minimum focusing distance of 1.31 ft. /0.40M. Filter Size: 77mm
• A control ring for direct setting changes

COMPARATIVE TABLE

All selected Canon EOS R6 compatible lenses are gathered in this comparative table. You can compare them according to their price, weight and usefulness to help you choose the right one for your budget and photo style.

Even if they are classified by increasing price, they change regularly, it’s up to you to jump on the good deals!

USEFUL ACCESSORIES

A small selection of useful accessories to complement your objectives and your Canon EOS R6:

• Fast SD card UHS-II
• Additional battery
• Glass screen protector
• External battery charger
• Mount adapter for EF lenses
• Buy the Canon EOS R6

Check also the Canon R6 reviews round-up

This article contains affiliate links to Amazon. This means that I earn a commission when you use one of the links to Amazon to buy your Canon EOS R6 lens.

Any ideas to improve this list? Do you disagree on the choice of objectives? Please leave a comment!

TAGS: which lens for Canon EOS R6, what lens for Canon EOS R6, Canon EOS R6 which lens, best lens Canon EOS R6, the best lenses for Canon EOS R6, what lenses for Canon EOS R6, best Canon EOS R6 compatible lenses, what lens should I get for my Canon EOS R6, what lenses are compatible with Canon EOS R6, Canon EOS R6 compatible lenses, what lenses fit Canon EOS R6, what lenses to get for Canon EOS R6

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Canon EOS R6 review: A superb mirrorless camera that never misses a shot

The canon eos r6 offers incredible autofocus, image stabilization and low-light abilities — for a price.

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Canon EOS R6 full-frame mirrorless camera offers incredible autofocus, class-leading image stabilization and excellent low-light abilities. It's not cheap and its video skills fall short of the very best, but as an enthusiast stills camera it's easy to recommend.

Magical autofocus

Class-leading image stabilization

Superior low-light abilities

Crisp and detailed stills

Handles well

Overheats for 4K video

Resolution lower than rivals

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

Sensor: 20.1MP full-frame CMOS Image processor: Digic X Image stabilization: 5-axis, up to 8 stops AF points: 6,072 Dual Pixel CMOS AF II Viewfinder: 0.5-inch OLED EVF, 3,690k dots, 100% coverage, 0.76x magnification, 120fps refresh rate Display: 3-inch fully articulating touchscreen, 1,620k dots ISO: 100-102,400 (expandable to 50-204,800) Max video resolution: 4K at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p Ports: USB-C, micro HDMI, mic, headphone, E3 remote, 2x UHS-II SD/SDHC/SDXC Wireless/Bluetooth: Yes Shooting speed: 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic Battery life (CIPA): 510 Size/weight (body): 5.4 x 3.8 x 3.5 inches; 21 ounces

It took Canon a while to find its feet with mirrorless cameras, but the Canon EOS R6 is proof that those faltering days are well and truly over.

A quick look at its spec list shows it’s capable of going head-to-head with the best mirrorless cameras from Sony , Nikon and Fujifilm and indeed beating them in some regards. How so? Well it’s a 20.1-megapixel full-frame camera that comes with class-leading image stabilization, a 6,072-point dual-pixel autofocus system, 12fps burst shooting, 4K video and high-res OLED electronic viewfinder.

In short, it has almost everything you could want in an enthusiast mirrorless camera, and with only a couple of minor drawbacks. Chief among them are that it lacks the really high megapixel count enjoyed by its more expensive 45MP sibling, the Canon R5 and the similarly priced 33MP Sony A7 IV, while video falls short of the absolute best.

But make no mistake: the Canon R6 is right at the top end of full-frame mirrorless cameras and I’ve enjoyed every second of my time with it. It's an obvious choice for our best mirrorless cameras list, and indeed our best cameras list overall. Find out what makes it so special in this full Canon EOS R6 review.

Canon EOS R6 review: Price and availability

The Canon EOS R6 came out in July 2020 and costs $2,499 for the body alone. It’s also available with two kit lenses: the RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM for $2,799 or with the RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM for $3,599.

I tested it with the excellent RF 24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM lens, which costs $2,399 on its own. But don’t think you’d have to spend that much, as Canon now has a 24-model strong range of RF lenses, all of which are compatible with the R6. These range from the $199 RF 50mm f/1.8 STM to the $12,999 (yes, really) RF 600mm f/4 L IS USM. 

You can also use any of the dozens of older EF lenses by adding a $99 adapter, or there’s a $199 adapter that also gives any EF lens the special control ring function found on all RF lenses. There’s also a battery grip ($349).

To find some discounts, head to our Canon promo codes page.  

Canon EOS R6 review: Design

Some of the best mirrorless cameras have real flair about them, but the Canon R6 is not one of them. There’s no retro charm as on Fujifilm’s or Olympus’ cameras and no real attempt to move away from the look of older Canon DSLRs. That’s clearly a deliberate decision, too; Canon’s own marketing for the camera talks about how anyone who’s used an EOS camera before will find it “reassuringly familiar,” and it is. But while that decision makes a lot of sense, it also makes for a fairly nondescript camera.   

But looks aside, the R6’s design has a lot going for it. The body is mostly crafted from magnesium alloy but Canon added tactile rubber bits where your hands rest, and the grip is big and provides plenty of purchase. It’s quite a large camera — more than 15% bigger and slightly heavier than the Sony A7 IV, for instance — but it’s very well built, offering full dust and moisture resistance so you can shoot in poor conditions without worrying about damage. 

The electronic viewfinder is excellent. It’s a large 0.5-inch OLED EVF with a high resolution of 3,690k dots and a fast 120 fps refresh rate, although its 0.76 magnification is a tiny bit behind its key rivals the Sony A7 IV and Nikon Z7 II. But don’t worry too much about that — it’s big, bright, easy to shoot through and covers 100% of the view.

The LCD screen is similarly impressive. It’s a 3-inch touchscreen LCD panel with a 1,620k dot resolution; while it doesn’t have quite as many pixels as the Sony A7 IV, it beats that rival by being able to flip out and round so you can shoot selfies while seeing what’s on the screen. That’s particularly useful if you use it for video streaming, and it also helps when shooting stills in awkward positions.

One final bonus is that it comes with dual SD card slots; hardly surprising at this price point, but welcome all the same. 

Canon EOS R6 review: Controls

When it comes to controls, the Canon R6 feels very DSLR-like. There are certainly plenty of options: 16 buttons plus three control dials, a mode selector, on/off switch and AF joystick. And of course you get touch controls too. Add to that the fact that all RF lenses have an extra control dial on the lens itself, and you have plenty of ways to control the camera. 

That doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll always know what you’re doing, though. In theory, the three control dials give you control over your main shooting options, but because they aren’t labelled and can be customized to your heart’s content, you’ll need to spend some time with the R6 before it all becomes second nature. 

That’s particularly apparent when you’re changing settings in the R6’s menus, with one control dial scrolling through categories, one moving through pages within each section and the third scrolling through the various options on each page. I regularly found myself using the wrong one and jumping to another section when I just wanted to move down a list — though I imagine I’d get used to it in time. Personally, I prefer Fujifilm’s standard practice of a dedicated ISO dial and aperture controls on the lens, but that might just be familiarity.

Most of the buttons are more straightforward, although several serve more than one purpose depending on what else you’re doing at the time. The inclusion of a dedicated button for rating images seems unnecessary, but the fact there’s a ‘Q’ quick menu option is welcome. 

The joystick should be useful, but I found it slightly too shallow for my liking, and my thumb had a tendency to slip off it in use. Then again, autofocus is so special here that you may not use it much anyway.

Canon EOS R6 review: Performance

Autofocus is handled by an incredibly adept dual-pixel CMOS AF II system which offers a scarcely believable 1,053 AF zones and 6,072 AF points. But don’t worry too much about the numbers, because all you really need to know is that it works superbly.

First things first: it’s fast. I would say it’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fast, except that it’s probably faster than that, too. Quick as it is to lock on to subjects, though, its tracking capabilities are probably even more impressive. Not only can the R6 focus on and track people and eyes, but it also works with animals (specifically dogs, cats and birds) and vehicles. 

Fortunately, I have a suitable test subject in the form of a very energetic 15-month old chocolate Labrador that regularly moves too swiftly and unpredictably for most cameras. The R6 couldn’t quite capture every frame of his leaping and bounding, but it came damn close, giving me a far greater percentage of keepers than I could have hoped for. It’s even advanced enough to track an animal’s eye while it’s moving; truly this is witchcraft.

