The Best Budget Lenses For Canon Photographers

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Last Updated on 04/25/2025 by Lara Carretero

Canon is still far and away the most popular camera brand in the world, and so there is no doubt some of you are probably looking for a new lens to add to your kit. But, there are so many lenses available for the system, both Canon-branded and those made by third parties. What are the best budget lenses for Canon right now?

We have a giant master list of what we feel the best budget lenses are for every system, and you can find that here, but in this post we wanted to highlight our picks for the best budget lenses for the Canon EF/EF-S system.

Canon Brand Lenses

As we noted above, there are a ton of lens options out there for Canon cameras, both produced by Canon and produced by other companies. So we have broken this list up into two sections, Canon brand lenses and third-party lenses to make it easier for those of you who have a preference one way or the other.

Canon 50mm F1.8 STM

It’s been a while since the 50mm f1.8 was updated, but this year Canon finally did it and added in a brand new STM motor. It focuses much faster, more silently, and it has a bit better image quality. Plus, the feeling of it is much better as is the ergonomic design. If you’re looking for a cheap 50, then you’ll be very hard-pressed to beat this one. (Read Our Review of the 50mm F1.8 STM | [amazon_textlink asin=’B00X8MRBCW’ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’45b8f70c-7335-11e7-b61d-712077bcfe44′])

If you need an even better deal, the older Canon 50mm F1.8 will save you a little more money, and alternatively if you have a little more budget the [amazon_textlink asin=’B00009XVCZ’ text=’Canon 50mm F1.4′ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ce3d8a86-7335-11e7-ab94-51e374190761′] is also a good option.

Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro

Known as one of Canon’s sharpest lenses, users will appreciate the versatility available with using a lens like this. One can go from shooting portraits, to macro products, to the fine details at a wedding, and to even sports shooting when put in a cropped sensor body like a 7D or a 50D (available at a rebate at the time of writing this article). One really can’t go wrong with the Canon EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM.

Canon 85mm F1.8 USM

This is my second favorite lens in my camera bag. The Canon EF 85mm f1.8 USM allows for super sharp portraits, headshots, and even candid moments when shooting events or a wedding. What’s great is that you have telephoto reach without having a really large lens (which tends to attract attention), therefore making the photographer more discrete and also allowing them not to disturb their subjects.

(Read our Review | [amazon_textlink asin=’B00007GQLU’ text=’Buy One’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’thephobl-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4bd601a4-73c4-11e7-9f9d-d19c051f7d1f’])

Canon 35mm F2

The Canon EF 35mm f2.0 is a great lens for events or photojournalism type shooting. This lens excels in capturing environmental portraits, and also for giving a real feel for what the vibe is like at an event. Combined with a flash, it can be great on the dance floor of a party and it delivers sharp results with wonderful color.

The lens has since been updated to a new version with IS built in. It’s quite a nice piece of glass but a bit more pricey.

Canon 40mm F2.8

For years, Canon users have been asking for a pancake lens. Though it took them a while, the Canon 40mm f2.8 is the company’s answer to that challenge and from our review, it seems well worth the wait. The 40mm f2.8 is sharp edge to edge, focuses quickly and is extremely affordable. It’s more than earned its right on this list.