In this guide, I'm covering the best wide-angle zoom lenses for Canon cameras. That includes RF and RF-S options for mirrorless cameras, plus EF and EF-S zooms for DSLRs. There's a lot to choose from, especially with Canon recently ramping up the number of RF lenses that fit the bill.
Wide-angle zooms are often used for architecture, landscape and interior photography, and in many cases are also preferred by video shooters and vloggers who want to get plenty into the frame while presenting to camera. The wide-angles on this list are some of the best I've tested, and I've made sure to include budget-friendly options as well as premium, professional lenses.
I've put together a quick list of my top choices across the different mounts before getting into the list proper – it's a long list, as my colleagues and I have reviewed a lot of lenses! For more options, you can also see our general guides to the best Canon RF lenses and the best Canon EF lenses.
Matthew Richards is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and he's not easy to impress. A photographer and journalist with many years' experience using and reviewing photo gear, he is ideally placed to recommend the best Canon wide-angles.
Best Canon wide-angle lenses
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Canon RF
Here are the wide-angle zooms for Canon's full-frame EOS R series mirrorless cameras – the latest flagship lenses and professional optics, plus some budget-friendly alternatives.
Best RF wide-angle zoom lens
Canon has taken full advantage of the strengths of the RF mount – chiefly its close proximity between the rear lens element and the sensor – to deliver a lens that's a world first. The RF 10-20mm f/4L IS STM is the widest full-frame rectilinear lens with autofocus, and while yes that is a lot of qualifiers for a record, it's still cool, dammit. The rectilinear design (as opposed to fisheye) means it can keep straight lines straight even in such a wide perspective, making it much more viable for architecture and landscape photography.
Also, by cutting the longer end of the zoom down from 24mm to 20mm, Canon manages to make the RF lens both lighter and cheaper than its EF predecessor, which you'll meet further down the page.
Read our full Canon RF 10-20mm f/4L IS STM review
Features ★★★★★ | The epic (even monstrous) maximum viewing angle is top of the feature list but stabilization and STM autofocus are also included. |
Design ★★★★★ | Build quality is excellent and the design is surprisingly compact and lightweight for such an ultra-wide zoom. |
Performance ★★★★★ | Considering the incredibly immersive perspective, sharpness is impressive across the entire image frame. |
Value ★★★★★ | All things considered, this lens is great value at the price. |
Best trinity RF wide-angle zoom lens
This is a big lens that feels less well matched to a slim-line mirrorless camera body, but the Canon lens certainly goes large on features and handling. The main reason for its price and size is that it’s an f/2.8 constant aperture zoom. As usual for a Canon L-series lens, it has tough, weather-sealed build quality of a pro-grade standard.
Handling bonuses include a 5-stop optical stabilizer, a customizable control ring, and a detachable hood, which enables the fitment of 82mm filters or filter holders. The image quality is gorgeous, although corner sharpness could be a little better when shooting wide-open at the short end of the zoom range.
Read our full Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM review
Features ★★★★☆ | Typical RF attractions include optical stabilization and fast autofocus, this time with a relatively fast and constant f/2.8 aperture. |
Design ★★★★☆ | The design feels chunky and hefty but build quality is excellent, and the lens includes weather-seals and comes with a hood. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Performance is very good although edge-sharpness is ‘acceptable’ rather than entirely great. |
Value ★★★★☆ | Even as a top-grade L-series lens, it’s very expensive to buy and not the best value for money. |
Best landcape RF wide-angle zoom lens
This might look at first glance like simply a cheap version of the RF 15-35mm f/2.8 lens listed above – but dig in deeper, and Canon's RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM reveals itself to be quite a bit more than that. For a start, as you may have noticed it's a little wider, and while 14mm might not sound all that different to 15mm, it can count for a lot in terms of your field of view.
Then you also have that 0.2m close focusing distance, and an absolutely superb stabilisation system, which delivers up to 7 stops effective compensation when paired with a compatible EOS R body. On testing, we managed to get sharp shots while hand-holding the camera for a full 1sec shutter speed.
