This is a guide covering the best lenses for Canon EOS R5.
The Canon EOS R5 is a fantastic camera for both professionals and amateurs. You can photograph portraits, sports, landscapes, etc. with this camera because it is very versatile.
Being such a great camera, there are also many great lens choices.
The Canon EOS R5 is a stand-out camera not only for those who love to shoot photographs but even for those who do video content for a living.
This is a full-frame, mirrorless camera that can do well in various situations whether you are shooting sports photography, portraits, or landscapes.
It comes with a 45MP sensor, not to mention the ability to shoot videos in 8k.
But to maximize the EOS R5, you will need to have the right lens. Selecting the best lens for Canon EOS R5 can get tricky since photographers have different needs and requirements. If you decide to choose a lens outside this list, make sure it has a Canon RF lens mount system which is specifically designed for the Canon EOS R series of mirrorless cameras.
We’ve come up with seven of the most stand-out lenses that all have the potential to be called the best lens for Canon R5.
In a hurry? Here’s the quick overview:
- ⭐ Best Overall Lens for the Canon EOS R5
- 👩 Best Portrait Photography Lenses for the Canon EOS R5
- 🌹 Best Macro Photography Lenses for the Canon EOS R5
- ⛰️ Best Landscape Photography Lenses for the Canon EOS R5
- ⚾ Best Sports & Wildlife Photography Lenses for the Canon EOS R5
- 💸 Best Budget Lens for the Canon EOS R5
How to Choose the Best Lens for the Canon EOS R5?
Aperture: Look for a lens with a wide aperture (low f-stop number) such as f/1.8 or f/2.8. This will allow for a shallow depth of field and a nice bokeh effect, which is desirable in many photography scenarios.
Focal length: Consider the types of photography you will be doing and choose a lens with an appropriate focal length. For example, a wide-angle lens like a 14mm is great for landscape and architecture photography, while a telephoto lens like a 70-200mm is great for sports, action and wildlife photography.
Image stabilization: The Canon EOS R5 has built-in image stabilization, but you may want to consider a lens with image stabilization technology for added stability when shooting in low light or at long focal lengths.
Compatibility: Make sure the lens is compatible with the Canon EOS R5 camera.
Budget: Consider your budget and choose a lens that fits within it.
Table of Contents
7 Best Lenses for Canon EOS R5
1. Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM
Specifications:
- Lens type: Prime lens
- Maximum aperture: F1.2
- Minimum aperture: F16
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 50mm
- Image stabilization: No
- Lens mount: Canon RF
- Weight: 950g (2.09 lb)
- Diameter: 90mm (3.54″)
- Length: 108mm (4.25″)
- Sealing: Yes
My Pros With This Lens:
- Fantastic image quality
- The construction feels very solid
- Has weather sealing
My Cons With This Lens:
- Feels a bit heavy in the hand
- With is had image stabilization
The Canon EOS R5, just like any other camera can do wonders when you use the nifty fifty lens.
And with many good 50mm lenses in the market today, I find the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens to be the best of the bunch.
What makes it a good option is the fact that it is highly versatile. You can have it for shooting landscapes, shooting portraits, or even for shooting macro photography.
Is it the best lens for Canon EOS R5? In case you can only bring one lens, this is the lens that we’d highly recommend.
This lens can make the most of your shots when shooting portraits. It provides users the sharpness that they are looking for plus it does well in both indoor and outdoor situations.
It also delivers beautiful bokeh in case you need to blur the background and just focus on your subject.
The STM motor allows the photographer to track the subject with ease with its fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus.
So what’s not to like? If you’re using this lens for shooting videos, then you might want to use either a gimbal or a tripod.
It doesn’t have image stabilization which can be a deal-breaker especially if you are getting a high-end prime lens.
But all things considered, it’s something that professional photographers would want to have in their bag.
2. Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM
Specifications:
- Lens type: Prime lens
- Maximum aperture: F1.8
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 50mm
- Image stabilization: No
- Lens mount: Canon RF
- Weight: 160g (0.35 lb)
- Diameter: 69mm (2.72″)
- Length: 41mm (1.61″)
- Sealing: No
My Pros With This Lens:
- This lens feels small and lightweight
- Very sharp image quality
My Cons With This Lens:
- The autofocus makes a bit of noise
Let’s say you don’t want to invest much but you are still looking for an all-around good 50mm lens. That’s where the Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM lens comes in handy.
