Last Updated on 04/25/2025 by Lara Carretero
Third Party Lenses
Third party lenses used to have a pretty bad reputation in the general photography community, but that stigma has largely changed over the last five years or so thanks to companies like Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, and Rokinon/Samyang upping their game in terms of both image and build quality. If you want to save some money, we can recommend the options below as being great options, especially after considering price to performance.
Sigma 50mm F1.4
Sigma has updated their 50mm f1.4 to be included into their Art series of lenses, but that doesn’t mean the first version is a slacker. In fact, we’d argue it is the best 50mm f1.4 lens available to Canon users if you’re factoring in budget. This one is even better than Canon’s own. (Read Our Review | [amazon_textlink asin=’B0018ZDGAC’ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8abdd147-73c0-11e7-b731-d768d604ad6f’])
Tokina 11-16mm F2.8
One of the biggest complaints about this list used to be its lack of zoom lenses. If you’re looking for one, then consider the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 offering. It’s perfect for APS-C users who want wide angle photos–which means your landscapes will look that much more epic.
([amazon_textlink asin=’B007ORX8ME’ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’01553df2-73c3-11e7-a650-d13b0f1e16d7′])
Rokinon 14mm F2.8
If we had to choose a single wide angle prime to stick with it would be Rokinon’s own 14mm f2.8. With a wide field of view at 14mm and an f2.8 aperture, there is no reason not to spring for this lens. Sure, it’s manual focus only, but if you’re using a lens like this then you’re usually focusing out to infinity anyway.
(Read our Review | [amazon_textlink asin=’B003VSGQPG’ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’774516c0-73c4-11e7-aa3f-e306c2d76866′])
Tokina 12-28mm F4
Of any of the wide angle zoom lenses we’ve tested, this one had to be the most fun. Mount it on a camera, put the camera on a tripod and get to the nearest coastline to shoot the sun as it’s about to go down. The colors, sharpness, and price of this lens are all very pleasing.
(Read our Review | [amazon_textlink asin=’B00DHWUSC8′ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’174e9df4-73c1-11e7-bb72-3d53581832c3′])
Rokinon 85mm F1.4
If you want an f1.4 lens designed for portraits, this is the most affordable one to get. Wide open, the lens is a bit soft. But once you stop it down a bit, it begins to sing with sharpness. Like other Rokinon lenses, it is manual focus only. But man, that bokeh is glorious.
(Read our Review | [amazon_textlink asin=’B0025EWXEU’ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’342483a6-73c1-11e7-a7a9-7f0d6df17a8e’])
Sigma 30mm F1.4
APS-C camera users who want a fast 50mm field of view (approximately) will be super surprised by Sigma’s new 30mm f1.4 offering. What’s even cooler is that you can use it on a full frame camera–but don’t expect the image quality to be just like that of an APS-C camera’s due to how this lens was designed.
(Read our Review | [amazon_textlink asin=’B00BQXL8BU’ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’bbb73ded-73c1-11e7-a4c3-b58c84af6064′])