Read our full Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM review
Features ★★★★★ | Useful features include a removable lens hood and a 77mm filter attachment thread, ideal for landscape photography. |
Design ★★★★★ | The design is a triumph that combines superb build quality with reasonably compact and lightweight convenience. |
Performance ★★★★★ | If you don’t really need a fast f/2.8 aperture rating, this lens is a superb performer in all respects. |
Value ★★★★★ | It’s great value for one of Canon’s most aspirational RF lenses. |
Best compact RF wide-angle zoom lens
The Canon RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM offers up a wide viewing angle for RF users without the hefty cost of Canon's L series glass. There are of course some compromises, with the aperture being quite narrow, which restricts its use in low-light situations.
However, the benefits massively outweigh this with the lens being light and compact, while still offering 5.5-stops of stabilization, which is expanded to 7 stops when used on a compatible body. The lens can also act as a pseudo-macro lens, with 0.52x magnification at 15mm, opening up new creative opportunities. And with Canon's quiet and fast STM motor, this lens is perfect for vlogging and video making.
Read our full Canon RF 15-30mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM review
Features ★★★★☆ | 5.5-stop optical image stabilization combines with fast autofocus and a useful focus/control switch. |
Design ★★★★☆ | The design is comfortably compact and lightweight but lacks weather-seals and the hood is sold separately. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Image quality and all-round performance are very impressive, with good sharpness out to the edges of the frame. |
Value ★★★★★ | It’s unbeatable value for money for a Canon RF ultra-wide zoom, so long as you don’t need a faster aperture rating. |
Best alt trinity RF wide-angle zoom lens
There are growing ranks of alternative ‘trinity’ f/2.8 constant-aperture zoom lenses from various different manufacturers, in all three of the wide-angle, standard and telephoto classes. Not to be left out, Canon has released this RF 16-28mm, which is refreshingly lightweight and easy to live with, yet has that desirable f/2.8 aperture rating that remains available throughout the entire zoom range.
The zoom range itself is comparatively limited, being less ‘wide-angle’ at the short end and more modest at the long end, compared with many wide-angle zooms. However, that’s typically the price you pay for downsizing. And although compact, the lens does squeeze in a 5.5-stop optical stabilizer and stepping motor-based autofocus. Image quality and all-round performance are very satisfying.
Read our full Canon RF 16-28mm f/2.8 IS STM review
Features ★★★★★ | The f/2.8 constant aperture combines with excellent autofocus and stabilization systems. | ★★★★★ |
Design ★★★★☆ | The retractable design won’t be to everyone’s taste but I love it, and appreciate the weather-seals. | ★★★★★ |
Performance ★★★★★ | The lens simply works really well for autofocus speed and accuracy but relies heavily on in-camera corrections. | ★★★★☆ |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s very good value compared with most ‘trinity’ wide-angle zooms but pricier than some similar lenses. | ★★★★☆ |
Canon RF-S
There haven't been many lenses designed specifically for Canon's RF-S mount for APS-C cameras (remember that these cameras can still use full-frame RF lenses). However, this is changing thanks to Canon finally opening up the RF-S mount to third-party manufacturers. This means that RF-S shooters have the option of a Sigma wide-angle zoom, as well as Canon's own lens.
Best RF-S wide-angle zoom lens
We were all waiting a while for Canon to get around to releasing a decent wide zoom for its APS-C mirrorless cameras – and happily, this one is more than decent. In fact, the RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM is really rather good, with consistently good image quality, fast focusing and effective stabilisation – more of a necessity on the APS-C cameras, which tend not to have in-body stabilisation systems.
Indeed, we found little to complain about in our test of the lens. It'll create a fair amount of distortion if left uncorrected, although that's common with many mirrorless lenses that rely heavily on automatic in-camera corrections. Ultimately, this is a solid wide-angle zoom for APS-C EOS R cameras.
