Mirrorless cameras, especially if they come from Canon, they are the most amazing ones! Many of you are familiar with the Canon EOS R5 as one of the greatest mirrorless cameras ever launched.
Do you use this camera with a lens? If you couldn’t find the best lens for your Canon R5 until now, seems like you are at the right place!
In this article, you will find the best lens for Canon R5, and all the picks are different types of lenses so that it is easier for you.
A Quick Look at My Favorite Lenses for Canon R5
| Image | Product | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Best All-in-One  | 9.7 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best For General Use  | 9.5 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best For Portraits  | 10 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best Compact Ultra-Wide  | 9 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best For Wildlife  | 8.6 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best For Professional Use  | 8.5 | Check Price On Amazon | |
Best Build Quality  | 8 | Check Price On Amazon |
Key Takeaways
- Canon EOS R5 is one of the best mirrorless cameras available, but to make this camera perform even better, why not put an accessory on it, such as a great lens?
- For such a great camera, we also need a fantastic lens such as Canon RF 24–240mm F4-6.3 is USM; it is in one lens, providing immersive results.
- If you want a sturdy lens, then the Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM is one choice since it has the best build quality.
- There are specific types of photography that those lenses will perform their best.
Without further ado, let’s get straight to the lenses for canon eos r5!
The Top 7 Best Lenses for Canon R5
7. Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM – Best For Portraits
What I Like
- Excellent resolution
- Reliable autofocus
- Dust and splash protection
What I Don’t Like
- Visible focus breathing
Canon RF 85mm F1.2 l USM is one of the best macro lenses that work with EOS R cameras from Canon, especially with the Canon EOS R5. It is a portrait lens that has a fixed focal length and it is only 85mm. The lens works perfectly fine during portrait photography.
The aperture of this macro lens works at f/1.2 and it is a large aperture that can be used for whatever you need. The aperture diaphragm is a rounded one that includes nine blades and it provides you with an amazing bokeh effect.
Canon to this macro lens added 13 elements into 9 groups. There are one ed element and one aspherical element. That is not all, this lens also owns a blue spectrum refractive element which fully reduces chromatic aberration. To deal with the elements the lens also owns an Air Sphere Coating and it is in charge of reducing flare and ghosting.
With the Ring-Type Ultrasonic Motor AF System, you will be working with a great autofocus system that is very accurate and very fast. Unfortunately though, this lens does not have image stabilization.
It has a minimum focusing distance of 0.85M, which is average.
You can use this macro lens whenever you want since it is weather-resistant and it is fully protected from dust and moisture, this feature is also linked to Fluorine Coating which helps minimize the dust and makes the lens easy to be cleaned. The measurements of this portrait lens are 4.1 x 4.6 inches and it weighs about 2.6 pounds.
The only drawback that this lens has, can be considered its expensive price tag.
Why should you buy it?
This lens is the best lens you can get if you are into portraits, hence it is listed as the best lens for portraits.
Sample Pictures of Canon RF 85mm
6. Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM – Best Compact Ultra-Wide
What I Like
- Sharp imaging
- Affordable
- Ultra-wide angle of view
What I Don’t Like
- Lens hood not included
This lens is a new launch from Canon and it does a perfect job when it is added to your Canon R5. It is again a macro lens but here we deal with an ultra-wide-angle of view. That is because of the focal length that works at 16mm.
The aperture is super bright and it works at f/2.8 which brings the perfect quality of pictures with an immersive sharpness. The diaphragm differs from the one mentioned above since here we deal with a seven-blade. This aperture diaphragm brings a pleasing bokeh quality.
The elements that are added to this lens are 9 in number, and they are divided into 7 groups. As the most important, stands one aspherical element, and its job is to reduce different types of aberrations. When it comes to the coatings, this lens owns the Super Spectra Coating that deals more with color accuracy, and it does the job perfectly fine.
The focus is driven by the STM Stepping AF Motor. It is pretty fast and smooth at the same time. It does a great job, even if you want to use it while recording videos. The only thing i wish is that this lens had image stabilization. It has a minimum focusing distance of 5.11 inches.
Measuring 2.7 x 1.6 inches and weighing only 5.8 ounces, the lens has a quite compact body and based on the size and the weight the lens is fully portable that can accompany you wherever you go.
As a drawback, I would like to mention that this lens is not quite resistant, so you should be careful when using it around dust or moisture.
Why should you buy it?
With this lens, you will deal with an ultra-wide angle of view, and you will be taking amazing photos.
Sample Pictures of Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM
5. Canon RF70-200mm F4 L is USM – Best For Wildlife
What I Like
- Lightweight
- Compact
- Quick and quiet autofocus
- Amazing resolution
What I Don’t Like
- Divisive telescopic design
This lens is a launch of 2020, and it is a telephoto zoom lens that differs from the other ones. It is a lens that has a range of focal lengths and it works between 70mm to 200mm.
When it comes to the aperture, as you can notice in the lens’ name, it has an aperture that works f/4.0. This aperture has a shallower depth of field and it works great when you take nature photography. As for the diaphragm, the lens owns a nine-blade one, and it gives not only a great bokeh effect, but it is superb.