The below shot is cropped in to show just how good it is — the dog is mid-bound but is perfectly captured and in focus.

What’s more, it has amazing light sensitivity: the EOS R6 can go down as low as EV -6.5, making it possible to lock on seamlessly without hunting, even in dim conditions.

If the autofocus is excellent (and it is), the image stabilization is every bit its equal. As well as having 5-axis IS in the camera body, it can work together with any IS-equipped Canon lenses to provide up to an astounding 8 stops of IS. In practice, I could usually get sharp shots at 2 seconds and sometimes even as much as 4 seconds. Great news for photographers, less so for tripod manufacturers. 

The shot below was taken indoors at night, in fairly dim lighting and at f/8 — all conditions which should challenge most cameras. However, the R6 was able to get a super-sharp image at just 1/10 second.

Not all Canon lenses will get the full 8 stops, but even those without lens-based stabilization will get some benefit from the IS and if you’re lucky enough to own one of the five RF lenses that do give you the maximum effect, you’re in for a treat.

Of course sometimes you’ll want a short shutter speed rather than a long one, and here the Canon R6’s burst shooting comes into its own. It’s capable of hitting 12 fps with the mechanical shutter and 20 fps with the electronic one. Almost as importantly, it can do so for absolutely ages; you can take 1,000 JPEGs or 240 RAW images before its buffer fills up, which should be more than enough for anyone. 

Canon EOS R6 review: Image quality

With all of the above in mind, it should be no surprise that the Canon EOS R6 takes lovely stills. In fact, the combination of fast and accurate autofocus and subject tracking, speedy burst shooting and excellent image stabilization means that there are very few areas where the R6 trips up at all.

Some people might feel that 20.1 megapixels isn’t enough for them, particularly given that many of the R6’s direct rivals have more — sometimes a lot more. But the relative lack of pixels does have some obvious benefits. Speed is one of them — it’s why the R6 can shoot so fast for so long without filling its buffer — but the other concerns light sensitivity. With fewer pixels packed on to the sensor, the R6 can make each one bigger — and that in turn gives it serious low-light capabilities. 

That’s apparent with ISO sensitivity, which goes from 100 up to 102,400 (or 50-204,800 in expanded mode), and which is usable all the way across that range. Sure, at 102,400 there’s a fair amount of noise, but not to the extent that much detail is lost and you could confidently shoot at ISO 6400 the whole time and not regret it.

Below, you can see its ISO capabilities in full effect: on the left is a shot taken at ISO 200, on the right one at 102,400. Sure, the left image is sharper, but you can still clearly make out the shutter speeds etched on to the front of the old film camera. 

Though resolution may not be as high as on some cameras, there's still plenty of detail available. In another shot of Rigby the Labrador, you can see individual drops of water on his nose and fine whiskers on his chin. 

Fine details are also apparent in this shot of him meeting another Lab, where veins can be seen on individual leaves around their feet.  

There are a wealth of different settings to delve into if you want to play around with the R6’s images, including several HDR options. The R6 can also output in the HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) format that you might be familiar with from iOS devices. This lets you shoot higher-quality images than JPEGs — they can display 10-bit color rather than 8-bit, but without larger file sizes, for instance. Just bear in mind that to use them you’ll need to enable the HDR PQ setting and use the mechanical shutter.

Canon EOS R6 review: Video

Video is not a particular focus of the R6, so I didn't make it a particular focus of my testing. It's certainly good enough to satisfy a stills shooter who wants to take videos occasionally on vacation, but YouTubers will be better looking at one of the best cameras for vlogging . 

As you'd expect, it can shoot 4K video at up to 60fps, albeit with a small crop of 1.07x. There's also 1080p capture at up to 120fps, which could make for some lovely slow-motion videos. Plus, all of the various autofocus modes, and the image stabilization, are available in video as well as with stills.

The quality of the footage isn't the issue here — it's crisp and colorful, while the built-in IS, high sensitivity, full-frame sensor and superb autofocus all help you get smooth, well-exposed and in-focus footage. No, the problem is one of overheating: in 4K mode it gets seriously hot, so Canon limits it to just 30 to 40 minutes of footage if you're shooting at 60 fps. You get more than an hour at slower speeds, and there's no restriction in 1080p mode, but anyone who takes video footage seriously rather than just using it occasionally will probably find it too restrictive. 

Canon EOS R6 review: Verdict

The Canon EOS R6 is a superb full-frame mirrorless camera for advanced amateur photographers, particularly those who spend more time shooting moving objects and portraits than they do landscapes. 

The combination of incredible autofocus — seriously, it works like magic — with class-leading image stabilization and super-clean high ISO settings mean it's a supremely capable performer in almost every situation. It barely tripped up once in my time with it and if I wanted a camera to take on vacation with me tomorrow, I'd be asking Canon to lend me one. 

It's not cheap, but you're getting a lot of camera here and it's no more expensive than its main rival, the Sony A7 IV. 

Landscape photographers might prefer a higher resolution and committed YouTubers will also want to look elsewhere, but for anyone else this is an easy camera to recommend. 

Formerly Editor in Chief (U.K.) on Tom’s Guide, Marc oversaw all gaming, streaming, audio, TV, entertainment, how-to and cameras coverage, and was also responsible for the site’s U.K.-focused output. He is now U.K. Editor in Chief on TechRadar. Marc previously edited the tech website Stuff and has tested and written about phones, tablets, wearables, streaming boxes, smart home devices, Bluetooth speakers, headphones, games, TVs, cameras and much more. He also spent years on a music magazine, where his duties mainly involved spoiling other people’s fun, and on a car magazine. An avid photographer, he likes nothing better than taking pictures of very small things (bugs, his daughters) or very big things (distant galaxies). When he gets time, he also enjoys gaming (console and mobile), cycling and attempting to watch as much sport as any human can. He's also fallen in love with Wordle over the past six months and is the author of our today's Wordle answer column, in which he supplies hints and strategy tips for the mega-popular word game. Given he's completed every single Wordle so far and only lost once , and analyzed every Wordle answer in search of patterns , he's well qualified to help you safeguard your streak.

Massive Hoka sale knocks 25% off our favorite trail running shoes — 7 deals I’d shop now from $59

How to watch 'Love Island USA' season 6 reunion show online and from anywhere — date, time

Prime Video top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now

Most Popular

• 2 Prime Video top 10 shows — here's the 3 worth watching right now
• 3 iPhone 17 Slim rumors — everything we know so far
• 4 Let’s go back to Jason England’s place — my perfect desk setup, the ultimate budget sim racing rig and more
• 5 I've been skeptical about AI features on phones, but Google's Gemini might change my mind

Website is Under Maintenance

We are making some updates, go take some photos and come back 🙂

• Skip to main content
• Skip to secondary menu
• Skip to primary sidebar
• Skip to footer

Jeffsetter Travel

Travel Consultants and Travel Tips

Review: The Excellent Canon EOS R6

November 15, 2022 by Island Miler

I love photography. Hopefully, that shows in my reviews, as I try to take great pictures to go along with my narratives. And, from now on, I’m hoping those photos will only improve as I recently picked up a new camera – the Canon EOS R6. 

In 2018, I decided to make the jump to full frame and purchased the Canon EOS 6D Mark II. It’s an excellent camera that has much better dynamic range and noise control than my old Canon EOS 7D. However, it was a bit lacking in the performance department, with its slower shutter speed and ok autofocus. As a result, despite the short period of time since that purchase, I decided to upgrade.

The 6D Mark II’s performance wasn’t the only reason for my upgrade – progress was a major deciding factor too. You see, Canon is slowly discontinuing its EF line of lenses as they roll out more of their newer RF line, which only works with their mirrorless cameras. Further, all new lenses are coming out at RF only. And since I was in the market for new glass, it made sense to upgrade now. As an added bonus, I can keep using my old lenses with an inexpensive yet excellent adaptor. 

Why the Canon EOS R6

There were just a handful of factors that lead me to my decision to buy the Canon EOS R6. One, I wanted to maintain compatibility with my existing collection of Canon lenses. Two, I wanted to stay with a full-frame body. Three, the camera has to have excellent autofocus, dynamic range, and noise control. And, four, the camera has to be reasonably affordable. 

Now, before I get into reviewing the camera, let’s talk about the alternatives. Aside from the Canon EOS R6, I did consider the R5, the RP, and the EOS R, though I immediately ruled out the EOS R and RP. While cheaper, the R and RP aren’t as capable as the R5 and R6, and the price difference didn’t justify the performance gap. And while I would love an R5, its high price made it unattainable for me. So, the R6 it was! 

