Canon EOS 5D Mk III’s sensor may not have the largest pixel count of the current crop, but fine detail resolution is a trade-off between the sensor and lens that we’ve already seen in our tests.
The extra money you spent on a higher pixel count camera may be wasted if the lens isn’t up to snuff.
The Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L sensor performed admirably in our tests, outperforming any previous camera from the company in terms of resolving power.
With the correct lens, it can rival the overall 36Mpix Nikon D800, in terms of sharpness. Our research reveals that this isn’t an unusual occurrence; the Canon is at its best with a wide range of lenses.
Nine various 70-200mm models, six primes, four superzooms (including “kit” alternatives), and seven telephoto zooms have been tested with the Canon EOS 5D Mk III.
Here are the best pick for the Best Lens For Canon 5d Mark Iii
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Best Lens For Canon 5d Mark Iii
Canon EF 16–35mm f/2.8L
Few lenses can match the legendary build quality of Canon’s ‘L’ series, and this one is no exception. As far as I can tell, the zoom/focus rings work flawlessly and reliably.
Even though the range of focal lengths is somewhat limited, I found it to be highly versatile and able to use for a wide variety of activities.
A wider range of focal lengths would be ideal, but this usually comes at the expense of zoom range.
What makes this lens so appealing is its f/2.8 maximum aperture. At 2.8 and ISO 800, I found the lens to be an excellent indoor, available-light lens. When photographing indoors, the 16-35mm focal range is more practical and versatile than a 24-70mm.
Some of the issues I had with this lens included barrel distortions at the widest focal lengths and flares. When photographing structures, I noticed some noticeable barrel distortions.
That said, it’s annoying to have to deal with and makes this lens less appealing for architectural photography. Using the petal hood also helped prevent lens flares, which can be a problem when shooting in direct sunlight.
With its 2.8 aperture, this lens is hard to argue against, especially for those who do not care much about the resulting barrel distortions. The 17-55mm f/2.8 may be, with its greater zoom, better sharpness, and image stabilization a better alternative if you don’t need the more durable L-quality body.
One of the best wide-angle lenses on the market. Three Aspherical lens elements and two Ultra-low Dispersion UD elements make this EF wide-angle zoom lens one of the best on the market.
Many features, such as weather-resistant construction, an external gel filter holder, close-focusing to 11 inches (0.28 meters), and a spherical diaphragm, are included.
One of Canon’s “L” series lenses, however, its maximum aperture performance was disappointing. When shot wide open, the corners or one side of the frame came out soft, depending on the focal length.
It’s possible that this level of softness would be overlooked in a cheaper lens; nevertheless, considering the street price of (US$)1400, we believe photographers have a right to expect more.
Our tests were conducted on a Canon EOS-20D camera, which has an APS-C-sized sensor: Softness in the corners on full-frame SLRs is virtually certain to be worse.)
However, I’m not saying this is a poor lens: Optimal sharpness and homogeneity can be found at f/4 or even f/5.6, depending on the subject matter. Then there’s the fact that: At f/22, the lens’s sharpness drops, but it’s still better than most other lenses on the market.
For the most part, the camera’s chromatic aberration is below average, however, it spikes significantly at the 16mm setting.
Very little vignetting is seen, with 1/4 EV wide open and 1/10 EV or lower at apertures smaller than f/4. At 16mm, the barrel distortion is roughly 0.8 percent, and it gradually decreases to almost zero at 35mm.
ALSO SEE: BEST Pentax Lens For Wedding Photography
Canon 24-105mm f/4 L IS
My first high-end lens exceeded my expectations, and I’m extremely pleased with it. Although there is a small distortion when the lens is opened wide, the image quality is excellent (but that can be fixed in post-process anyway).
It has a demonstrated ability to survive adverse weather, and its construction quality is excellent. Using it for video, it’s AF (along with my Canon 70D) and IS capabilities perform exceptionally. As for portraits, I find the f/4 and larger focal length (80 to 105mm) create a nice depth of field.
There are some issues with it. When the lens isn’t being used, I can see it creeping. The weight of this lens prevents me from taking it out for a stroll around the cities I’m visiting. As long as it isn’t a long day of walking about, this lens may be the best option.
When shooting wide open, this lens had some issues with flare, but Canon stood by their product and gave free fixes to all affected owners, and current production models have excellent flare characteristics.
Even if having to send your lens in for repair is a pain, it’s encouraging to see a manufacturer take such an active approach to make things right for their customers.
