Best Telephoto Lenses for Canon DSLR Cameras. Looking for recommended telephoto lenses for Canon DSLR cameras? Here are the top rated telephoto lenses for Canon DSLRs.
You know, a telephoto lens is a lens whose focal length is longer than the focal length of a standard lens. Today, we’ll concentrate on telephoto prime lenses (including super telephoto prime lenses) and telephoto zoom lenses to find out the best telephoto lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLR Cameras and APS-C DSLR Cameras.
Below are the best telephoto lenses for Canon DSLRs. All the lists are based on the test results from DxOMark. You can choose the one you need.
Best Telephoto Lenses for Canon DSLR Cameras
Telephoto Prime Lenses for Full Frame DSLRs | Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Full Frame DSLRs | Telephoto Prime Lenses for APS-C DSLRs | Telephoto Zoom Lenses for APS-C DSLRs
Best Telephoto Prime Lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 5D Mark III, 6D Mark II, 1D X Mark II
Zeiss 135mm f/2.0 APO-Sonnar T ZE Lens and Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Lens are the best performing telephoto prime lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs, but both of them are very expensive. Of course you can buy one if you can afford it. Considering the price and the performing, Sigma 85mm f/1.4 and EF 100mm f/2 USM lenses are really great lenses. And Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM is a great super telephoto prime lens for Canon full frame DSLRs. See the best telephoto prime lenses for Canon full frame DSLRs below and choose the one you need.
| Lens | Price | DxOMark | Buy Now |
| Zeiss 135mm f/2 Apo Sonnar T* ZE | $2,122 | 38 | Amazon |
| Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 APO Planar T* | $4,499 | 38 | Amazon |
| Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM | $894 | 35 | Amazon |
| EF 100mm f/2 USM | $425 | 33 | Amazon |
| Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE | $1,843 | 32 | Amazon |
| EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM | $1,799 | 31 | Amazon |
| Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF | $299 | 30 | Amazon |
| EF 85mm f/1.8 USM | $335 | 28 | Amazon |
| Zeiss Planar T 85mm f/1.4 ZE | $1,283 | 28 | Amazon |
| Super Telephoto Prime | |||
| EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM | $6,799 | 32 | Amazon |
| EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM | $10,999 | 30 | Amazon |
| EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM | $769 | 26 | Amazon |
| EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM | $12,799 | 26 | Amazon |
| EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM | $10,399 | 25 | Amazon |
| Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro | $1,099 | 24 | Amazon |
| EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM | $1,429 | 22 | Amazon |
| EF 300mm f/4.0L IS USM | $1,349 | 19 | Amazon |
Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 5D Mark III, 6D Mark II, 1D X Mark II
Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens is the best performing telephoto zoom lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs, but it is very expensive. So the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the new released Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S are all great lenses. See the best telephoto zoom lenses for Canon DSLRs below and choose the one you like.
| Lens | Price | DxOMark | Buy Now |
| Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | $3,599 | 29 | Amazon |
| Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD | $1,499 | 28 | Amazon |
| EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM | $1,899 | 27 | Amazon |
| Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S | $1,999 | – | Amazon |
| EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x | $11,799 | 24 | Amazon |
| Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD | $1,069 | 17 | Amazon |
| Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM APO | $949 | 17 | Amazon |
| EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM | $2,554 | 17 | Amazon |
| Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical IF Macro | $629 | 14 | Amazon |
Best Telephoto Prime Lenses for Canon EOS 80D, 77D, 7D Mark II, Rebel APS-C DSLRs
Below are the recommended telephoto prime lenses for Canon EOS 7D Mark II, 7D, 70D, 60D, Rebel APS-C DSLRs. Zeiss 135mm f/2 Apo Sonnar T* and Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 are the best two, according to the DxoMark test results. You can choose Sigma 85mm f/1.4 or EF 100mm f/2 USM instead if you want to find a cheap one with great performing. See the list below and choose the one suits you best.
| Lens | Price | DxOMark | Buy Now |
| Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 APO Planar T* | $4,499 | 24 | Adorama |
| Zeiss 135mm f/2 Apo Sonnar T* ZE | $2,122 | 24 | Amazon |
| Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM | $894 | 22 | Amazon |
| EF 100mm f/2 USM | $425 | 21 | Amazon |
| EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM | $1,799 | 20 | Amazon |
| Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE | $1,843 | 20 | Amazon |
| EF 135mm f/2.0L USM | $889 | 19 | Amazon |
| Zeiss Planar T 85mm f/1.4 ZE | $1,283 | 19 | Amazon |
| Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF | $299 | 19 | Amazon |
| Super Telephoto Prime | |||
| EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM | $6,799 | 20 | Amazon |
| EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM | $10,999 | 19 | Amazon |
| EF 200mm f/2.8L IS II USM | $769 | 18 | Amazon |
| EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM | $12,799 | 17 | Amazon |
| EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM | $10,399 | 16 | Amazon |
| Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro | $1,099 | 15 | Amazon |
| EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM | $1,429 | 14 | Amazon |
| EF 300mm f/4.0L IS USM | $1,349 | 11 | Amazon |
| Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro | $689 | 11 | Amazon |
Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Canon EOS 80D, 77D, 7D Mark II, Rebel APS-C DSLRs
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD, Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM APO and Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM are the best performing telephoto zoom lenses for Canon APS-C DSLRs. The new released Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S is also a great one. See the recommended telephoto zoom lenses for Canon 7D Mark II, 7D, 70D, 60D and choose the one you like best.
| Lens | Price | DxOMark | Buy Now |
| Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD | $1,499 | 19 | Amazon |
| Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S | $1,999 | – | Amazon |
| Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM APO | $949 | 19 | Amazon |
| Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | $3,599 | 19 | Amazon |
| EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM | $1,899 | 17 | Amazon |
| EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x | $11,799 | 15 | Amazon |
| EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM | $549 | 12 | Amazon |
| EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II | $299 | 11 | Amazon |
| EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM | $2,554 | 11 | Amazon |
| Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD | $1,069 | 10 | Amazon |
| Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM APO | $949 | 10 | Amazon |
| EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM | $1,499 | 10 | Amazon |