By the way, I did briefly consider the Sony A7 R III and IV, but the change in the ecosystem dissuaded me. Sony’s ergonomics aren’t exactly the best either, though their cameras are smaller and perform impressively. 

That said, even after deciding to buy, I had a few concerns. For one, the Canon EOS R6 has the lowest megapixel count of any R-series camera available for sale today at 20.1 megapixels. Also, the camera doesn’t have a top-mounted LCD to show you your current settings. The electronic viewfinder (EVF) was a concern, too, as it’s the one thing people complain about for all mirrorless cameras. After all, electronic displays have limitations, especially when compared to viewing the actual scene in front of you with a traditional SLR. 

How I Like the Canon EOS R6

Despite my reservations, I love the Canon EOS R6. The camera has the best-performing autofocus (AF) system I’ve ever experienced, and that’s something I know many others agree with. It’s not only insanely quick with an enormous number of focus zones, but it’s incredibly accurate too. To match with the camera’s incredible AF system is its ability to shoot at ten frames per second (fps) with the mechanical shutter and up to 20 fps with the digital shutter. That’s at least twice as fast as my old camera. 

Another great feature is the addition of a fourth dial instead of the top LCD. This dial is programmable, so you can specify how it functions. I left it on the default function to control the camera’s ISO. This setup is much more convenient, as it allows me to change the camera’s ISO far faster and without having to take my eye off the viewfinder. Plus, crucial information is always displayed on the rear LCD or the EVF, negating the need for the top LCD. It’s worth noting that all other dials retain the same functions as previous cameras. And, I love having a joystick again! 

The last feature I want to discuss is the image stabilizer (IS) system. Like Canon’s earlier mirrorless cameras, the R6 (and R5) feature in-body image stabilization (IBIS). However, unlike the previous model, the R6 and R5 introduce a new feature – Hybrid IS. This new system combines the function of the IBIS system with the optical image stabilization systems of compatible RF lenses. The result is a combined up to 5.5 stops of stabilization!

Thanks to the Hybrid IS system (when used with my new RF 24-105 f/4 L), I can take hand-held shots at shutter speeds below 0.50-seconds. The best I could do with the EOS 6D Mark II was 0.10-second. 

The noise performance on this camera is incredible too. I can shoot at up to 4,000 ISO without seeing too much impact from noise. This wasn’t the case with my old camera. In fact, with that camera, I could only go up to ISO 2,000 or 2,500. With the IBIS system, this ability makes an enormous difference in my ability to shoot in low-light conditions. Then again, the sensor in this camera comes from the EOS 1D X Mark III, minus the low-pass filter. So this kind of performance shouldn’t be surprising. 

What I Don’t Love About the Canon EOS R6

Shooting with the Canon EOS R6 is revolutionary for me. But I don’t love everything about it. As you can imagine, I’m not in love with the EVF. Initially, the feed in the EVF was horrifically laggy. However, I found and changed the EVF performance settings to high, massively negating this issue. That said, it still isn’t the same as seeing the scene itself through a mirror in a traditional DSLR. However, the EVF does give you a better preview of what the final image will look like, especially in terms of white balance. Of course, without the mirror, the Canon EOS R6’s shutter is so much quieter than my old EOS 6D Mark II, which is a plus. 

Battery life is another issue with this camera, as it is with many mirrorless cameras. Despite having a higher-capacity battery than older Canon cameras, the EVF, especially in its high-performance setting, zaps energy like crazy, as does the rear LCD. However, I knew this going in, so I bought an extra battery, giving me a total of three batteries. And while I find myself charging more often while on the road, overall, the shortened battery life hasn’t impacted me much. 

My last pain point with this camera is its lack of a built-in GPS receiver. That was, perhaps, one of my favorite features of my EOS 6D Mark II. It’s a great feature to have if for the times in which you forget where you took your picture. Sure, you can buy and connect an external GPS receiver, or you could use your phone, though both solutions are a pain. This is especially true since connecting your camera to a phone is still as painful as it was with my old 6D! 

Sample Shots

Final Thoughts

Overall, I love the Canon EOS R6. As I grow increasingly accustomed to using it, I’ve found it to be far more intuitive and capable than my old camera. That said, I do find myself wanting additional resolution – especially when shooting wildlife . I do also miss having built-in GPS and still prefer traditional viewfinders. However, the positives of the camera far outweigh the negatives – especially given its fantastic ISO, auto-focus, and IS performance, in addition to the quiet shutter operation. 

Yes, I know Canon recently announced the EOS R6 Mark II , but I still think this review is relevant. Most of the camera remains relatively unchanged, with small tweaks to its performance being made here and there. Plus, deals are now more likely to come out for this model. So if you’re looking to buy a new camera and can do without the minor enhancements, then now is a good time to start shopping! Plus, the availability of the new one may not be so great in the near future. 

Important Links

• Advertising Policy and Affiliate Disclaimer
• Privacy Policy
• Contact Jeffsetter Travel Blog
• Ask Jeffsetter a Question

Recent Posts

• Mokulele Fails Hawai’i Again
• Hawaiian Dreamliners in 2025
• Alaska Air Taps Chef Brandon Jiu
• Frontier is Abandoning Its Hawai’i Dreams
• Chase Improves Insurance Coverages

Top 9 Best RF Lenses for Canon EOS R6

Canon’s mirrorless camera lineup is finally coming into its own. The R5 and R6 cameras have improved on the first designs, and the RF lens line finally has enough options to make any photographer happy. 

Aftermarket lens makers are stepping up their games, too, with more offerings for the new bayonet mounting system. 

Here’s a look at the best lenses for the R6 for any type of photography.

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

This lens is neither the fastest nor the absolute best that Canon makes, but it has the widest zoom range of any of the L-series lenses.

With a constant f/4 aperture , the lens allows for plenty of creative control for anything from landscapes to portraits. 

To top it all off, it’s not too big, either.

Like other RF lenses, it features a multi-function control ring. It’s got IS that offers up to five stops of shake correction.

It also has Canon’s newest autofocus motor technology, the small and quiet Nano-USM. 

These new motors are quiet for video and super fast for accurate autofocusing.

Besides the apparent versatility that this lens’s zoom range offers, its greatest forte is its smaller size. L-series lenses can get very bulky. 

The 24-105 is designed with compactness in mind. It’s 4.2 inches long and weighs 1.54 pounds. It’s perfectly balanced with the R6’s body to make a package that’s easy to carry all day.

If the L-series RF 24-105 is still larger than you’d like to carry, check out the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM.

Money and weight are saved on this lens by ditching the constant aperture. If you shoot mostly landscapes, this could be a good, fast lens. 

For portraits and other uses above 50 mm, you’ll want to limit your shooting to daylight or studio photography. 

Compared to the RF 24-150 mm f/4L, this lens is an inch shorter and about half the weight.

Canon RF 24-70mm F2.8L IS USM

If size and weight are less important to you, I would choose the 24-70 mm f/2.8L. 

This lens does not have built-in IS, but the camera’s IBIS will quickly negate that problem. 

Compared to the RF 24-105 mm f/4L, this lens is much larger and heavier. 

It’s also double the cost. But the extra light abilities that f/2.8 will let in are sure to be appreciated by portrait and event photographers. 

It’s a wonderfully well-built lens that never disappoints in terms of image quality.

If you’d like something even faster, Canon has the RF 28-70 mm f/2L USM . 

This lens is a monster, but it’s also a portrait photographer’s dream. It takes 95 mm filters and weighs 3.15 pounds.

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM

If you need to zoom in a little tighter, you can’t go wrong with the RF 70-200 mm f/2.8L. 

This lens has one of the best IS systems Canon makes, with a selector for steady shots, panning shots, or video. 

It also has a focus range limited switch to ensure that its focus remains zippy in all situations.

The lens redesign got a little more attention than some others from Canon when they brought it over to the RF lineup. 

It’s much smaller than the older EF on which it is based, with an extending design that saves space in your camera bag. At 70 mm, the lens measures only 5.75 inches long, and it extends to 8.05 inches at 200 mm. It weighs 2.36 pounds.

While wildlife and sports photographers will love this fast lens, it’s an outstanding portrait lens when coupled with the full-frame R6. 

The bokeh is smooth and pleasant, and the ability to zoom quickly allows for some outstanding creative control.

Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM

Wildlife and sports photographers will want something with even more reach, so luckily, Canon is now making the RF 100-500 mm. 

It’s got an impressive close focusing distance of only 2.95 feet, making for some fantastic closeups.

This isn’t a constant aperture lens, but the compactness means that you can carry this lens in the field all day and not break your back. 

It’s got some other excellent features, including a torque ring that helps you fine-tune the zoom ring’s response.

There’s also an intelligent window built into the lens hood for filter adjustments, an idea I think is long overdue.

At 100 mm, the lens is 8.17 inches long, and at 500 mm, it is 11.71 inches long. It weighs three pounds, and it comes with a removable tripod mount.

Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM

Landscape and architecture photographers will swoon over this newest addition to the L-series lineup. 

It’s got IS for low-light shooting, a rarity in wide zooms. And its super-wide 15 mm focal length means you’ll never be wanting for something wider. 

From astrophotography to mountain ranges and from rowhouses to skyscrapers, this lens is a wonderful companion. 

The lens weighs 1.85 pounds and accepts 82 mm screw-on filters.

Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM

The fastest prime that Canon currently makes is the RF 50 mm f/1.2L. 

It’s a beautiful lens, and for those who need the absolute fastest option, this is the one to get. At 50 mm, it’s great for portraits, product photography, and street work. 

A slightly less expensive and smaller option is the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM. This lens is much more in the “nifty-fifty” class–it’s small, lightweight, and inexpensive. 

It’s a popular lens for turning your R6 into a compact, go-anywhere machine.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM DS

To match the fast f/1.2 prime lenses that Canon makes, their best portrait lens is the RF 85 mm f/1.2L.

Fast and with beautiful bokeh, this lens pushes the limits with new lens coatings. 

It has an Air Sphere Coating (ASC) to help reduce aberrations and resist flare and ghosting. It also has a fluorine coating to help repel dust and fingerprints.

The lens also has Defocus Smoothing (DS), which produces even smoother bokeh. 

But, the RF 85 mm f/1.2L is a big lens that takes 82 mm filters and weighs 2.63 pounds.

A less expensive portrait option is the reliable Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM. It’s also one of the few Canon prims to offer real macro capabilities. 

It has IS and a wonderfully small and compact form factor. It weighs just over a pound and is 3.5 inches long.

Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM

Canon’s wide-angle RF prime lens collection is still lacking a few things. 

The best option in this range is their standard-level RF 35 mm f/1.8 IS Macro, a counterpart for the RF 85 mm f/2 Macro. 

The lens is sharp and fast, making it an excellent carry-around lens for travel. 

There’s not much it can’t do well, with its wide focus distance range and small size. I personally really like 35 mm lenses, and this is one of the best.

Rokinon MF 14mm f/2.8 for Canon RF

Canon’s exceptional RF 15-35 mm f/2.8L is a thing of beauty; there can be no doubt. 

But many of us want or need something for the occasional landscape or interior architecture photo that doesn’t break the bank. 

I’ve been using these affordable Rokinon lenses for many years now, and I’ve never been disappointed.

They’re sharp and fast, and their price is perfect for getting you a focal length that you might not want to spend much money on.

The new generation of manual focus Rokinons is weather-sealed and much sharper looking aesthetically than their older counterparts.

Remember, these are fully manual lenses that will require you to set the aperture manually too. But at well under $500, you can’t go wrong.

R6 Lenses - Buyer's Guide

Canon Lens Labels and Naming

The RF-mount system is Canon’s newest addition to their lens lineup. With its entry, there are now four different types of Canon autofocus lens on the market. 

Since many websites lump them together in searches, it’s essential to know exactly what you’re looking for.

For SLR cameras, Canon makes the EF and EF-S mounts. The EF lenses are used with full-frame sensor bodies, while the EF-S lenses work only with APS-C sensors.

For mirrorless systems, Canon makes the M-mount lenses for their EOS M-series camera bodies. 

These cameras all have the smaller APS-C sensor. Full-frame mirrorless cameras are part of the EOS R-series, and they require RF-mount lenses. The mount size is related to the size of the sensor. 

Canon opted to make a separate mounting system for their mirrorless APS-C chipped cameras because the form factor allowed for smaller lenses. 

This has allowed the company to market the M-series bodies as a much smaller and lighter alternative to other options.

It’s important to understand that each lens, EF, M, and RF, have slightly different bayonet mounts. To connect one to the other, you’ll need an adapter.

Your R6 has a full-frame sensor, so you can’t mount a lens made for a smaller sensor on it. You can’t use M or EF-S lenses on it, but you can use an EF lens made for an SLR full-frame camera.

In addition to the mount type, Canon lenses are labeled with some other terminology.

• “L” indicates an L-series lens, which is at the top of the Canon lineup. These lenses have the best optics and the best construction that Canon has to offer.
• “IS” is short for image stabilization. These lenses have optical stabilization built-in, which you to hand-hold the camera and shoot with lower than normal shutter speeds or when shooting moving video.
• “USM” stands for ultrasonic motor, the standard autofocus system of many of Canon’s lenses. It’s quiet and accurate, but the quality greatly depends on the lens. An L-series USM lens will work far better than an entry-level lens with the same designation.
• “STM” means stepped motor, and it’s Canon’s newest autofocus technology. It’s much quieter and smoother than the entry-level USM motors, making these inexpensive lenses excellent for video. They are also tiny and compact.

Using EF Lenses on the R6 with an Adapter

The Canon EF to RF adapter allows you to connect a standard SLR EF lens to your EOS R6. 

The adapter even includes a multi-purpose ring, just like the newer RF lenses do. 

It has electrical contacts to communicate with the lens, so your autofocus and image stabilizer will work as designed.

Still, keep in mind that newer RF lenses have a more advanced communication system than older EF designs do not. 

Their autofocus works faster, and their IS systems work in conjunction with the camera’s in-body image stabilization systems. 

These extra features aren’t going to happen with an older EF lens since the lens isn’t capable.

Using adapted lenses is an excellent choice for photographers who also shoot with legacy DSLRs and have a set of EF lenses. 

But if you’re starting, it doesn’t make much sense to purchase EF lenses to use with the R6. It may cost a little more money, but an RF lens will give you the best performance out of your new camera.

Are L-series Lenses Worth the Money?

Canon’s L-series lenses are an industry standard for professional-grade equipment. They are built to the highest standards with the highest quality materials. 

They are weather-sealed for use in extreme environments. Their optics are of greater quality than entry-level lenses, and these lenses feature the widest apertures that Canon offers.

But are they worth the extra price? For all the reasons to purchase L-series lenses, you cannot deny that they are extremely expensive. 

They’re also the biggest and heaviest lenses that Canon makes. It’s not unusual for the outer filter of an L-series lens to be 77 or 87 millimeters in diameter.

If your goal is to have a portable camera that you carry around for distances, an L-series lens might not make the most sense. 

Yes, it will make the absolute best images on your camera. But you will find that you take your camera with you less often than you would with a smaller, lighter lens.

Don’t get too caught up in the “best of the best” argument. Many Canon lenses make stellar images on the R6. 

If you have the luxury to spend the money and can carry the lens with you comfortably, you will never regret the purchase of an L-series lens. 

But there’s absolutely nothing wrong with compromising with a standard Canon or aftermarket lens, either.

Do you need Image stabilization (is) with the R6

Canon’s legacy stabilization system, like many other manufacturers, was built into the lenses. 

Gyroscopes optically stabilize the lens to steady the image being projected onto the sensor. This system is known as IS or image stabilization. Canon includes this technology on many of its lens designs, including many newer RF lenses.

But the R6 and other new camera bodies also have IBIS or in-body image stabilization. 

These systems steady the image right at the sensor, and it can work with any lens you have attached. That means whether you buy an IS lens or not, you’ll always have stabilization on the R6.

But Canon has cleverly designed their system to use both systems to the best of its ability. 

If you have an IS lens on an R6 body, the camera will use the lens’s optical system. If you have a lens with no IS, the camera will use its own. 

Even better, with some lenses, the camera will allow the two systems to work together for up to eight stops of reduction!

Three main scenarios make IS really important. The most common situation occurs in low-light photography. 

The standard rule of thumb is that you should mount a camera on a tripod if the shutter speed’s denominator is less than the focal length being used. 

For a 50 mm lens, if the shutter speed is less than 1/50th second, the camera should be on a tripod. If it’s not, the final image will lack sharpness and perhaps even be blurry.