This lens offers what a prime 50mm does best.
It’s a good lens for sightseeing tourists, nature lovers who want to capture beautiful landscapes, or portrait artists who love shooting photos of interesting people.
Not only casual users consider this lens as the best lens for Canon EOS R5.
Some professional photographers prefer using this lens mainly for shooting in low-light situations, portraits, and landscapes.
By design, it is compact and lightweight making it easy to carry around, especially if you are doing street photography.
It produces magnificently sharp photos, even allowing you to have a minimum focus of 0.98ft perfect for doing macro photography.
It has an impressive depth of field in case you want to blur the rest of the background and just focus on the subject in front.
As for those who are going to use this lens for creating their video content, you can also never go wrong with this pick.
Its quiet and continuous AF is perfect for video recording.
It comes with a stepping motor that is popular for its near-quiet performance. However, some find the focus to be a bit too slow.
3. Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 IS Macro STM
Specifications:
- Lens type: Prime lens
- Maximum aperture: F1.8
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 35mm
- Image stabilization: Yes
- Lens mount: Canon RF
- Weight: 305g (0.67 lb)
- Diameter: 74mm (2.91″)
- Length: 63mm (2.48″)
- Sealing: No
My Pros With This Lens:
- Lens feels light in the hands
- Sharp image quality
- The autofocus performance is great
My Cons With This Lens:
- Noticed minor chromatic aberration at times
The Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 35mm F1.4G lens is one of the best Nikon lenses for landscape photography and more. However, it stands out as a lens in different ways.
If you think that 50mm is getting boring for shooting portraits, this lens can also get the job done.
Because of this, the Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 35mm F1.4G lens is considered by some as the best Nikon lens for landscape and travel photography.
It can bring superb results with vibrant colors and sharp images.
It has a nanocrystal coat and aspherical lens element that can eliminate ghosting flare.
And on top of that, you can enjoy a quiet autofocus performance.
It is almost near perfect if not for its slow AF.
4. Canon RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM
Specifications:
- Lens type: Zoom lens
- Maximum aperture: F4
- Minimum aperture: F32
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 70–200mm
- Image stabilization: Yes
- Lens mount: Canon RF
- Weight: 695g (1.53 lb)
- Diameter: 84mm (3.31″)
- Length: 119mm (4.69″)
- Materials: Magnesium alloy
- Sealing: Yes
My Pros With This Lens:
- Fast, and accurate AF
- Image stabilization
- Love the bokeh/background blur
My Cons With This Lens:
- This lens is not compatible with teleconverters
For a lot of people who are using their EOS R5 for sports photography and nature photography, the Canon RF70-200mm F4L IS USM lens comes as a perfect match for your needs.
It’s the epitome of the best lens for Canon EOS R5 if you are after shooting subjects from a distance.
What makes it unique among other 70-200mm lenses from Canon is the fact that it’s the shortest and lightest version of the zoom lens within its zoom range.
It brings high-quality shots to the table plus it comes with an optical image stabilizer that offers up to 5 stops of shake correction.
Combined with a camera that has an in-body image stabilizer, you can potentially get up to 7.5 stops of shake correction.
It’s the perfect lens for shooting moving subjects.
It’s a high-speed lens with a quiet and reliable autofocus function.
The only thing that you might not like about this lens is that it doesn’t work well in low-light situations.
With an aperture that is limited to just F4, you want to ensure that you are shooting in a well-lit environment.
5. Canon RF24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM
Specifications:
- Lens type: Zoom lens
- Maximum aperture: F4-7.1
- Minimum aperture: F40
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 24–105mm
- Image stabilization: Yes
- Lens mount: Canon RF
- Weight: 395g (0.87 lb)
- Diameter: 77mm (3.03″)
- Length: 89mm (3.5″)
- Sealing: No
My Pros With This Lens:
- Feels very lightweight and compact
- The autofocus is quiet
- Image stabilization
My Cons With This Lens:
- Has no dust or splash resistance
If you’re after an all-around lens that is wide enough to shoot group photos and landscapes and still allow you to get close-up shots without being invasive with your subject, then the Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM lens is the right match for your needs.
It’s an all-in-one lens that can help bring down the weight you carry around in your camera bag.
It’s not surprising why a lot of people on vacation tend to rely on this lens since it is lightweight.
On top of that, it also comes in handy if you are looking to shoot in a studio setting.
This lens is a favorite not only by photographers but by people who need to shoot videos for vlogs and their YouTube channels.
The Canon RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM lens offers image stabilization that comes with a 5-stop shake correction.
It means that you can enjoy this lens even if you are not carrying a gimbal or a tripod.
Though it is easily a contender for the best lens for Canon EOS R5, it tends to underperform indoors or in low-light situations.
It also doesn’t produce bokeh in case you are shooting portraits.
But still, it’s a great lens for many applications.
6. Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM
Specifications:
- Lens type: Zoom lens
- Maximum aperture: F2.8
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 70–200mm
- Image stabilization: Yes
- Lens mount: Canon RF
- Weight: 1070g (2.36 lb)
- Diameter: 90mm (3.54″)
- Length: 146mm (5.75″)
- Sealing: Yes
My Pros With This Lens:
- Has image stabilization
- Great image quality
My Cons With This Lens:
- Feels pretty big and heavy
Some photographers struggle using their 70-200mm lens outdoors, especially during cloudy situations or when it’s no longer daytime.
The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens makes a good alternative for shooting long-range shots in low-light scenarios.
It offers sharp results, a great range for different types of photography plus an image stabilization feature that makes the lens easy to use.
The Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens is an exceptional lens for sports, weddings, nature, and portrait photography.
Its wide aperture can create beautiful bokeh allowing the photographer to make the subject stand out with ease.
It is also compact by design compared to the other 70-200mm F2.8 lenses. It’s just around 2.36 pounds at approximately 5.75 inches making it handy during long photoshoot sessions.
Aside from shooting portraits, it also has a 0.7m minimum focusing distance allowing you to use the lens throughout its zoom range.
The chromatic aberrations are also minimized in this lens thanks to its 2 aspherical elements, 1 super UD and 1 UD lens.
This is a near-perfect lens. The only thing that you might notice is the filter size is a bit different. It would’ve been nice if Canon made their filter for F2.8 lenses standard at 82mm.
7. Rokinon AF 14mm F2.8 Wide Angle Auto Focus
Specifications:
- Lens type: Prime lens
- Maximum aperture: F2.8
- Minimum aperture: F22
- Max Format size: 35mm FF
- Focal length: 14mm
- Image stabilization: No
- Lens mount: Canon RF
- Weight: 484g (1.07 lb)
- Diameter: 86mm (3.39″)
- Length: 95mm (3.74″)
- Sealing: Yes
My Pros With This Lens:
- Accurate autofocus
- Weather sealed lens
- Clear, sharp images
My Cons With This Lens:
- The focus was a bit inconsistent at times
Let’s not forget that there are third-party lenses with a Canon RF mount.
And when it comes to the best lens for Canon EOS R5, you might want to consider the Rokinon AF 14mm F2.8 wide-angle lens.
This is a wide-angle lens that comes with a wide aperture.
It’s the right combination of a landscape lens that can do well not only in well-lighted environments but even in low-light scenarios.
It also offers superb sharpness to the table making it a favorite not only by hobbyists but even by professional photographers.
It has a 114-degree angle of view when used on the EOS R5.
As for its construction, it is made of aluminum alloy material and weather-sealed perfect for outdoor or indoor performance.
But just like your typical ultra-wide-angle lens, there is the issue of seeing a vignette in your photos.
If you’re planning to use this camera in creating video content, you’ll have no choice but to use a gimbal due to the lack of an image stabilization feature.
FAQ
What Lens Mount is the Canon EOS R5?
The Canon EOS R5 is a mirrorless camera that uses the Canon RF lens mount.
Who is the Canon EOS R5 For?
The Canon EOS R5 is a full-frame mirrorless camera that is aimed at professional photographers and advanced enthusiasts. It is a versatile camera that can be used for a wide range of photography scenarios.
Before you even use the Canon EOS R5, it is important to make a list of lenses that you are going to use.
The good news is that you will never run out of options whether you are looking for a portrait lens or a lens for macro photography.
If you’re looking for the best lens for Canon EOS R5, it is important to compare your options. Some users prefer lenses that have image stabilization while others are particular about sharpness.
Regardless if you’re a professional or a hobbyist, these seven options can give you the right lens for your needs.
Check out Canon EOS R5 Review.
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Nate Torres is a portrait photographer based in Southern California. Outside of photography, Nate specializes in SEO, content marketing, and entrepreneurship. He is also the founder of Imaginated.com, a platform for creator education.
