Get Back into Photography with the Best Lenses for Canon T5i
The Canon T5i started as one of the most versatile cameras for beginners, but what most people did not realize is that once paired with a nice lens, this camera gets only better than what even Canon had claimed, in the first place.
Best Lenses for Canon T5i
The Canon ecosystem is home to some of the greatest lenses that one can find and we have decided that we are going to take a look at the best lenses for the Canon T5i. Whether you want a portrait lens, a lens for shooting landscapes, or video, or an overall perfect lens for your Canon, we are going to help you here.
The best lens for Canon T5i is the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens. Yes, I know I have featured this lens numerous times, but the reason behind that is simple. It is one of the most refined lenses for APS-C cameras in the market.
Sigma 18-35mm – Best Overall Lens for Canon T5i
Sigma 18-35mm has an excellent focus system. This lens is fully compatible with Sigma’s USB dock.
Yes, you have seen this lens before too. I have featured this in multiple round-ups, and honestly, for all the right reasons. This is one of the most complete lenses that I have looked at to date and Sigma has done a really good job at it, as well. Despite being old, this lens is not slowing down in terms of how well it performs.
For starters, you are looking at a super-fast maximum aperture of f/1.8, an aperture that is most commonly seen on prime lenses, but this time around, it is on a short-range zoom lens and it nails the shots.
Another great thing is that this lens brings some of the best optics in terms of the quality that you are getting. Even when the lens is wide open, it delivers tack-sharp results across the entire frame, not just in the center.
Sigma’s autofocusing system proves class-leading in this canon t5i lens, too. As it delivers excellent, reliable, and solid results across the field.
You are even getting one of the best build qualities that you can look for in any lens, and well, it is fully compatible with Sigma’s USB dock, which is always great. You can make micro-adjustments to the lens’ focusing system if you run into any problems.
Honestly, my only concern is that the zoom range could feel restricted to some users, but aside from that, there is nothing wrong with this watch as it works well in most cases.
Overall, Sigma 18-35mm is a great lens. It is a near-perfect lens, to be honest. I wished Sigma released this lens for the full-frame cameras as well but this is exclusive to APS-C cameras, and well people do have a lot of fun with it, I had a lot of fun with it.
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Canon 24mm – Best Landscape Lens for Canon T5i
Canon 24mm is one of the smallest and most compact lenses. Canon’s STM motor is excellent, to be honest.
I will always be thankful to Canon for releasing a 24mm and not just any 24mm, this one is built specifically for the Canon APS-C/crop sensor cameras, and I can already tell you that the performance on this lens is going to be great, why? Well, that is what we are about to figure out.
The first thing that you will notice about this lens is how small this is. The unofficial name for this lens is a pancake lens because it does look like a bunch of pancakes stacked on each other. But don’t worry, there is more to this lens.
Another great thing that I love here is how sharp this lens is. Being a prime lens with an f/2.8 aperture, you are looking at one of the sharpest lenses in the market, and it is excellent for landscape photos as well as some videos if you want to have a lot of perspective in the video.
The classic wide-angle view looks excellent and it makes all the pictures a lot more dramatic I do understand that this is not going to be for everyone but hey, the results are excellent and you would not run into any issues, either. So, you can get things done without having to worry about anything.
The highlight of this lens is of course the classic STM focus motor that is quick and one of the quietest motors and works well.
Last but not least, the lens is on the more affordable end of things so you do not have to stress about spending all your savings on this lens.
As far as the downside is concerned, I did not run into any issues aside from the fact that the manual focusing system is not as good as some would prefer and that is why I would suggest you use this lens on autofocus.
Overall, the Canon EF-S 24mm makes up for an excellent lens that you can buy. It is affordable, and surprisingly compact, and the best part is that it is known for delivering some of the best-looking images. You simply cannot go wrong with this lens.
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Canon 10-22mm – Best Ultra Wide-Angle Lens for Canon T5i
Canon 10-22mm has a solid build quality and barely has any weight to it.
We are all aware of the fact that Canon has some excellent lenses available in the market and the company keeps surprising us, to be honest. The APS-S form factor for Canon is just as important and that is why we get to see some amazing lenses even for their crop sensors
With that said, Canon 10-22mm might look like the odd one out but if you are a fan of ultra-wide-angle photography, this lens is something that you will be interested in thanks to how wide it can go and the images it manages to produce.