With IS, it’s possible to handhold the camera at slower shutter speeds. Nothing is certain, but you can likely shoot sharp pictures down to 1/30 or perhaps 1/10th second with a good IS system. 

In short, the system allows you to get more shots that are useable when shooting in low-light.

The IS system also helps photographers capture sharp images when in motion. If they are panning their camera to follow a moving target, the IS system can help keep it stable. 

Likewise, it helps if shooting from a moving vehicle, like in a car or an airplane.

The final advantage of IS goes to the video shooter. The key to smooth panning or following shots is to have the camera mounted on a stable gimbal, along with a smooth IS system. 

Many EF lenses have IS built in, but Canon did not build these older legacy systems with video in mind. As such, the noise of the IS system may be present on the video audio.

Focal Length and Aperture Considerations

The focal length of a lens determines the field of view covered in the shot. All lens focal lengths are measured based on a full-frame camera sensor, so you don’t have to worry about crop factors as other camera systems do.

A normal 50 mm focal length lens reproduces the world approximately the same amount that our eyes do. 

With this in mind, these lenses produce the most realistic images with the fewest distortions.

Fifty-millimeter lenses are often used in many types of photography, especially portraits or street photography. They’re also handy for reproducing artwork or capturing the most realistic images possible.

Anything lower than a 50 mm focal length is considered a wide-angle. To fit more image on the sensor, the lens must distort it in some way. 

Some lenses have pronounced distortion, while others have very little. The most common wide-angle focal length is probably 35 mm, followed closely by 28 mm. Wide-angle lenses are most used and associated with landscape photography.

Lenses with focal lengths of more than 50 mm are considered “telephoto.” That means that they are zoomed in or enlarged. 

An 85 mm lens is one of the most common lengths used for close-up portraits, as are 100 or 135 mm. Lenses of 200 mm or more are used for sports or wildlife photography–subjects that are small and may also be a long way from the camera.

The aperture of the lens is like the iris in our eyes. It’s an adjustable opening that allows light in. 

When light is prevalent, it shrinks down; when light is low, the aperture opens wide. This also controls the depth of field, which is how much of the image is in focus.

The aperture is just one component of the exposure triangle. 

When the aperture is large and lets in a lot of light, the shutter speed can be faster. 

All of these are creative options that the photographer can play with on the R6.

The usual advice is to purchase the lens with the widest aperture that you can afford. 

These are referred to as “fast” lenses because they let in a lot of light and allow you to shoot with faster shutter speeds. But these lenses will also be larger, heavy, and expensive.

Realistically, most photographers will be happy with an f/4.0 lens. This is a nice balance that gives you a lot of creative control while remaining relatively small. If you shoot in low-light often, you might want to upgrade to an f/2.8 zoom or an even faster prime lens.

There are many creative uses for fast lenses, but portrait photographers are often the most appreciative of them. With a subject in sharp focus and isolated from a blurred background, the classic portrait look is achieved by getting a shallow depth of field. 

That’s done with a low f-stop and wide aperture, so these photographers are particular when they go lens shopping.

Prime Versus Zoom Lenses

Lenses come in two principal forms, prime or zooms.

Prime lenses have one focal length, while zooms allow the photographer to select from a range of focal lengths. 

Most photographers are used to being able to zoom in on even the most basic cameras, so why would anyone ever put a prime lens on an R6?

Prime lenses have quite a bit going for them. Their most attractive feature is their image quality. 

Because the designers only have to make it work at one focal length, they can perfect the optics. 

Zoom lenses are always a compromise. They never hold the same level of sharpness through the entire range of their zoom.

For the same reason, prime lenses are usually faster than zooms. The fastest zoom lenses that Canon makes are f/2.8, while the fastest primes they make are f/1.2. There are even some faster primes made by other manufacturers that are f/0.95.

If you compare two lenses with the same basic specs, the prime lens will be smaller, lighter, and less expensive than a zoom lens with the same capabilities. Some primes are built to be simple, small, and cheap.

Building your camera kit

Now you have an idea of some of the factors that go into picking a lens for your R6. But how do you know which lenses will work best for you?

The most significant factor you need to figure out how and where you’re going to want to use the camera and lens combination. 

Many photographers pick different lenses for each different task they need to complete, while others prefer a one size fits all approach. 

It’s a personal decision based on your skill level, budget, and what sort of performance and portability you need out of your R6.

Make a list of your priorities and work out which lenses can help you meet your goals. Do you need something ultra-light and portable? Or do you need the absolute best image quality and fastest aperture?

Canon EOS R6 Specifications & Resources

• Canon USA - R6 Product page
• R6 Review - Digital camera world
• EF Lenses on the R6 : does it work? (Jared Polin video test)

The EOS R6 is a fantastic camera that offers the latest technologies. Mirrorless is the way of the future, and these RF mount lenses prove it with their cutting edge designs. 

What lens are you hoping to see from Canon in the future? Let me know in the comments below.

1 thought on “Top 9 Best RF Lenses for Canon EOS R6”

Rudy, Thanks for this article. I am looking a purchasing the Canon R6 and was wondering the answers to this very question since I have several EF lenses. One of the best explanations I could have found.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

I’m a travel photographer from Paris, France. I blog and publish articles about camera lenses here at lensguide.io.

Hope you find them helpful, don’t hesitate to leave a comment!

The Only Three Lenses You Need for Travel Photography

A Post By: Phillip Van Nostrand

The only three lenses you need for travel photography anywhere   in the world are a fisheye lens, a 50mm, and a 135mm (or similar telephoto).

You can agree and finish this article right here, or you can read on to see exactly why I would choose only these three lenses to take with me anywhere in the world.

• The Three Key Travel Photography Lenses

Before I say anything else, the fisheye I have in mind has an aperture of f/2.8, the 50mm has an aperture of f/1.4, and the 135 has an aperture of f/2.0. Popular, cheaper variations on these lenses would be the 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.8, and the 100mm f/2.8 Macro. I’d also like to address what I imagine a popular response to this article might be: “What about the 24-105mm?” This lens is weak for a couple of reasons. The maximum aperture on this lens is f/4, which ends up being very limiting if you are trying to travel light (and going without an off camera flash).  Also, prime lenses are always superior in quality to zoom lenses. There are less moving parts and the image quality is cleaner. If you think having just one lens to cover a greater range is easier, just remember what you gain in convenience (by having one lens) you lose in quality, weight, and ability to “see” in the dark.

Each of these lenses are used for very specific reasons. Just as we wear different shoes for different purposes throughout our week, such as; sneakers for exercise, dress shoes for work, and slippers around the house – we use different lenses to convey different feelings, emotions, and to use as different tools to capture our experiences. Some lenses really are better than others for certain things. For example, portraits are best taken with lenses between 85mm and 135mm . The distortion to the face/ears is minimized and the truest proportions are found in this range.

On the other hand, you wouldn’t normally reach for a lens like this when shooting a landscape scene (there are always exceptions to every rule, and it’s fun to see what happens when you break the general guidelines). Great lenses for landscapes tend to be a bit wider , somewhere between 15mm and 50mm. I recently took only these three lenses with me on the Trans Siberian Railway from Russia through Mongolia into China. Here are MY reasons for bringing the 15mm Fisheye, 50mm f/1.4, and the Canon 135mm f/2.0 with me on this trip of a lifetime.

• The Canon Fisheye 15mm f/2.8

The Canon 15mm lens is my antidote to boring building pictures. When traveling abroad (or around your own town/city/village), interesting buildings are inevitably photographed. Oh, that old bridge with locks attached to it? Better take a picture. Oh, look at that old cathedral in the Kremlin, better take a picture. If it’s there, it must be important. Well, you can add your photo to 1.5 million other photographs right there on Flickr or Google images that look  exactly like the one you just took.

What will you do to differentiate yourself? How can you take a picture that will make someone pause for more than half a second?  Ad companies are excited when someone spends 4-8 seconds looking at a photo. Can you get someone to look at one photo for that long? What would it take? For me, I decided I would never take boring, straight photos of buildings ever again. I’d either edit them in unusual ways (like creating an HDR image , or process it in very contrasted black and white), at unusual times of day, or I would attempt to photograph it differently than every other tourist before me.

Shooting with a fisheye lens can be really fun, actually. Hold your camera up to your eye with a fisheye lens on, move the camera upwards and watch the horizon bend down sharply at the sides, creating a “globe” feel to your image. Tilt the camera down and watch the earth curve up like a big “U”. Buildings become warped and distorted in unusual ways, like a piece of Gaudi’s architecture . Stand in the middle of the street and point the camera straight upwards and watch the buildings on the side loom over you, like in a Dr. Seuss book.

