Complete Your Camera Gear with the Best Lenses for Canon 5D Mark IV

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV happens to be Canon’s flagship DSLR camera, and although the company went on to release several mirrorless offerings after this such as the EOS R and EOS RP; the 5D Mark IV happens to be one of the favorites and for a lot of reasons.

It makes sense that if you have such a good camera, you are not going to hammer down the performance of the camera by using a cheap lens on it. But what exactly is the best lens for Canon 5D Mark IV? Well, good question, to be honest.

We are talking about Canon’s legendary EF lens mount, which means we have thousands of options, but do not worry, we are going to narrow down the best options for you so you do not have to worry about it. The best lens that you can pick up for your Mark IV is the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8. This is more or less the one lens that pretty much rules them all and also the start of the holy trinity of lenses.

Best Lenses for Canon 5D Mark IV

We all are aware of the holy trinity of lenses. There are a lot of people who have talked about how these are more or less the only lenses that you will ever need. It starts with 16-35mm, then you have the 24-70mm, and last but not least, the 70-200mm. In other words, wide-angle zoom, standard zoom, and telephoto zoom.

These Canon 5D mark iv lenses more or less cover all the important focal ranges, and thanks to their constant aperture across the zoom range, they can be used instead of prime lenses. Now, if they are from good manufacturers, you are going to get excellent results out of these lenses.

Canon makes sure that they have paid enough attention to the overall quality of these lenses and that is why they are from Canon’s revered L lineup. But don’t worry, the lenses are excellent, so you are going to get great results overall, and you will not be let down, either.

With that said, the lens that I am looking at is of course the 16-35mm and it is one heck of a lens. The image quality on this lens is pin-sharp across the entire zoom range and the entire frame. So you are getting excellent-looking photos every single time.

Not just that, the lens has some of the best optics that allow it to offer excellent color correction that looks consistent in every single shot.

Not to forget, Canon’s autofocusing system remains one of the best, and the same is the case with this lens as you are getting rapid and accurate autofocus with minimal or zero focus hunting, making this lens an excellent option for everyone.

Honestly, after spending some quality time with this lens, I barely felt the need to address anything because I never really ran into any issues. The lens is on the heavier side but that should not affect your photography in a way.

Overall, I would say that the Canon 16-35mm is an excellent lens and remains that way, too. If you are looking for something that delivers excellent performance then this is the lens that you should go for. This is easily the best lens for everyone.

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Canon’s supremacy in creating some of the finest lenses in the market is something that we cannot question. The company has been providing excellent lenses for as long as we can remember and regardless of the camera you own, you can just pick up any good Canon lens and get started.

The best part is that even if you do want something affordable, Canon has gotten you covered because they truly have some amazing mid-range lenses that work well. So, in short, you are all covered as far as the lens options are concerned and we are going to look at something special.

The Canon 50mm f/1.4 is one of the best lenses available in the market and for a lot of reasons, to be honest. Have you ever come across a lens that just works without any issues coming in the way? Yep, this is the lens that you should be looking into. Normally, 50mm is used for portraits but if you are using it on a 5D Mark IV, which is a full-frame camera, you can use it as a wide-angle lens, too.

For starters, the lens delivers excellent image quality when you stop it down. However, do not worry about using the best portrait lens for Canon 5d mark iv wide open, you will still get some nice images, but there is a quirk here that I will discuss later in the review.

While using the lens, I also noticed that there are essentially no signs of any lateral chromatic aberration, which is always a good thing about a lens of any price point, because we do not want to run into such problems.

My favorite thing about this lens is the fact that the autofocusing system on this lens is one of the fastest, and also quietest. Not to mention, you are getting full manual override if you are looking to take things into your own hands.

There are, of course, a few quirks that I would like to address here because if you are interested in getting this lens, you must know. For starters, the lens can be softer at wider apertures, but I know a lot of people who prefer this look. At wider apertures, there is some vignetting but that can go away once you go to f/2.8. So, that is a good thing.

Overall, I would say that the 50mm f/1.4 by Canon is a lens that manages to check a lot of boxes. Sure, it does miss out on a few but that does not take away from the excellent lens that it is. If you are looking for a great portrait lens, this is unmissable.