The optical construction of this lens includes 16 elements, and all of them are divided into 11 groups. To reduce the chromatic aberration, that may occur during pictures, this lens has four UD elements. The coating added is the Air Sphere Coating, and it will help you bring high-quality pictures, with no flare and ghosting.
The focus system that this lens uses is the Dual Nano USM AF and it allows manual focusing adjustments.
Now, this lens owns a specialty! There is added the Optical Image Stabilizer, which works at 5 stops. It fully corrects shaking. Since the Canon EOS R5 has in-body image stabilization, when it is linked with this lens, the stops go up to 7.5. It also has a pretty short minimum focusing distance, which is worthy of mentioning.
It is a bigger lens regarding the size and it measures 6.6 x 10.2 inches while its weight is 1 pound. Differing from some lenses this one comes in white color. It is also a resistant lens that could work fine when used around dust or moisture.
With amazing image stabilization, great specs and very powerful elements, this is one of the best lenses out there.
What can be listed as a drawback of this lens is only its big size.
Why should you buy it?
This lens has a shallower depth of field and it works great when you take nature photography.
Sample Pictures of Canon RF70-200mm
4. Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM – Best For Professional Use
What I Like
- Pro-grade build
- Weather protection
- Amazing optics
What I Don’t Like
- Pricey
The Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 is again a wide-angle zoom lens that works most perfectly when added to the Canon EOS R5 camera. What makes this lens a wide-angle one is its focal length which works from 15mm to 35mm.
The aperture diaphragm of this lens is a rounded nine-blade one and the bokeh effect that it brings to your pictures looks more than great! There’s also the aperture of f/2.8 which s perfect when it comes to the sharpness of pictures and on this lens, it does a great job when shooting in low light conditions.
The elements are full 16 in number, and the division on this lens is in 12 groups. On the elements, are added two Ultra-Low Dispersion elements, and three aspherical elements. There’s a coating as well, and it is the famous Air Sphere. All of them help you capture great pictures without any inconvenience.
When it comes to the focus, on this lens we deal with a Nano USM AF System that rides the focus perfectly fine, just as it is supposed to be. With it, you also have control over the manual focusing too. You choose what you want to be focused on (selective focus).
In this lens, we also find a five-stop Optical Image Stabilization. It fully eliminates the shake and the blur that may be present when taking pictures and recording videos as well. I personally love the image stabilization of this lens, and i find it to be very helpful when using it with my Canon EOS R5, since the Canon EOS R5 does not have built-in image stabilization.
The whole body of this lens measures 3.5 x 5 inches while its weight is 1.85 pounds. It is a resistant lens too, and it owns the Fluorine Coating, which makes the leans easier to be cleaned.
The drawback of this lens, in my opinion, is its heavyweight and also, it is a bit expensive.
Why should you buy it?
This lens is the best one for professional use, so if you are a professional photographer, this lens is the most suitable for you.
Sample Pictures of Canon RF 15-35mm
3. Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM – Best Build Quality
What I Like
- Lightweight
- Very sharp by f/4
- Brights F1.8 optics
What I Don’t Like
- Visible focus breathing
This lens, which also comes from Canon, is known as a lens for macro photography. Based on its focal length of 50mm, it is used by many photographers for more types of photographs too, and it is in a way a combination of macro and standard.
With the aperture of f/1.8, (which is large by the way), you can take amazing pictures while in low light conditions. With the rounded seven-blade diaphragm, you will notice that the lens provides a quite pleasing bokeh effect.
This lens is featured with 6 elements divided into 5 groups and the most important one is considered the aspherical element which is only one. Always remember that the elements that are added to a lens, take part in the optical construction. The coating of the lens is Canon’s Super Spectra which does an amazing job with the chromatic aberration.
Just as you can notice, on this lens’ name are added the letters STM, they show that the focus of this lens works via the STM Stepping AF Motor. The autofocus is extremely fast, quiet, and very smooth.
As long as the build of this lens is concerned, it is quite compact and very well-done. It measures 1.61 x 2.72 inches and its weight is only 5.6 ounces.
What this lens lacks is the resistance to dust and moisture as well as image stabilization.
Why should you buy it?
This lens has the best build quality which guarantees you a long lifespan of your lens.
Sample Pictures of Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM
2. Canon RF 24–240mm F4-6.3 is USM – Best All-in-One
What I Like
- Optical stabilization
- Quick autofocus
- Sturdy build
- 10x zoom power
What I Don’t Like
- Some chromatic aberration is available
Fully differing from the other lenses that I mentioned in this article, this lens is a mirror lens!
When it comes to the focal length this lens works from 24mm to 240mm! Basically, it is an all-in-one zoom lens as a general form of lens.
The aperture is different from the other lenses that you may have encountered most frequently. It works at a range of aperture, and it is f/4.0 and f/6.3. Since the f/4.0 aperture brings a shallow depth of field, imagine what could f/6.3 do? It is the ideal aperture for architecture photography! The bokeh looks very natural because it has a rounded seven-blade diaphragm.
The number of elements that are added to this lens is full 21 and the division is made into 15 groups. Even though there’s no evidence of which type of element or which type of coating is used in this lens, Canon assures everybody that this lens brings pictures with amazing clarity and quality.
Again, we deal with a Nano USM AF System. The focus is near-silent and works with amazing accuracy.
The Optical Stabilization cannot be missed on this amazing lens! Besides that, in this lens, Canon added the Dynamic Image Stabilization which works even more perfectly when it comes to video recordings. There’s no blur in any way! The image stabilization is a pretty strong point of this camera.
Canon has a motto for this lens: “a walk-around lens”. What says walk around besides a lens that measures 3.2 x 4.8 inches and weighs 1.6 pounds? It is a full portable lens. One of the most popular lenses for canon eos r5.
I couldn’t really find a drawback on this lens, besides that for someone it may be expensive.
Why should you buy it?
This lens has the ideal aperture for architecture photography!
Sample Pictures of Canon RF 24–240mm
1. Canon RF50mm F 1.2L USM – Best For General Use
What I Like
- Edge-to-edge clarity
- Dust and splash protection
- Minimal distortion
What I Don’t Like
- No optical image stabilization
Now, last but not least, here goes an amazing standard prime lens. It can also be considered as the best overall, regarding the Canon EOS R5 camera. It is known as a standard lens because of its focal length, which works at 50mm.
When it comes to the aperture I would like firstly to mention its diaphragm! In this lens, Canon added a ten-blade aperture diaphragm. It brings the most perfect bokeh effect that you have ever seen!
There’s also the range of aperture that works only in f/1.8. As mentioned above, this type of aperture is one of the greatest when you should use the camera in low light places and not only. It works amazingly almost everywhere!
The coating of this lens is the famous Air Sphere Coating, launched by Canon. The elements are 15 and in this one, they are divided into 9 groups. The main elements are three aspherical and one UD. There’s an amazing reduction of the unnecessary flare or ghosting that may destroy your photography.
The system that drives the focus is the Ultrasonic Motor AF System, and it comes as a ring type. It is a super accurate automatic focus, and it can also be used manually.
The full body of this lens measures 3.5 x 4.3 inches and it weighs about 2.09 pounds. It is a strong and durable lens that can be used for a long time. It’s definitely one of the most popular lenses for canon eos r5.
The only thing that this lens lacks is image stabilization.
Why should you buy it?
This lens is the best lens for general use and the best overall lens, totally worth a purchase.
Sample Pictures of Canon RF50mm
Important Things to Know
What are the lenses mentioned above good for?
As you can notice all of the lenses that I mentioned are native lenses. Considering the fact that these lenses are for Canon EOS R5, there are some specific or better say some particular types of photography that the lenses can be used. I am going to divide them into sections:
- Best Standard Prime Lens – Canon RF50mm F 1.2L USM
- Best Zoom Lens – Canon RF70-200mm F4 L is USM
- Best Wide-Angle Lenses – Canon RF16mm F2.8 STM, Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM
- Best Macro Lenses – Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM, Canon RF50mm F1.8 STM
- A Mirror Lens – Canon RF 24–240mm F4-6.3 is USM
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the type of lens that you need for Canon R5?
Lenses are everywhere and once you found a perfect lens to use, there is no turning back. However, when it comes to using your Canon EOS R5 with lenses, there is a variety of choices. Therefore, many photographers, both professionals, and beginners chose to stick with the Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM. Still, there’s the amazing standard lens, Canon RF50mm F 1.2L USM, which does a perfect job when it comes to photography types in general.
I would also suggest you get a lens that has good image stabilization, since the Canon EOS R5 does not have that feature built-in.
What is the meaning of native lenses?
In general, the word native means something that is associated with a place that it was first made in. Basically native can be specified as an origin. But, what does that mean on lenses? I mentioned that all of the lenses in this article are fully native.
Some lenses are called native because they are specifically designed from the Canon brand and have an RF mounting they do a perfect job with your Canon EOS R5. They don’t need an adapter to work with, they allow you to have full control over the lens, especially when it comes to the focus. You can use it however you want.
What is a mirror lens?
A mirror lens is a normal type of lens, but has some other functions; it has angled mirrors added to it, and they gather or collect the light on the front part of the lens.
Since in other lenses, the light goes directly to the sensor of the camera, on this one, it differs because it sends the light after fully collected.
What are RF lenses?
The RF letters that you find on lenses tell us the mounting type that a particular lens owns. As you can notice, all the lenses that I mentioned above include RF mounting.
The RF lenses became very popular when the Canon R cameras were firstly launched just like the Canon EOS R5.
Final Words
So, here it is! We came at the end of this article regarding finding the best lens for Canon R5! I tried to add as many lenses as possible and they are all different from one another.
I really hope that this article will help you choose the best lens for Canon R5!
Further Reading
If you are not interested in finding a lens for the Canon EOS R5 but you own a Canon M50 you shouldn’t worry at all because I’ve also written an article regarding the greatest lenses for Canon M50. Also, I would like to tell you some suggestions on the best lenses for Canon T3i.
Enjoy your Canon R5!
Wedding Photographer
From nature to urban landscapes, my camera is my tool for expressing my creativity and telling stories through my lens.