Astonishingly good at 24mm, the 24-105’s performance on a full-frame camera was only rivaled by its excellent performance at 105mm. Even when used wide open, this lens’s wide-angle performance is razor-sharp from edge to edge.
Sharpness is excellent from f/4 to f/8, and only slightly degrades at f/11 due to diffraction limiting. After 70mm, the lens gets a little softer and then stays at that degree of sharpness until 105mm.
As you open it to 105mm, it’s a little soft, but it gets better when you stop it down to f/5.6 and beyond. Even though it has a “soft” zoom range, it nevertheless performs better than the majority of zooms.
Chromatic aberration (CA) at its worst can be seen in the corners at a maximum wide angle, however, this can be explained by its low average levels. Over the remainder of the lens’ zoom range, CA remains extremely low, only marginally increasing at a focal length of 105mm.
Geometric distortion ranges from moderate barrel (0.6%) at 24mm to slight pincushion (0.2%) between 50 and 105mm in diameters. At 35mm, the point at which there is no distortion is reached. At all focal lengths and apertures, shading (called vignetting) is extremely minimal, well below 1/4 EV.
It’s not always the case that spending a lot of money on a lens results in better performance, but the Canon 24-105mm f/4 L is one exception.
Canon 24-70mm f/4 L IS
The Canon 24-70mm f/4 L IS is a smaller, lighter version of the 24-70mm f/2.8 L II. This 24-70/4 has less distortion and is just as crisp, even wide open, as the 24-70/4, which is incredibly sharp at all settings.
To compensate for the decreased shutter speed, this new lens has Image Stabilization (IS), which is useful for still-life shots but useless for video.
It also adds a very useless macro option that reaches nearly life-size but demands you to approach so close to your subject that you cannot light it.
Even while macro modes were popular in the 1990s and banished by roughly 2000 as a sales feature, they’ve reappeared as a marketing ploy presently.
Because they require pausing and fiddling, macro modes are inconvenient when used in their intended capacity because they allow us to get up close and personal with the subject matter.
Macro mode switches were no longer necessary when lens makers discovered that macro performance could be achieved at all apertures and shutter speeds.
The new 24-70/4 IS has a great advantage over the previous 24-70/2.8 L II in that it can focus as near as 1.25’/0.38m without the need for macro mode, and if you need to get even closer, you can manually spin the zoom ring past the 70mm mark.
The focus ring can be grabbed at any time for manual focus override.
Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L II
Professional news, sports, and action photography relied heavily on Canon’s 16-35mm f/2.8 L II. Before its replacement by the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L III at the end of 2016, this was Canon’s fastest and toughest, and costliest zoom lens.
The new Mark III is sharper in the corners at f/2.8, but it’s also more expensive, bulkier, and heavier.
If you want to take photos of stationary objects, the newer 16-35mm f/4 L IS is a better choice because it is less expensive, has better side and corner sharpness at large apertures, and has image stabilization (IS) so you can shoot hand-held at 1/2 to 1/4 second with the same sharpness as if you were using a tripod.
With this f/2.8 lens on my 5D, I still couldn’t get a terrible shot after tens of thousands of images. I just continued churning out winning entries.
See some instances in the articles on Available Light and Flare.
Most of the time, I’m utilizing the 16mm or 17mm focal lengths on any of these lenses. As a result, I no longer need to carry my fixed 14mm f/2.8 L lens, which is substantially wider than the 17mm end of the 17-40 f/2.8 lens.
As an alternative to the Canon 10-22mm EF for wide-angle photography on APS-C cameras (Rebel, 70D, etc.), consider the Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 EF-S IS. If you’re shooting with a smaller-format camera, you don’t need the extra size of the L lenses that are designed to cover the larger sensors of full-frame cameras.
Canon EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3
Canon DSLRs are not compatible with the EF-M designation because this lens is only compatible with EOS M series mirrorless cameras. The EF-M 18-150mm lens provides a 35mm full-frame angle of view equivalent to about 29-240mm for EOS M cameras with APS-C sensors and a 1.6x FOVCF.
Superzoom refers to lenses that have more than a 6-7x zoom range (max/min focal length) and that sit at the lower end of a category where the envelope has now been stretched to more than 20x, even if there is no clear definition of this term.
For travel, a superzoom lens like the EF-M 18-150mm is a suitable option because it covers a wide variety of focal lengths in a single lens, especially when combined with a mirrorless camera’s tiny size and lightweight.
When I travel for work, I typically bring the EOS M6 and EF-M 18-150mm with me so that I may capture moments like the one below, taken from the Middle Rhine Bridge in Basel, Switzerland.