Fisheye lenses can capture an entire room, cabin of a train, or a bathroom easily. They make selfies on your DSLR incredibly easy. You can take incredible photos of the stars at night. And best of all, they are great for doing the Camera Toss . (I suppose I should recommend NOT trying this ever, anywhere). Fisheye lenses add an element of fun and whimsy to travel photos, which I find otherwise a bit boring and predictable. It’s also an incredibly light and compact lens to travel with, which is why I always bring it along on my trips now.

• The 50mm f/1.4

The 50mm lens is a standard, go-to, all-around lens. And while the Fisheye lens brings a lot of whimsy and fun to my travel pictures, some scenes just don’t call for that. I’ve heard it said that the 50mm is the closest representation to what we see naturally with our eyes. This lens is my best choice of the three options for Canon 50mm lenses. For only about $300, this lens has fantastic optics and a powerful aperture. It’s made of real glass lenses unlike the cheaper, lower quality 50mm f/1.8 . And it focuses fast, unlike the much more expensive 50mm f/1.2 , which happens to be twice as heavy.

This is a great, inconspicuous lens on a camera body because it doesn’t stick out too much like a 70-200mm would, and the quality is just superb, as I’ve already said. It is extremely lightweight, and you could honestly walk around the entire day with just this lens. What I associate most with the 50mm f/1.4 lens is  street photography . I love to take that lens and get lost down side streets and alleyways. I like to take photos of strangers on the street with this lens. The focal length is just right, so it feels as though the viewer is standing there by him or herself. It captures just enough of a scene to convey what is there.

The 50mm f/1.4 is also a great lens for portraits (though I prefer the 135mm f/2.0). It produces lovely bokeh . It forces you to get up close to your subject, making the portrait more intimate. You can’t hide behind a telephoto like the 135mm or a 70-200mm. You are an arm’s distance away, and being that close sometimes shows up on the subject’s face in interesting ways.

The last thing that I think the 50mm f/1.4 does best, is capture images in low light situations. Trying to capture dinner in a restaurant at night using candlelight only? Totally possible. That light reflecting across the river at night? 50mm does it best! Sleeping in yurts for four nights in a row? Getting that delicious yurt light from the top of the tent is easy with the 50mm.

Fun fact: of my top 200 images from the trip, 112 of them were taken with the 50mm.

• The 135mm f/2.0

The granddaddy of all these lenses, the 135mm f/2.0 has a special POW feel to it. Because it is a telephoto, it pulls the background in for a nice compact feel to the images. It is a great portrait lens as it completely obliterates the background in a sea of dreamy bokeh. And one special fact about the Canon 135mm f/2.0: it has the ability to focus at a distance of 1 meter (3 feet), which makes it almost like a macro lens.

This lens is fun for me because it has similar properties to the 70-200mm, but it weighs nearly half as much, which will save your back and shoulders after a long day of walking around. This is a fun lens to spy on people from afar, if you are afraid of the straight-on street style encounters you get with the 50mm. This is actually a really interesting lens to do landscapes with if you have enough room. Look at this side-by-side comparison of basically the two same scenes, and look what the 135mm does to the mountains and landscape in the background. It really pulls them towards you, the viewer and truly implies the scope of the scene.

• The Three Essential Travel Photography Lenses: Conclusion

I hope these images and words have inspired you. It’s really fun to limit yourself to prime lenses and feel how they work (and don’t work) in various situations. Being that close to just a few lenses over a month of travel really allows you to get to know the equipment well. So now let’s see some travel photos you’ve taken with prime lenses!

Table of contents

Travel photography.

• 8 Ideas of What To Do With Your Vacation Photos
• What Skills do You Need to be a Travel Photographer?
• How to Capture the Essence of a Place – Travel Photography Tips
• 7 Tips to Make Travel Photography Interesting Again
• Avoid These 5 Major Mistakes Made By Travel Photographers
• Travel Photography – Do You Ask Permission Before, After Or Not At All?
• Travel Photographers Workflow – At Home and on the Road
• The Photo Critique: Travel Photo Edition
• 6 Reasons Why Your Travel Photos Don’t Look Like the Ones in Magazines
• The Fine Line Between Travel Photography and Having a family Vacation
• 10 Ways to Improve your Vacation Photos
• What is Your Biggest Travel Photography Challenge?
• 7 Travel Photography Hacks to Get You Going Places
• How to Use a Travel Photography Shot List to Come Home with Better Photos
• Why You Need To Be A Guerrilla Travel Photographer – And How To Become One
• How to Get the Most Out of a Travel Photography Location
• Travel Photography, Backpacking and Packing Light
• 6 of the Best Smartphone Apps for Travel and Landscape Photography
• How To Keep Camera Gear Safe While Traveling
• 5 Ways to Find Great Locations for Travel Photography
• 15 Tips for Protecting Your Images While Traveling
• Safety Tips for Travel Photographers (Particularly Women)
• Off Camera Flash for Your Travel Photography
• How to Use Natural Light in Travel Photography
• Photo Composition Tips from Bob Holmes – Composition in Travel Photos
• The Importance of People in your Travel Photos
• Create More Unique Travel Photos by Adding a Model
• 5 Lessons Learned Switching from DSLR to Mirrorless for Travel Photography
• How To Keep Your Batteries Charged While Traveling – Remote Location Edition
• 5 Tips For Travel With Only One Lens
• 5 Lessons Learned While Using a Kit Lens for Travel Photography
• 7 Tips for Using a Tripod in Landscape and Travel Photography
• The Best Fujifilm X-Series Kits for Travel Photography
• The First 10 Things You Need to Buy After Your Camera for Travel Photography
• Tiniest Interchangable Lens Micro Four Thirds Cameras for Travel with Amazing Quality
• Must Have Gear for Travel Photography Newbies
• Why Olympus Mirrorless Cameras are Top Notch for Travel Photography
• The Best Travel Photography Lenses: Our Top 12 Picks
• 5 Camera Bags That Every Travel Photographer Needs At Some Point
• A Travel Tripod that can Also Act as a Light Stand
• The iPad as a Photographer’s Travel Helper [a Review]
• 7 Non-Photography Items Which No Travel Photographer Should Leave Home Without
• 7 Reasons Why a Tripod is a Travel Photographer’s Best Friend
• Travel Photography Equipment – What To Pack?
• 10 Ways to Improve Your Travel Photography Portraits
• How to Plan and Take Killer Sunset Photos on Your Next Vacation
• Tips for Photographing Local Parks
• How to Find the Best Kinds of People to Photograph While Traveling
• 4 Ways To Make Better Street Portraits While Traveling
• How to Photograph People When Traveling
• How To Take More Creative Environmental Travel Portraits
• Photographing Signs – Travel Photography Tip
• Tips for Creating Better Documentary Travel Photos
• 6 Tips for How to be a Culturally Sensitive Travel Photographer
• Travel Photography Subjects: Old People
• How to Put the Fine Art into Travel Photography
• Travel Photography without the Travel – Going Local
• How to Tell Better Visual Stories with Travel Photography
• Create a Theme to Step Up Your Travel Photography
• Travel Photography ~ Think Outside The Postcard When Photographing Famous Landmarks
• Photographing Festivals and Events – Tips for Travel Photographers
• Video: Travel Photography Tips – Shoot with a Purpose
• 7 Reasons Why You Should Art Direct Your Travel Photography
• Buy Less Gear: Travel and Experience More
• Editorial Travel Photography – Telling the Story of a Location
• Travel Photography Subjects: Religion
• Travel Photography Subjects: Views
• Travel Photography Tips – Photographing the Coast
• Taking Photos in Busy Tourist Destinations with no People in the Shot
• How to Backup and Manage Your Photos When Traveling Without a Computer
• Tips for Creating a Killer Vacation Photo Book
• Photo Editing Workflow for Travel Photography
• How to Build a Travel Photography Portfolio
• How to Become a Professional Travel Photographer – Two Paths
• 11 Tips for Shooting Travel Stock Photography to Make Money
• How to Sell a Travel Story to a Magazine and Help Fund Your Travels
• 7 Realities That Hit Once You Become a Professional Travel Photographer
• Is a Career in Travel Photography Right for You?
• Travel Inspiration: Bali
• Canadian Travelogue – Introduction
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: South Africa
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Thailand
• Canadian Travelogue – Newfoundland – Gros Morne National Park
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: India
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Japan
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Kenya
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Morocco
• Travel Photography Inspiration Project: Vietnam
• An Interview With World Traveler Gary Arndt
• Interview: Oded Wagenstein – Author of Snapn Travel Guide and dPS Writer

Read more from our Cameras & Equipment category

built his photography business in Santa Barbara, CA and New York City, where he has shot over 140 weddings, countless head shots, and events for the past 9 years. Currently living in NY, he manages to travel abroad at least once a year and is up to 30 countries traveled. Published in the New York Times, Huffington Post, New York Times Magazine, featured in Santa Barbara Dining and Destinations Magazine, Cretus Mag, and San Diego Style Weddings magazine. You can connect with him on his blog and on instagram.