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I believe that every photographer should start with either a 50mm or a 35mm prime lens. This is what I would say for all the beginners who are just starting. Why? The thing is that most beginners end up buying kit lenses with their cameras that get the job done but produce average images. This ends up creating a perception in the minds of people that the camera is not good enough, this happened to me, as well.

With a good prime lens like a 35mm or a 50mm, you will be getting superior images out of the camera, the moment you take it out of the box, and this will make you realize the importance of a good lens, to be honest. Because without this, you might not be able to get started.

Thankfully, the Sigma 35mm is here to save the day as it is one of those lenses that just gets the job done. Albeit on a slightly steeper end of budgets, this is the lens that you should get and it does not matter if you are a beginner or just a veteran looking to try something good, this lens is for everyone.

Right out of the box, this is one of the sharpest lenses that you can get your hands on. I was surprised to see just how sharp it managed to get even at wider apertures.

Speaking of the aperture, you are getting f/1.4, which is always a treat to use, and even though you might not need to open the lens that wide in landscapes, it is always great for such photography.

Not to forget, this is one of the most competitively priced lenses that you can get in the market. Having an attractive price is always one thing about a lens that I admire and this hits right there. Sigma has also done a great job at the build quality of this lens as it is one of the most solid feeling lenses without being too heavy.

I noticed one thing about these Sigma lenses for Canon 5d mark iv when you use it wide-open, the lens is susceptible to some vignetting, which eventually goes away as you stop down the aperture, which is what most people are going to be doing, especially since this is a landscape lens.

Overall, I would say that the Sigma 35mm lens for Canon 5D mark iv is more surprising than I first thought, to be honest. Not only is this one of the sharpest lenses in the market for landscape photography, it doubles up as one of the best prime lenses for Canon 5D Mark IV. The results produced are stunning and more importantly, consistent every time.

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I will be honest here, for me, macro photography started as a hobby, I barely knew anything about macro photography or the rules that apply to it. All I had back then was a smartphone that for some reason, had a really low minimum focusing system and resulted in surprisingly good-looking macro shots.

However, it wasn’t until I used a dedicated macro lens for Canon 5d mark iv that I realized all the things I have been missing out and honestly, it was a lot. I am fully aware of the fact that it is not for everyone because people have different preferences but what if I tell you that you can use a good macro lens for portraits as well?

You see, you are already getting a wide aperture in most cases, and the focal length is also an ideal one, so there is very little reason to look the other way and get something that is not good for you. With that said.

The Canon 100mm understands all of this and does a great job at everything as well as this is one of the best macro lenses that you can buy in the market. The optics on this lens are excellent as they are going to produce the sharpest and most consistent results that you can get out of a lens.

Not just that, the autofocusing is not just fast but also one of the quietest, and this lens also offers full manual control, so in case you want to make fine adjustments, especially when you are taking a macro shot.

The best part about this lens, however, is the fact that it brings image stabilization along with it, which is excellent for subjects that are at a longer range. It works like magic, to be honest, and looks good.

Canon has also done an excellent job at the overall build quality of the lens as it is solid and more importantly, it is fully dust and water sealed.

There are a few quirks here, though. For starters, hybrid image stabilization is not as effective when in macro mode, and getting the accurate manual focus at longer ranges is not as easy.

Overall, the Canon 100mm is one of the best lenses that you can buy. Sure, it is going to make up for an excellent macro lens but aside from that, it is a great lens that will deliver top-notch performance. I know it might be a little bit intimidating for those who are just starting out but once you figure out the lens, you will be able to take great photos.

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Sigma lenses are no doubt one of the best in the market. Even better, their Art series is among the finest and you are getting one of the best experiences out of these lenses, and most importantly, the experience that you are going to get out of these lenses will be amazing regardless of what you are looking for.

With that said, wide-angle lenses and photography, in general, have been my favorite for the longest time but the thing with wide-angle lenses at least on proper cameras is that you can only go as wide as possible before the distortion kicks in and I do understand that some really good lenses handle distortion well but that is not the case with every lens.