If you frequently need to capture a wide range of circumstances while on a family outing, the EF-M 18-150mm is a terrific one-lens option.
A variable maximum aperture is typical of many zoom lenses, and the EF-M 18-150mm has one that gradually gets smaller as the lens is zoomed in.
To enable the dedicated phase-detection AF system on Canon DSLRs, Canon lenses typically have a maximum aperture of f/5.6 at the long end of the focal length range.
Because mirrorless cameras lack specialized phase-detect AF sensors, an f/5.6 minimum aperture isn’t necessary for autofocus accuracy.
In comparison to an f/5.6 version of the same focal range, the long-end EF-M 18-150mm zoom’s f/6.3 maximum aperture results in a smaller and lighter lens. The loss of 1/3-stop of light at the long end is unlikely to have a significant practical impact.
- Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6
The fastest autofocus of any consumer zoom lens is found in the Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II Because it’s so quick, it beats most professional zoom lenses out there. Compared to the Canon 100-400mm L II, this lens is significantly faster at taking pictures.
The autofocus performance of this lens is truly mind-boggling; it pops back and forth between subjects in a matter of milliseconds.
The innovative AF mechanism of this lens makes all prior consumer telephotos obsolete.
Another amazing feature of this 70-300 is that it is lightweight and inexpensive. As a compact version of Canon’s ultra-expensive 100-400mm L II zoom lens, the best choice depends on how much weight you’re willing to take along.
Canon RF 28-70mm f/2L
In terms of sharpness, this Canon 28-70mm f/2L is a game-changer. If you want to get the most out of your LEICA lenses, you’ll need to open them up wide! Mortal lenses degrade in sharpness as they approach their maximum apertures, but this masterpiece does not.
Wide-open at f/2, the EOS-R mirrorless system’s superb direct on-sensor autofocus system delivers razor-sharp focus for photos that were previously impossible with DSLRs. This 28-70 2 is exclusively compatible with EOS-R mirrorless cameras.
An enormous lens, the 28-70/2 Light as a 70-200/2.8 DSLR lens, yet shorter and fatter, weighs as much.
Because it’s twice as fast as f/2.8 lenses, you can use a shutter speed twice as fast at the same ISO to stop activity while still getting finer shots than you would with a lens stopped down to f/2.8.
Astronomers and others who use it at f/2 will find this 28-70/2 an excellent choice. Its high f/2 speed allows you to shoot at higher shutter speeds than any other professional zoom, making it ideal for sports and action photography in low light.
You’ll need a quicker zoom like this or higher ISOs or a faster-fixed lens if your subject is moving. Image stabilization won’t assist.
When it comes to practicality, the 24-105/4L IS is smaller and less expensive than the RF 24-105/4L IS IS, but it’s two stops slower. This is Canon’s way of showcasing its optical prowess.
This 28-70mm f/2 lens is for those who expect nothing less than the best. If you’re the best at what you do, then this lens is a no-brainer as a unique conversation piece.
In the future, I can’t see Canon creating any more insane lenses like this. As with Canon’s first EOS cameras, the massive 50mm f/1L, the 28-70mm f/2L is an exceptional show-off lens that no one has ever duplicated, as well as somewhat practical for actual shooting if you can afford to buy and carry it around.
Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8
With the new RF mount, Canon has claimed that new lens research and development would be greatly facilitated. Canon’s RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens, which is unusually small for a zoom lens, is one of the more intriguing examples.
When I got to evaluate the new Canon EOS R5, I was able to test one out, and it proved to be an amazing fit. A professional-grade 70-200mm F2.8L IS lens from Canon, but one that’s 30 percent lighter and shorter in stature.
Because the RF 70-200mm is not internally zooming, it extends slightly when zoomed in, but I don’t mind that sacrifice for the convenience of being able to take the lens almost everywhere. As long as I remove the lens hood, I’m able to keep my EOS R5 attached to my 8L Messenger Bag (which I’ve reviewed here).
That frees up space in my bag for a second lens, allowing me to stay mobile even while packing small. When it comes to my personal preferences, that alone makes the RF 70-200L (as I will call it for brevity in this review) appealing to me.
Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3
When photographing individuals, a 150-600mm lens is a good option. Using a wide-angle lens for portraits is an excellent choice.
In addition to a more compressed appearance (as a result of the increased subject distance), long and medium focal lengths also offer the possibility of a pronounced background blur (long focal lengths magnify the background blur).
This entire focal length range can also be used by parents chasing after their children at the park or the beach.
While lying on the sand, this focal length range will keep you entertained while you wait for the sun to set.
The focal lengths of this lens are great for taking pictures of people’s faces.
This lens excels in capturing the energy and enthusiasm of athletes as subjects. Even while it’s smart from a safety standpoint (for both you and the subject), using a telephoto lens is also a smart move when a physical barrier, such as a fence or the lines around a sports field, prevents you from going any closer.
Using all of the lens’s focal lengths is necessary while photographing sports, which might vary substantially in distance.
The wide end of a full-frame camera-mounted 600mm lens will nicely frame even near the action in large field activities, such as soccer, football, field hockey, lacrosse, and other similar sports that take place on large fields.
With a zoom lens, you can get the most out of your camera’s imaging sensor by establishing and maintaining the right cropping of your subject over a wide range of distances, thus maximizing image quality.
Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L
You can leave your tripod at home since the 16-35mm f/4 L IS is the only Canon ultrawide with Image Stabilization (IS) so you don’t have to worry about blurry images whether photographing nature, landscape, interior, real estate, general architecture, and outdoor photography. Among Canon’s three sharpest ultrawide, it is also the lightest and least priced.
Because it lacks image stabilization, as well as being larger and more expensive, Canon’s other ultrawide, the exotic 11-24mm and the new 16-35mm f/2.8 III, are both better lenses optically.
Even while Canon’s 17-40mm f/4 L and 16-35mm f/2.8 L II had been industry standards for years, they were notoriously soft in the corners, especially when used at wide apertures like f/2.8. To get the finest results in the corners, we had to photograph them at f/11.
It was common for landscape photographers to adapt Nikon’s 14-24mm and 16-35mm lenses to their Canon cameras, or to use the big manual focus Zeiss lenses instead. Even in the corners, the new lens is sharp to the pixel.
The manual focus ring can be used at any moment to override the camera’s automatic focus.
Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L
The metal and plastic construction is robust, with no jerkiness or swaying. The distance ring has just the right amount of resistance, and it travels precisely how you want it to. Of course, the camera’s autofocus works as expected.
The full-time manual override feature allows you to take action at any time if the autofocus fails to perform as expected, which happens very seldom. Focusing on Oneself
The backpack includes a lens hood and a case for the lens.
In this situation, the 5D MkII’s full-frame sensor produces the following results in terms of image quality:
Compared to the 24-70/2,8 I had previously, this is a far superior lens. To be able to use f/1.4 in extremely low light is something that appeals to me.
It’s obvious that with the aperture so wide open, you’ll need to pay close attention to the lack of depth of field. If you get it right, this lens’s bokeh is stunning, and the effect is truly magical.
At full aperture, this has a razor-thin depth of field, and it’s important to keep in mind that the image is slightly soft and vignetting (easily correctable) is visible.
Things begin to get better at f/2, and the greatest results may be achieved in the f/2.8 range in terms of resolution and saturation.
A good photograph is not determined by its clarity or lack of distortion; it is instead based on the overall composition!
I enjoy photographing individuals in their natural habitat, which is frequently inside without the use of a flash (which ruins the atmosphere for me). This lens is ideal for shooting folks across the table from me, as well as people directly in front of me.
A pricey lens. However, it is well worth the price. And it does what the full-frame sensor deserves and is capable of doing: serving him. I’ve previously owned the Sigma 30mm 1.4 for my crop sensor. The Canon lens, on the other hand, has superior autofocus performance and build quality.
As a general rule of thumb for photographers using prime lenses, not being able to zoom forces you to focus more on your composition, which is the most critical component of any successful photograph (exposure being OK).
However, even on a crop, 35mm provides an excellent focal length for most circumstances. Do not worry about technical details; your subject matter is rarely the limiting factor. Get up close and personal.
How to Choose the Best Lens for Canon 5D Mark III
When choosing Best Lens for Canon 5D Mark III, you have to consider the autofocus, image stabilization, and aperture among many others.
Can I use EF lenses with the 5D Mark III?
Because the 5D Mk III features a “Full Frame” sensor, it will not fit. The back element of EF-S lenses is typically located closer to the image sensor, which might cause issues with the mirror moving when the shutter is operated. Otherwise, they’ll be deemed “non-EF” lenses.
Is the Canon 5D Mark III still available on the market?
Even though the 5D Mark III is nearly a decade old, Gear Focus has a variety of used 5D Mark IIIs starting at about $800.
What is an acceptable shutter count for a used Canon 5d Mark III?
150,000
What does EF-S stand for?
It stands for Electro-focus short back focus
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