• Guaranteed for 2 full months
• Pay by PayPal or Credit Card
• Instant Digital Download

• All our best articles for the week
• Fun photographic challenges
• Special offers and discounts

The Best Lenses for the Canon EOS R6 for Video

The Canon EOS R6 ( Amazon ,  B&H ) has a new lens mount, the RF-mount, and this means new native lenses.

In this article, let’s go over the most useful lenses for the Canon EOS R6, specifically for video and cinematography.

[show_if not_contact][canon_r6][/show_if]

What is a “native” lens?

A “native” lens is one specifically designed for the Canon RF-mount system, and which allow the following:

• Full control of autofocus, image stabilization, iris, zoom and focus control.
• Electronic metadata like iris, focal length, distortion, fall-off, focus, etc.
• Continuous auto focus for video.

The biggest advantage of owning native lenses is that it’s designed specifically for the new sensor and camera design. If you want the best autofocus performance, you need RF lenses.

What native lenses are available right now?

As of this writing, these are the lenses available or imminent:

• Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM Lens ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM ( Amazon , B&H )
• Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM ( Amazon , B&H )
• Dynamite: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Best value for money: Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H )
• Canon RF 15–35mm F2.8 L IS USM ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 24–70mm F2.8 L IS USM ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.
• Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM ( Amazon , B&H ) Learn more.

To be honest, I really like Canon’s lens choices here. They are all drool-worthy. If I had to pick one lens I would easily pick the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H ).

There are a couple of glaring omissions though:

• Wide angle primes of all types
• A cheap 50mm f/1.8

Are Canon RF lenses good for video?

It depends on what type of video you’re into. Currently the biggest issue is the limited range available as far as primes are concerned.

There aren’t any super wide options, and some of the primes might be too expensive for many shooters.

The great advantage of RF lenses is that you get dual pixel AF at its best. So, for new users, the two most important questions to ask are:

• Do you really need the best AF for video?
• Do you have existing Canon EF lenses that you would like to continue using?

There are two other ‘advantages’ specific to RF lenses:

First, the manual focus ring can be customizable. For photography, the ring can be set to focus by wire.

RF lenses allow users to change the rotation direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) of the focus ring and control ring to match their preferences. Besides, the focus ring rotational sensitivity during manual focusing can also be customized. By default, it is set to “Varies with rotation speed”. Sensitivity of the focus ring will depend on the speed at which the ring is turned, the focus will change by a greater degree when the ring is turned faster; while slower rotation allows fine focus adjustments. Another option “Linked to rotation degree” is also available in which the focusing distance will be directly proportional to the rotation degree, regardless of the rotation speed. This option can provide the same control characteristic and sensation similar to cinema lenses. Source: Canon

Second, each RF lens has a Control Ring at the front of the lens for customizable aperture, ISO, or other adjustments.

It’s going to be sometime before Canon fills in the gaps in focal lengths, so for now, you’ll have to complement them with third-party lenses.

And the best place to start is with Canon’s own stellar range of EF-mount lenses.

The three EF-EOS R adapters

Canon has released three new EF-EOS R adapters ( Amazon , B&H ) so you can use Canon EF lenses with the Canon EOS R6.

All adapters offer full control over Canon EF lenses:

• All adapters retain Canon in-lens IS (image stabilization), autofocus control, sharpness, color rendition, and contrast. 
• Each is weather sealed to prevent dust and moisture from entering (assuming the lens is also weather sealed) 
• Full compatibility with Canon EF and EF-S lenses as well as most 3rd party lenses. Sigma offers full compatibility; Tamron limited compatibility but growing .

Here’s the list of adapters:

Which is the best EF-EOS R adapter for video?

This is tricky, because it depends on what your needs are. And for video, there are hidden costs you should be aware of.

Let’s start with drop-in filters.

The hidden costs of drop-in filters

I would not pick the circular polarizer (though it is useful sometimes) because for video work the subject is always moving, and you’ll only be able to get the benefit of the polarizer at a particular angle in relation to the sun.

With the drop-in filter adapter, if you don’t want to use a variable ND, you don’t have to, but it’s a great option to have in your kit if and when the need arises. You get from 1.5 to 9 stops, which is an amazing range.

Can you use the drop-in filter without the variable ND filter? No, you can’t. You’ll leave a large gaping hole in your filter. You need to purchase the Drop-In Clear Filter A ( Amazon , B&H ), and that is an additional expense.

It’s basically about the money. Total expense for a drop-in filter:

What is the cost of a high quality Variable ND filter? A 77mm B+W XS-Pro Digital ND Vario MRC-Nano Filter costs about $250 at the time of this writing. You can buy cheap step down adapters for other filter sizes.

But here’s the thing: You only get 1-5 stops. The higher range you need, typically the more expensive it gets. If you buy cheaper filters there’s the serious risk of color shifts and IR pollution, not to mention other variable ND filter artifacts. Read more in my guide to lens filters .

So seriously, even though it seems expensive, the Drop-in filter adapter is a great deal. No need to deal with step-down rings, and no need to worry about wasting time changing it in the field.

The hidden cost of the control ring adapter

Next we have the control ring adapter. There’s an important feature you need to know about video.

Control Ring clicks are audible and can be picked up when recording video. Canon offers a Control Ring Modification Service to make the rings adjust silently for an additional fee:

The control ring on RF lenses and the Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R includes a “clicking” action when used. While this can be helpful to confirm changing settings, it can also impede video recordings as the “clicking” sound may be captured as audio. EOS R series camera owners can choose to have this function removed, and even re-applied if needed later on, with Canon’s control ring modification service.*  RF Lenses $79.99 Control Ring Mount Adapter EF-EOS R $59.99 Tax and freight fee are NOT included. * All pricing is subject to change. Canon

This is a good option if you ride the aperture often. But in my opinion, the combination of EF lenses in cinema use is rare. Most times you don’t need to change the aperture or ISO, so you really don’t need the control ring adapter.

It’s only useful in run and gun situations, where you are using the camera in a handheld situation with one hand on the lens to ride the aperture or ISO. I would seriously consider investing in RF lenses for this feature, and not really consider it for EF lenses – specifically for video work.

The EOS R6 is a smaller camera than say, the 5D Mark IV, so an EF lens with an adapter will be front-heavy. This kind of operation is not going to be easy.

If you need a de-clicked lens, you can get a cine-mod service done, or better yet, just use cine lenses .

And then there’s the risk of moving the control ring by mistake during operation. This is rare, but the issue is, unlike a aperture ring or focus ring on a cine lens, when you shift this, there’s no visual aid to tell you it has shifted.

Which leaves us with two options:

What are the best lenses for the Canon EOS R6 for Video?

Prime lenses.

Why prime lenses?

The single greatest advantage prime lenses have in general is they can open wider than zooms. You can go down to f/0.95 if you wanted to!

This makes it a great option for low light cinematography. And there’s really no excuse for not having at least one prime because they also tend to be cheap without sacrificing quality. Another advantage of prime lenses is they are usually lighter than zoom lenses (comparing the same price range).

The third advantage of prime lenses are they have lower breathing, while the zoom lenses (photo) breathe and are not parfocal .

Please note, these are for 8K and 4K for the full frame sensor:

Best image quality for 8K

• Super wide angle: Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM Lens + Adapter ( Amazon , B&H )
• Wide angle: Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens + Adapter ( Amazon , B&H )
• Normal: Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H )
• Telephoto: Canon RF 85mm f/1.2L USM Lens ( Amazon ,  B&H )
• Super telephoto: Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM Lens + Adapter ( Amazon , B&H )

Low budget, value for money

• Wide angle: Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM Lens ( Amazon , B&H )
• Normal: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens + Adapter ( Amazon , B&H )
• Telephoto: Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM ( Amazon ,  B&H )

What we really need is a cheap 50mm f/1.8!