For starters, this is one of the lenses that is known for providing excellent resolution, the same goes for in the center at most apertures and focal lengths. This results in some of the most consistent pictures that come out of this lens.
Moving further, you are looking at a lightweight and compact body, which allows the user to be able to carry this lens around with ease and without having to run into any confusion. I know it is not something that you are going to have to deal with.
Another great thing is that Canon has done a great job at ensuring the build quality of this lens. Although most of it is still built out of plastic, it does not feel cheap and it does not feel like it is going to give in at any moment. It runs well and gives a surprisingly well-rounded performance, too.
Although I like this lens, I realized that it is prone to flare, a common issue with most ultra-wide-angle lenses and you can mitigate this by using a lens hood but sadly, Canon does not provide you with one, so that is one thing you must keep in mind.
Overall, the Canon 10-22mm is a surprising lens, to be honest. I was not expecting it to deliver such good performance but it managed to deliver just that and the result that this lens produces is excellent, to say the least. You will not be let down by how good this lens is.
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Canon 50mm – Best Portrait Lens for Canon T5i
Canon 50mm performs really sharp at f/1.8 and does not weigh a lot.
If you ask anyone about the most famous Canon lens, the chances that they are going to come up with 50mm are a lot higher than one might think. Canon solidified its position in the market when it released this 50mm and honestly, it is one of the best lenses that are available in the market for several reasons.
The 50mm is considered a great focal length for multiple reasons; you can take some stunning landscape shots with it, and you can also go for excellent portraits, and video work, too. So, it is more or less an all-rounder.
So, what else is there in this lens? Well, there is a lot, to be honest. For starters, the lens is sharp at f/1.8 and this is a good thing because normally, you experience some softness when the aperture is wide open but this is not the case here.
Another great thing is that Canon has ensured that this is one of the lightest lenses in the market, and not just that, it is also very compact and you can easily carry it around with ease.
If you are looking to use this lens for video, you would be pleased to know that the autofocus is silent and smooth in videos, you are not going to run into the focus motor creating some sound issues in your video.
Last but not least, another great thing about this lens is how affordable it is. At times, you can realize that the price of this lens does not reflect at all on the performance as it performs way above its class and does a great job at that, too.
As far as the downsides are concerned, there is not a lot. Finding fault in this lens is difficult because of how affordable this lens is, in the first place. I have only really run into one issue where the lens was slower at focusing, especially when you are taking pictures.
Overall, the Canon 50mm lives up to the name of nifty fifty. I can no longer call it fantastic plastic because Canon has changed and upgraded the lens mount to a metal lens mount, which heavily improves the overall build quality of this lens.
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Canon 100mm – Best Macro Lens for Canon T5i
Canon 100mm has very effective image stabilization that works really well.
We are all aware of just how good macro photography is. Sure, it is not something that everyone can indulge in and have fun with but if you look at it closely, you realize how there are so many great scenarios and opportunities.
Another great thing about macro lenses is that just because they are macro does not mean that they will not focus outside their specific range. They can easily focus on other subjects as well. This is what makes the Canon 100mm such a great lens. Not only is it one of the best lenses on the market, but it can also be used for so many other things.
For starters, you are getting some of the best optical qualities on any lenses that I have had the chance to test out. The lens works well and without any issues. The autofocusing on the lens is fast and silent, and it is one of the most accurate lenses, that also provides full-time manual focus.
The one thing that I love about this lens is that it has one of the most effective image stabilizations that I have tested on any lens. This is a great thing to have considering how at macro levels, you need something that can stay very stable.
The lens can also be used for portraits and other long-distance work and does a great job at that, too. Canon has also done an excellent job at making sure that the build quality on this lens is exceptionally well done as the overall build quality is solid and it also brings dust and weather sealing which sweetens the overall package.
There are a few issues, though. For starters, hybrid image stabilization is not as effective at macro distances, and getting the precise manual focus at portrait distance can be tricky for beginners.
Overall, Canon has hit a home run with the 100mm f/2,8. I had my doubts at the start because even though I have had a lot of experience with macro lenses, there was something about this lens that made me wonder if it would be as good as Canon had claimed, and well, it is right on the money.
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Canon 18-55mm – Best Kit Lens for Canon T5i
Canon 18-55mm is one of the more compact zoom lenses available in the market.
We are all aware of how kit lenses are notorious for not being good enough when it comes to overall quality. But the companies are still going to bundle them for one reason or another. Simply put, sometimes, a photographer needs a starting point for something and without that, you are not going to get a lot of freedom.
With that said, the Canon 18-55mm was my first lens. Yes, I spent most of my photography life stuck to this lens and I used it as much as I could and made the most out of it. Sure, I was still new to the whole process, but this lens did help me a lot.
With that said, if you are looking for a compact lens that can easily fit in the backpack without asking for too much space, this is the lens that you should be investing in. The sharpness on this lens is surprisingly good, to be honest. I was surprised how a lens that costs this much is this sharp, but Canon has done an impressive job with optics.
However, the one part that surprised me the most about this lens is that it has optical image stabilization and not just for the sake of having it. The stabilization works well in videos and photos, too.
Last but not least, this is one of the more affordable lenses that you can find in the market, and you are not going to go wrong with it, either. Especially if you pick it up as a bundle, then it barely adds to the overall cost.
My only issue here is that there is some distortion that is found on the lens, and the narrow aperture can be troubling in the low-light situation.
Overall, revisiting the Canon 18-55mm after 3 years gave me some serious nostalgia. This was the lens that started it all for me and even though I soon shifted to 50mm as my primary lens, this is a great offering and I cannot look the other way, either.
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Canon 55-200mm Best Telephoto Lens for Canon T5i
Canon 55-200mm has excellent center sharpness. Image stabilization is always a great thing to have.
There is no shortage of good affordable lenses available in the market and the best part is that Canon has done an excellent job at ensuring that the available lenses are great because they are only going to make the overall experience a lot better and simpler for everyone.
The Canon 55-200mm is one of my favorite lenses from Canon. Not only is it a kit lens but you can also find this lens on Canon’s M mount, which clearly shows that Canon has good faith in this list. I have already reviewed this lens for the Canon M50, and now, we are looking at the EF mount version of the lens and it works well.
Now, what is good about this lens? Well, the center sharpness is excellent on this lens, which is what most telephoto lenses excel at. Corner sharpness is not as excellent but I rarely encountered a shot when I wanted the corners to be as sharp.
Thankfully, Canon has done a really good job at the overall design of this lens as it remains one of the smaller lenses that are excellent, to say the least. You can easily carry it around without having to worry about it.
Again, my favorite feature of this lens is image stabilization. Even though I rarely used it but having the feature adds to the peace of mind that you are not going to run into any issues, either.
I do have some concerns here. For starters, the plastic lens mount might not stand the test of time, and there is some edge softness, as well. These are just some concerns about this lens that I have.
Overall, the 55-200mm makes up for an excellent telephoto lens for Canon cameras. I am willing to go as far as to call it the best telephoto lens for Canon Rebel T5i. The performance on this is excellent and it delivers on all the fronts.
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Canon 15-85mm – Best Standard Zoom Lens
Canon 15-85mm comes with four-stop image stabilization. The lens does not weigh a lot and is compact for its zoom range.
I am heading closer to the end of the list and there are still some good lenses that are available in the market that I have to look at. The great thing about Canon APS-C cameras is that there are a lot of offerings available for these cameras, so you can pick up any good lens that you think will fit your needs and go take the camera on the spin.
With that said, if you are looking for a good standard zoom lens that covers a good range, then the Canon 15-85mm is a great choice. I know, it does cover various focal lengths all in one go and does a great job at keeping that ensured. So, what is so good about this lens?
For starters, the zoom range on this lens is one of the widest and that is a great thing, to be honest. However, at the same time, you are getting a pretty decent zoom that goes as high as 85mm, so you do have flexibility there if you are looking for that.
The lens also brings a four-stop image stabilization feature, which is undoubtedly one of the best things that you can look for whenever you are going for a good lens. It helps in shooting handheld as it keeps everything nicely stabilized.
Another great thing here is that the lens is relatively lightweight and compact which is always a good thing.
Honestly, my only concern here is that the narrow maximum aperture of this lens means you cannot shoot in lowlight situations without raising the ISO or using external lights.
Overall, the Canon 15-85mm is one of the best lenses in the market and it works well for every task that you are going to put it up against. You will not be let down with the lens, either. So, the performance is excellent in almost all cases.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
Finding the right lens for the Canon Rebel T5i was not difficult. You just had to know what you are looking for in a lens and be aware of your use case and things started making sense. I understand that for a lot of people, this process is not an easy one and there can be some complications but once you are looking at the proper options, you are good to go.