Even at f/1.4, this is one of the sharpest lenses that I have used, and the results that you are going to get out of this lens are excellent, to say the least. Thankfully, the wide-angle lens for Canon 5d mark iv is distortion-free. This ensures that you are not going to get pictures that will look warped, because honestly, no one wants that, to begin with.

The one thing that I love about this lens is the short minimum focusing distance. Although Sigma does not market this lens as a macro lens, if you are trying to get closer to the subject and take pictures, you can get some really good results. This essentially allows you to take some portraits but always be aware of the warping and distortion.

Honestly, after spending some time with this lens, I find it hard for myself to find faults in this lens. However, the corners are on the dimmer side, and that is one thing that you will have to keep in mind.

Overall, the Sigma 20mm is a surprising lens for me because I was not expecting it to perform this well but hey, color me surprised because this is one of the most solid lenses in the market in terms of performance and overall value.

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Let’s be honest, the 17-40mm focal range is on the stranger side as you do not get to see it as commonly but hey, Canon decided to come out with it and not just that, this is an L series lens. This means that you are going to get excellent optics and some other nice features that are exclusive to the L lineup of lenses.

With that said, the good thing is that the Canon 17-40mm is a great lens for a lot of reasons and it works well, too. You are looking at an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens and while they are not as rare to come across, the focal range surely is. The reason why I picked this lens up is that I love Canon’s L series of lenses, and I love ultra-wide photography, as well.

With that said, let’s get started with this lens and see how good this is. For starters, the ultra-wide field of view is the first thing that bound me to itself. I did not think of using any other lens for some time and did not even bother testing the other facets of this lens for some time because I wanted to fulfill my cravings for really nice ultra-wide shots.

Once I was done fanboying after this lens, I started paying attention to the more nooks and crannies that can easily be overlooked. For starters, the lens comes with a reasonable price tag, to a point that you are not spending a lot on this lens. This is one of the most affordable L series lenses in the market.

The center sharpness is excellent and that is my favorite thing about this lens because the pictures look nice, and you get excellent results.

Sadly, there are a few things that I would like to address here. For starters, the f/4 aperture is on the dimmer side, and you do experience soft edges and corners at 17mm but it gets better once you zoom in.

Overall, I think the Canon 17-40mm is still an excellent lens for a lot of people. For anyone who is looking for a good lens that does deliver excellent performance, this is the lens to go for. Sure, there are some quirks, but they don’t break the experience.

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We are all aware of how sports and wildlife photography are not the easiest things because there are a lot of factors that are involved here and in most cases, you need to get good photography to truly nail everything and you cannot just do this with an average lens. A good lens is what you need and of course, without one at hand, you might not be getting the experience you want.

The Canon 100-400mm is one of the finest lenses that is purpose-built and if you are looking for one of the best-telezoom lenses in the market, this one will get the job done. But the thing that I have learned about this lens is that it is more than just a lens to get the job done as it takes care of so many things.

Canon has significantly bumped up the optical design of this best wildlife lens for Canon 5D mark iv, hence you get some of the finest and sharpest pictures out of this lens. Speaking of sharpness, the lens remains super-sharp at all focal lengths, and apertures, and across the entire frame, which is always a good thing.

The lens brings class-leading image stabilization that is excellent at all the ranges because you are getting something that is going to be excellent in all the cases, and you are not going to run into any problems, either.

The lens also offers great close focusing and has a 0.31x magnification at 400mm, easily besting all the rival lenses. Not just that, you are also getting a super-fast and accurate autofocusing system, and the build quality is also class-leading and the lens is weather-resistant for your peace of mind.

Honestly, after using the lens for some time, I did not find any issues with it aside from the fact that it is on the heavier side but this is a lens that is built for such instances and therefore, requires the extra heft.

Overall, the Canon 100-400mm is a great lens that will serve both wildlife and sports photographers well. This is one of the lenses that can do everything and that too, without breaking any sweat.

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This is the final lens in the holy trinity of Canon lenses but does not worry as we are going to take a look at a few more lenses before we conclude the lineup. Canon has been upgrading this lens steadily ever since it was released and they recently released an RF version of this lens, as well. But this is one here is for the EF mount and yes, it is just as good.

Now, the good news here is that the lens does deliver on almost all the promises and lives up to the legendary status that it has managed to build for itself. Simply put, if you are looking for a good telephoto zoom lens, then this is the one that you should be investing in because the performance on this lens is going to be excellent.

Now, the 70-200mm that I have on my hands is excellent as it delivers excellent sharpness from edge to edge; you will not be let down by how good the performance is. Canon has done a terrific job with the overall build quality of this lens and you are not going to be let down by that.

To top it all off, there is even dust and moisture protection and the lens is coated with fluorine, ensuring that you are not going to run into any issues as far as the performance of this lens is concerned.

Of course, my favorite thing about this lens is the image stabilization which results in an excellent performance. Regardless of the range, you are using this lens, you are going to get good results.

There are a few issues with the lens that I would like to talk about. For starters, you are looking at modest distortion and vignette.

But honestly, after spending some time with this lens I have come to realize that the overall performance on this lens is not that big of an issue. Canon has done a top-notch job at designing this lens and if you are looking for an excellent telephoto lens, this is the one that you should be investing in.

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The second last lens that I am featuring here also happens to be one of my favorite lenses of all time. I  believe it is more about the 24-70mm focal length because regardless of the camera system I am using, I have to have this focal length as it helps take pictures and makes everything a lot better and simpler, too. So, you do not have to worry about not getting the shots that you want.

The good thing about the 24-70 is that it covers several focal lengths in one. Ranging from your standard wide-angle to short telephoto, and not just that, the lens also has a constant f/2.8 aperture. Which is plenty bright and ensures that you are getting great results.

So, what is there to love about the Canon 24-70mm? Well, aside from the fact that this is an EF lens, you are looking at a lens that is sharp throughout the entire zoom range, and not just that, the sharpness is going to be there from edge to edge, which is rare to see.

Of course, the best thing about this lens is the fact that you are looking at a constant aperture of f/2.8, which will allow you to use this lens in various lighting conditions and get stunning results in all situations. This lens is not the one that will let you down, that I can assure you.

Even with so many good things about this best travel lens for Canon 5d mark iv, there are a few things that I would like to suggest here. For starters, the best zoom lens for Canon 5d Mark IV does not offer optical image stabilization, and there is also some distortion present. So, you have to keep that in mind.

Overall, the Canon 24-70mm is a great lens in all cases and will serve you well, if you are traveling and you want a good lens that can do the job of multiple lenses, take this lens with you and you will not regret it at all.

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Wedding photography is something that has always been in demand and the best part is that it is not that difficult to get into, either. You just need to have the right experience and understanding because,, without all of that, you might not be able to get the start that you want.

Thankfully, there are a lot of great wedding photography lenses available in the market but not many can rival the likes of Canon’s 85mm f/1.4. Canon does make other 85mm lenses as well but the reason why I picked this one up is because of how good it performs and honestly, you are not going to regret it, either.

The good thing about this best lens for wedding photography Canon 5D mark IV is its sharpness, and even when you are using it wide open, you are going to get fantastic results every single time. Canon has also done a great job with the build quality of this lens as it is both dust and splash resistant, which is always good. Not to forget, you are getting fluorine lens coating as well.

My favorite thing about this lens is that you do have access to image stabilization, which is not as common on prime lenses but Canon has added it here, allowing you to have a great overall photography experience.

One more thing that I enjoy about this lens is that it is surprisingly lightweight and compact, making it easier to carry for everyone.

Honestly, there are not a lot of things to dislike about this lens. It does have dim corners at wider apertures, but aside from that, I barely found any issues.

Overall, I would say that the Canon 85mm f/1.4 is one of the best lenses. I previously recommended the f/1.8 lenses in my roundup of the best lenses for Rebel T6, and the higher-end version is just as good if not better.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The Canon 5D Mark IV, as I have said before, is one of Canon’s finest cameras. Canon really hit it out of the park with this camera and delivered some amazing results, and the performance on this lens is one of the most commendable.

If you are looking for the best lenses for your Mark IV, this round-up is for you as we have featured nearly every lens that would complement your camera and will allow you to get amazing and consistent results.