Zoom lenses

Please note, these are for the full frame sensor:

• Widest: Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H ) with adapter
• Mid-range: Canon RF 15–35mm F2.8 L IS USM ( Amazon ,  B&H )
• If you need IBIS: Canon RF 24–70mm F2.8 L IS USM ( Amazon ,  B&H )
• If you don’t need IBIS: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H )
• Telephoto: Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM ( Amazon ,  B&H )
• Great all-round low-budget option: Canon RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens ( Amazon , B&H )

There might a desire to opt for the cheaper Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM ( Amazon ,  B&H ) but I highly advise against it. The f/7.1 at the far end is basically useless for any kind of professional work. You’re better of buying a Canon 24-70mm f/4 IS USM ( Amazon , B&H ) with adapter.

Canon has launched two new extenders for the RF mount:

• Canon Extender RF 1.4x ( Amazon , B&H )
• Canon Extender RF 2x ( Amazon , B&H )

I recommend the 1.4x for the extra reach. The 2x is really a compromise.

Adapters and third-party lenses

How do you know if a lens can be used or not? First, you need to know what the flange focal distance is.

Here’s information on each mount, in increasing order of the focal flange distance:

Third-party lenses come in their own lens mounts. So you need some sort of adapter that comes between the lens and the camera. This adapter does three things:

• It connects two mounts that naturally don’t fit together, and
• It makes up for the flange focal distance.
• Optional: Provides contacts that allow you to control aperture, zoom, focus, etc., from the camera itself, like the EF-EOS R adapter ( Amazon , B&H ).

There’s no glass in the adapter, no lens or optics. It’s just hollow inside.

The Canon RF mount has a flange focal distance of 20mm, so any lens that has a higher flange focal distance than this in the above table can be adapted. This is why you can adapt EF lenses, because the Canon EF mount has a flange focal distance of 44mm.

You can also adapt older Canon FD lenses, Leica M lenses, PL-mount lenses and of course Nikon F-mount lenses and others. I’m pretty sure there are all kinds of adapters for every lens combination.

[recnative1]

All this makes it really hard to give a recommendation because people pick lenses for a multitude of reasons. Personal taste and aesthetics factor big time in any decision.

However, it is hard to argue against this next list in terms of performance and value for money. The package is unbeatable in my opinion.

The best third-party lenses for the Canon EOS R6 for video

What do I prefer? I like Leica R primes, but they are hard to find or recommend for everybody, and the price is high. You need to find a good copy, and maintenance is a problem as well. This applies to most older or esoteric lenses. If I’m recommending a lens, it should be available to purchase for most people worldwide, must be serviceable, and must offer tremendous value for money without sacrificing quality.

Right now, only one series meets all of these requirements: The Sigma Art series with a Canon EF mount (or RF mount if it becomes available):

• Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 24 f/1.4 Art ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 135mm f/1.8 Art ( Amazon , B&H )

For super-telephoto, nothing beats Canon’s own line.

The other option you might want to look at is Zeiss Milvus in the Nikon mount . Even though these are stellar lenses, on the whole they offer similar image quality to the Sigma line, but at higher prices.

When should you pick prime lenses with manual focus?

When you can and want to control the focus, that’s when.

Professionals use follow focus systems, but even if that’s overkill for you, you need to ensure the focus ring on the lens is solid, smooth and reliable enough to consistently nail focus. The Canon EOS R6 ( Amazon ,  B&H ) has focus peaking as well as a zoom-in feature, so you can nail focus by looking at the back LCD.

Recommended cine prime lenses for the Canon EOS R6

There are really great full frame lenses, like the Arri Signature Primes or the Leica Thalia , but these are rental items, hardly available for purchase for us “regular folk”.

More practically, you could either go with Zeiss CP.3 primes or better yet, with Sigma Cine lenses in the PL mount. I prefer the latter, the range is just too much value for money, and it goes up to T1.5!

• Sigma 14mm T2 ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 24mm T1.5 (or 20mm, 28mm) ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 35mm T1.5 ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 50mm T1.5 ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 85mm T1.5 ( Amazon , B&H )
• Sigma 135mm T2 ( Amazon , B&H )

I would use these with a PL to Canon RF adapter ( Amazon , B&H ).

There are many other lenses that cover full frame. For more names, check out my comparison of cine primes for full frame .

Recommended cine zoom lenses for the Canon EOS R6

This is more tricky. Full frame zoom lenses are hard to find. Right now, these are the only options:

• Zeiss CZ.2 zooms
• Angenieux EZ series
• Tokina zooms

To be honest, these are not lenses a Canon EOS R6 owner is likely to purchase, as they are way too expensive. Unless of course, you are using the EOS R6 as a B-cam with a C300 Mark II or C700,etc. For this reason, if you need zoom lenses, it might be better to just purchase Canon zoom lenses as listed above, or get them cine-modified by Duclos Lenses if you have the budget. I’m not a big fan of re-housing; waste of money, if you ask me. Just get them de-clicked with focus gears.

That’s it for my list! If you have any suggestions or recommendations for the Canon EOS R6 ( Amazon ,  B&H ) please let me know in the comments below.

Related Posts:

• Important Quirks and Features of the Canon EOS R6 for Filmmakers
• 5 Must-have Video Accessories for the Canon EOS R6
• Understanding Overheating in the Canon EOS R6

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

• Canon Community
• Desktop Inkjet Printers
• Printer Software & Networking
• Office Printers
• Professional Photo Printers
• Mobile & Compact Printers
• Production Printing
• EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras
• Point & Shoot Digital Cameras
• EF & RF Lenses
• Camera Software
• Speedlite Flashes
• Camera Accessories
• EOS Webcam Utility Pro - Discussions
• Professional Video
• Video Accessories
• General Discussion
• Community Events
• Featured Photo Galleries
• Share Your Photos
• Learn With Canon
• Welcome To The Community
• Getting Started & Guidelines
• Discussions & Help
• EF & RF Lenses
• Blurry or shaky images with EF 70-200 2.8 IS II on...
• Subscribe to RSS Feed
• Mark Topic as New
• Mark Topic as Read
• Float this Topic for Current User
• Printer Friendly Page

Blurry or shaky images with EF 70-200 2.8 IS II on EOS R6

• Mark as New
• Report Inappropriate Content
• All forum topics
• Previous Topic

‎08-18-2024 03:23 PM

‎08-18-2024 04:06 PM

‎08-18-2024 05:08 PM

‎08-19-2024 12:16 AM - edited ‎08-19-2024 12:17 AM

‎08-18-2024 10:42 PM

‎08-19-2024 02:35 AM - edited ‎08-19-2024 02:42 AM

‎08-19-2024 12:22 PM

07/01/2024: New firmware updates are available.

CR-N700 - Version 1.4.0

CR-N500 - Version 1.5.0

CR-N300 - Version 1.5.0

CR-N100 - Version 1.1.0

CR-X300 - Version 1.3.0

RC-IP1000 - Version 1.1.0

06/06/2024: New firmware updates are available.

EOS R6 Mark II - Version 1.4.0

EOS R7 - Version 1.5.0

EOS R8 - Version 1.3.0

EOS R10 - Version 1.5.0

EOS R50 - Version 1.2.0

Speedlite EL-5 - Version 1.1.0

Speedlite Transmitter ST-E10 - Version 1.1.0

04/16/2024: New firmware updates are available.

RF100-300mm F2.8 L IS USM - Version 1.0.6

RF400mm F2.8 L IS USM - Version 1.0.6

RF600mm F4 L IS USM - Version 1.0.6

RF800mm F5.6 L IS USM - Version 1.0.4

RF1200mm F8 L IS USM - Version 1.0.4

03/26/2024: New firmware updates are available.

EOS R3 - Version 1.7.1

EOS R5 - Version 2.0.0

EOS R6 - Version 1.8.4

EOS 1DX Mark III - Version 1.9.0

WFT-R10 - Version 1.3.1

• Best lens options for night time sports photography?? Please help!! in EF & RF Lenses 08-19-2024
• powershot elph 360 hs photos blurry in Point & Shoot Digital Cameras 06-15-2024
• Fuzzy images with Canon R7 & RF 100-400mm in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras 05-30-2024
• Blurry images with Canon M50m2 mirrorless in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras 05-04-2024

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Statement

Canon U.S.A Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited.