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Here are the 8 best lenses for the Canon EOS Rebel T5i, also known as the 700D in Europe and KISS X7i in Asia. A variety of focal lengths for different types of photography are mentioned. In addition to the recommended lenses, each choice will have more options for lower or higher price ranges.
There are enough options available that every photographer should be able to discover something they'd want in their camera bag. Bear in mind that the suggested lenses are the same for other Canon EOS Rebel cameras.
Here is the short list of the best Canon Rebel T5i lenses:
Best All-Around Zoom: Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Best Telephoto Zoom: Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS
Best Prime Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Best Lens for Video: Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM
Best Lens for Portraits: Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM
Best Lens for Sports & Wildlife: Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2
Best Lens for Landscapes: Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM
Best Lens for Macro: Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Best Canon Rebel T5i All-Around Zooms
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM: The lens was built for APS-C sensors which can use the EF-S mount and has the construction quality you would expect from Canon's L-series. It is a big step up from the standard zoom lens bundled with the EOS Rebel T5i.
A shallow depth of field with a spectacular background blur is obtainable through the entire zoom range because of the constant large maximum aperture. Camera shake is countered thanks to the built-in image stabilization.
If you wanted to reduce all of the Canon lenses offered to a single one to use on your camera, this is going to be the best option.
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Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD: Thanks to built-in image stabilization, tack sharp images can be captured at shutter speeds up to 4 stops slower than if there was no stabilization. With the large aperture and great zoom range, the lens would work for everything from landscapes to portraits.
Judging by the excellent customer reviews, people love this lens. It could end up permanently mounted to your camera.
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Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM: This has an equivalent zoom range in full-frame of 24-136mm, which makes it an excellent pick to keep on your camera for everyday use.
The 15-85mm is also one of the ideal travel lens choices for the T5i. When purchased used, it is even a good budget lens option. Whatever you decide to shoot with the lens, your shots will come out sharp and looking great.
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Best Canon T5i Telephoto Zooms
Sigma 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS: This is just like having two zoom lenses packaged together. Having a 16.6x zoom ratio means all focal lengths from telephoto to wide angle are covered. Built with 17 elements in 13 groups, four of which are FLD and 1 SLD element, results in a lens that is able to take high-quality, sharp crisp photographs, without having to be concerned with aberrations.
The large zoom range does come at the cost of it being heavy and large. There are many choices that will be better to dedicate a day lugging around in combination with the Canon EOS Rebel T5i.
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Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS: This serves as a lightweight and small lens that still has a large zoom range. With Four stops of image stabilization, it really is a solution that offers superb overall performance at an economical cost. This will be the one to get to avoid excessive weight and size.
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Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III: Smaller sized and lighter weight than the other lenses above, which is often an advantage if you would prefer not to transport a heavy kit. The focal length is equal to 120-480mm on all EOS Rebel cameras as they contain Canon APS-C sensors.
It's more low-priced, because it doesn't have image stabilization. This is one of the lenses that is best used outdoors with ample amounts of sunlight.
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Best Canon EF Primes
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM: This is one of the top lenses built by Canon as it provides outstanding picture quality, but still comes in a small and lightweight package. The fast f/1.8 aperture makes this timeless focal length an excellent choice for shooting in low light. The lens has a place in any camera kit and is a must-have for pretty much all photographers.
Steer clear of the earlier version because the focusing motor is loud and laggy. If you attempt to save a bit of money, you will possibly not be fond of the result. This is doubly true if you are going to use the camera for video.
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Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM: The smallest and thinnest lens engineered for the Canon EF-S mount. This wide angle is called a "pancake" because of the minimal size, making it an ideal choice for travel photography. The smallest focusing distance photos can be captured at is 16cm (6").
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Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM: A good creation displaying what modern optical engineering is able to produce. Shot wide open, photos are sharp, from corner to corner. The hyper-sonic motor (HSM) allows accurate, fast, and quiet autofocus.
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Best Canon EOS Lenses for Video & Vlogging
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM: Out of all the lenses for Canon, this is the best option for shooting video. Having the ultra-wide-angle zoom range is excellent for vlogging and creating videos. A stepping motor (STM) supplies smooth and precise autofocus that doesn't create any sound which can negatively impact audio recording. It is also light and compact enough to not feel out of place when on the Canon EOS Rebel T5i.
You can also purchase it bundled with the Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM in the portrait and travel lens kit. The bundle is an ideal choice if you want to get two of Canon's best lenses, while at the same time saving a bit of money.
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Tokina AT-X 116 PRO DX-II 11-16mm f/2.8: It is simple and easy to quickly switch from auto focus to manual focus without removing your hand from the focus ring due to the one-touch focus clutch. With a fast constant f/2.8 aperture this lens is an excellent way to do astrophotography.
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Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM ELD SLD: Another wide angle zoom that is jam-packed with optical engineering. An internal focusing system allows the use of a petal-type hood which generally can do a significantly better job of preventing glare than a standard hood.
A hyper sonic motor (HSM) allows for silent operation. The fixed aperture through the zoom range is great for photographers that want to shoot in aperture priority or shutter priority mode and have all the images use the same settings.
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Best EOS Rebel Portrait Photography Lenses
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM: One of, if not, the most in-demand lens for portraits built by Canon. The large f/1.8 aperture is suitable for photography in low light and can be used to create a shallow depth of field, with beautiful bokeh, to isolate the subject of the photo. This is an important lens for wedding photographers.
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Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art DG HSM: A real professional quality lens that is well suited for portrait photography as well as landscape, street, and studio work. There is minimal distortion or vignetting and it is razor sharp from corner to corner, even when shot wide open.
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Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM: Close to the Canon 85mm f/1.8, but offers a marginally longer focal length. Like the other two lenses, it is very good for low-light photography in a streamlined package that's easy to use.
This lens is not currently being manufactured, so obtaining a copy might be hard. You can still find plenty of used copies available. Make sure to check a variety of sites to obtain the lowest price.
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Best Canon Sports & Wildlife Autofocus Lenses
Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD G2: The G2 is the 2nd generation of the lens and represents a great advancement from Tamron. Image quality level has improved across the whole zoom range and also still having an outstanding build quality.
A truly accurate and fast autofocus system is powered by an ultrasonic silent drive motor. With this zoom lens mounted on your T5i, you'll have no trouble shooting awesome action or wildlife pictures.
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Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM: The Sigma provides a lightweight and compact construction considering it is a hyper-telephoto lens. Additionally, the hyper sonic motor and optical stabilization, it has a built-in accelerometer that helps to improve photos when panning. As an additional benefit, there is quite often a promotional deal that includes additional accessories including free shipping when you buy the lens. That's nice since free camera gear is difficult to refuse.
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Canon EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS II USM: Without a doubt, the lens has superior picture quality than the others as it is targeted towards professional photographers. Having said that, performance goes along with a substantial cost that dwarfs that of the camera.
One of many notable features of this lens is a rotation-type zoom ring with configurable torque adjustments making it possible to customize the lens to your personal taste.
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Best Canon Wide Angle Lenses
Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM: This this lens is a wide angle that is surprisingly still compact and lightweight, weighing only 14.3oz (405g). Even when set to AF there's a full-time manual focus override, which makes it less difficult to nail focus. If you plan on taking the Rebel T5i with you on hikes, this is an excellent selection as it will fit into just about every camera bag.
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Samyang 14mm f/2.8 IF ED UMC: Here is a lower cost ultra-wide lens with a built-in petal-type hood. An outstanding choice for not just purely landscape photography but also for real estate and astrophotography. The closest focusing distance is 10.8 inches (14 cm), but that will produce noticeable distortion.
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Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art: With a truly professional build quality, the 20mm is the widest lens Sigma sells in the Art series. Using 11 groups having 15 elements with a 5 Special Low Dispersion and a Low Dispersion element, field curvature, axial chromatic aberration, and spherical aberration are almost non-existent.
It is a noticeably heavy and large piece of glass. Do not count on it being well balanced when on the camera.
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Best Canon T5i Lenses for Macro
Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM: A real macro lens, able to achieve 1x magnification and the first to be specifically designed by Canon for the EF-S mount. The front element does not rotate when focusing, as the lens was designed with an internal focusing system. You are going to enjoy the tack sharp photographs made by this lens. It is an excellent option to use with the EOS Rebel T5i because of the compact size and value is difficult to match.
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Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM: A professional L-series lens with optical stabilization and internal focusing. It is a great choice to take out into the field as it is weather sealed. Purchase this lens and you will not need to go looking for another solution.
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Tamron AF 90mm f/2.8 Di SP A/M 1:1 Macro: With a recessed front element and an excellent working distance, you'll likely never want to use the hood. However, it doesn't have an internal focusing system, so the lens will extend when closely focusing on a subject.
Yet another potential limitation if you would like to use it as a portrait lens with your T5i is that there's no integrated stabilization. However, if you use a flash that won't be a concern.
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Canon Lens Barrel Abbreviations
USM
USM stands for Ultra Sonic Motor. That is Canon's name for a ring ultrasonic motor used in EOS lenses.
These motors focus quickly and make less noise than cheaper auto focus motors.
STM
STM stands for STepper Motor. This auto focus motor design was aimed at eliminating noise during video recording.
EF
EF stands for Electronic Focus. Canon lenses designed for the EOS system that are marked EF are electronically focused, even in the lens has a switch for manual focusing.
The best lenses will have this feature because it simplifies the lens design while also making lenses more durable and resistant to dust and moisture.
EF-S Camera Lenses
Canon lenses that are marked as being EF-S lenses are only usable on Canon cameras with APS-C sensors, like the one in the Canon Rebel T5i.
Sigma DG HSM
DG indicates that a lens has been made by Sigma for a full frame camera. Cameras with APS-C sensors can still use the lens.
HSM stands for High Speed Motor. The design and operation is similar to the Canon USM or Nikon SWM motors.
Related Canon Lens Posts
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