Best Canon Telephoto Lens 2023: Top 10 Picks

Sometimes it might be quite difficult to find the best canon telephoto lens. With every niche market offering so many different products, it makes sense that this is the case.

Unfortunately, this very fact can make it incredibly difficult to find the item that best suits your needs, which is why we’ve put together this canon telephoto lens buying guide.

Our Best Picks:

10 Top Canon Telephoto Lens Reviews:

SaleBestseller No. 2
Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM Lens for Canon
  • Lightweight and compact in construction for higher useability
  • Water and oil repellent coating on front glass element makes maintenance of the lens surface
  • Filter Size: 95mm
  • Minimum focusing distance : 280 cm/110.2 inches, focal length :150-600mm
SaleBestseller No. 3
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, 6473A003 (Renewed)
  • EF Mount; Aperture Range: f/4-45; DC Autofocus Motor; 4.9' Minimum Focus Distance; 58mm Filter Thread Diameter
  • 4.9-foot closest focusing distance; 32- to 8-degree diagonal angle of view
  • Measures 2.8 inches in diameter and 4.8 inches long; weighs 16.8 ounces
  • Improved mechanism makes zooming smoother; front part of zoom ring sports silver ring.
Bestseller No. 4
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras, White - 3044C002
  • Constant f 2.8 Maximum Aperture throughout Entire Zoom Range.
  • Canon’s Air Sphere Coating (ASC) Minimizes Ghosting and Flare.
  • Optical Image Stabilization at up to 3.5 Stops of Shake Correction.
  • Fluorine Coating on Front and Rear Elements to Help Reduce Smears and Fingerprints.
  • Highly Resistant to Dust and Water, and Improved Durability Even in Harsh Conditions. Inner Focusing System with Ring Ultrasonic Motor. Full-time Manual Focus. One Fluorite Element and Five UD Elements for High Image Quality. Minimum Focusing Distance of 3.9 feet, 1.2 meter. Diagonal Angle of View: 34° - 12°
SaleBestseller No. 5
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
  • 100-400mm telephoto zoom lens with f/4.5 maximum aperture for Canon SLR cameras
  • 2 Image Stabilizer modes make it easy to capture far-off action or close-in portraits
  • Flourite and Super UD-glass elements largely eliminate secondary spectrum
  • Compatibility with extenders 1.4x II and 2x II; 5.9-foot close focusing distance
  • Measures 3.6 inches in diameter and 7.4 inches long; 1-year warranty
Bestseller No. 6
Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 is STM
  • High magnification, compact and lightweight EF-S telephoto zoom lens with Image Stabilization for up to 3.5 equivalent stops of shake correction. Based on CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) standards. Testing performed using EOS 7D at focal length of 250 millimeter (400 millimeter in 35 millimeter equivalence).
  • One UD lens element reduces chromatic aberration throughout the zoom range, for excellent image quality with high resolution and contrast.
  • New six-group zoom system provides a compact design while achieving a maximum magnification of 0.29x at the telephoto end.
  • Minimum focusing distance: 2.79 feet; 0.85 meter (full zoom range).
  • Kit Inlcudes lens, lens cap E-58II, lens dust cap E, instruction book, warranty card
Bestseller No. 7
Canon RF100-400mm F5.6-8 is USM
  • Compact, lightweight and high-image quality RF tele zoom lens, with a versatile zoom range of 100-400mm
  • Optical Image Stabilizer with up to 5.5 Stops of shake correction
  • Up to 6 stops of shake correction when paired with EOS R series cameras featuring In-Body Image Stabilizer (IBIS)
  • Minimum focusing distance of 2.89 feet at 200mm and maximum magnification of 0.41x at 400mm
  • High speed, smooth and quiet autofocus with Canon’s Nano USM
Bestseller No. 8
Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L is USM Lens, Telephoto Zoom Lens, 3792C002
  • High image quality and bright f/2.8 aperture telephoto zoom RF L lens.
  • Compact and lightweight.
  • Optical image stabilization with up to 5 Stops* of shake correction
  • High speed, smooth and quiet autofocus with dual Nano USM.
  • Minimum focusing distance of 2.3 ft. by 0.7 M.
SaleBestseller No. 9
Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM UD Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras
  • Impressive focal range.Diagonal Angle of View 34° - 8° 15'
  • Travel friendly size, packs small and stays small with a manual lock switch on side of barrel. Note: lens can only be locked at 70mm range as it is for travel only. Focal Length & Maximum Aperture: 70-300mm 1:4-5.6
  • Focus Adjustment Type - lens extension via inner focusing focus cam, plus floating mechanism.Closest Focusing Distance: 1.2m/ 3.9ft
  • Note that when the inner lens is fully extended (300mm) it's approximately 8.25" in overall length. The 5.6" measurement is at the 70mm range when lens is closed/locked.
  • Suitable for Nature/ landscape/ sports/ travel photography

Last update on 2023-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

How to find the best canon telephoto lens?

Here, we’ll be going over a number of factors that you can use to ensure that you’re purchasing the best canon telephoto lens for you.

Regardless of which type of item you’re looking to buy, chances are that there are existing buying guides on the internet, all of which aim to give you good canon telephoto lens recommendations.

Despite these recommendations, however, it’s always a good idea to do your own research. In addition to this research, asking yourself the following questions is also super helpful:

  • What features does the canon telephoto lens need to have to be perfect for my needs?
  • What is my budget?
  • Do I need to purchase a certain brand?

Once you’ve answered these questions and have a good idea of what you’re looking for and the buying process becomes much easier. Keep in mind that when looking for the best product, there’s no need to rush. In fact, very rarely are the ideal products found by choosing the first one you see or by basing your decisions on only one factor. Take your time and enjoy the process!

Now, with the answers to the previous questions in mind, we urge you to use our upcoming buying guide for canon telephoto lens to find what you’re looking for:

Brand

In some cases, the brand of canon telephoto lens is very important. For example, if you’re looking for an item that works in tandem with another, you might very well need both products to be the same brand. If this is the case, it’s vital to pay attention to this factor, as choosing the wrong product can mean the difference between wasting your money and buying a great product that functions as it should.

Features

The features in any given canon telephoto lens are important because they can dictate which version of an item you need and how much money you need to spend. Consider all the key features that you want your item to have and don’t settle for anything that doesn’t check at least ¾ of your boxes.

Reviews

Customer reviews about canon telephoto lens are crucial – especially when you’re buying a product that costs a lot of money or serves a big importance. Luckily, most products can be found online, which means that it’s common for there to be scores of customer reviews from those who have already purchased any given product.

Pay attention to these reviews. Take note of the pros and cons that they mention, and factor these into your big decision. In some cases, you’ll be forced to sacrifice one con in order to gain a particular pro, but being aware of the potential con is going to be beneficial in either case.

Quality

Of course, quality is key. You don’t want to purchase a low-quality product. If you do, you run the risk of your item breaking, not working properly, or otherwise proving to be very disappointing, as well as a waste of money.

You can compare canon telephoto lens quality by researching what your potential purchases are made from, contrasting the individual items against each other to discern which one is made of the best materials.

Warranty

Warranty isn’t always going to be important, but it definitely can be. This is especially true if the item in question is tech-related or expensive. A good warranty will be valid for an extended time after purchase and cover a variety of problems ranging from item defects to random accidents, water damage, and other miscellaneous events that could ruin your product.

Conclusion

The quest to find the best canon telephoto lens can be daunting – but it doesn’t have to be. It can be made much easier by asking yourself a few simple questions and then thinking critically about the items you want to buy. Consider their features, quality, brand, warranty, and customer reviews and you’re more likely to make a great purchase.