Read our full Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM review
Features ★★★★☆ | Effective stepping motor-based autofocus and optical image stabilization are leading features, although the aperture rating is fairly slow. |
Design ★★★★★ | The design is superbly compact and lightweight but doesn’t feature weather-seals and the hood is sold separately. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Image quality and all-round performance are highly impressive for such a small lens, although it relies on automatic in-camera corrections. |
Value ★★★★★ | It’s very good value as a standalone purchase, even better if you buy it as a kit lens with an EOS R-system camera. |
Fastest RF-S wide-angle zoom lens
A third-party wide-angle zoom for RF-S mount – with autofocus, no less – the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN C is a welcome sight indeed. Offering the same focal range as Canon's own RF-S zoom, the Sigma version distinguishes itself with a faster constant f/2.8 aperture. This means off the bat that it's both heavier and more expensive than Canon's 10-18mm lens, with the trade-off of better low-light performance. Sigma also doesn't share Canon's ultra-stingy habit of making you pay extra for a lens hood, so that's nice.
The choice between this and Canon's cheaper 10-18mm RF-S lens is a complicated one. The optical stabilisation on the own-brand lens really is a boon in a number of shooting situations, even on a format as wide as this, and I also like the fact that Canon's lens puts in a decent macro performance with 0.5x magnification, letting you switch to manual focusing and get in super-close. However, Sigma's lens wins out in sheer quality terms, and having an f/2.8 aperture at this price is nothing to sneeze at.
Read our full Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN C review
Features ★★★★☆ | The fast and constant f/2.8 aperture is a key feature but there’s no image stabilization. |
Design ★★★★☆ | The design looks pretty basic but the lens is packed with good glass and fast autofocus. |
Performance ★★★★★ | It’s a great performer and doesn’t rely as heavily on in-camera correction as some. |
Value ★★★★★ | For an ultra-wide-angle, constant-aperture f/2.8 zoom it’s great value for money. |
Canon EF
Users of full-frame Canon DSLRs have no shortage of options when it comes to wide-angle zooms. Here are the ones that have particularly impressed our review team.
Best EF wide-angle zoom lens
If money’s no object, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM is an f/stop faster than this lens, and a darling of the most demanding pro photographers; however, it’s bigger, heavier, lacks image stabilization, and costs twice the price. For an own-brand Canon wide-angle zoom for full-frame cameras, this lens is our favorite. It’s relatively compact and lightweight, has a highly effective 4-stop image stabilizer, and maintains a very high standard of build quality and performance throughout. Like most L-series lenses, it’s robust and weather-sealed, with excellent handling.
Optical highlights include two UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements and Super Spectra coating. Fluorine coatings are also applied to the front and rear elements. Centre-sharpness is spectacular, although it drops off a little more towards the extreme edges and corners of the frame. Color fringing is controlled particularly well, and there’s fairly little barrel and pincushion distortion at the short and long ends of the zoom range respectively.
Read our full Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM review
Features ★★★★★ | Top features include a constant aperture rating, image stabilization and USM autofocus. |
Design ★★★★★ | As an L-series lens, it comes with weather-seals and a lens hood, and the build is robust yet reasonably lightweight. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Image quality and all-round performance are very impressive but edge/corner-sharpness could be a little better. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s good value for a wide-angle zoom of this quality, but still pretty pricey. |
Value EF wide-angle zoom lens
Sigma has really gone to town with wide-angle zooms in its Global Vision lineup, but this lens is the latest and greatest. It has a slightly more modest maximum viewing angle than the 12-24mm Art lens below, but a faster aperture rating; both are practically identical in size and weight. High-tech glass includes an ultra-high-precision moulded glass aspherical front element, combined with three FLD (Fluorite-grade Low Dispersion) and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements.
The lens is immaculately engineered and has a full set of weather seals instead of just a sealed mount. A fluorine coating is applied to repel muck and moisture, while the built-in lens hood gives physical protection to the protruding front element, as well as helping to reduce ghosting and flare. Sharpness and contrast are very impressive even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8, and this lens is virtually distortion-free. Colour fringing is also negligible, even around high-contrast edges towards the extreme corners of the frame. It’s an absolutely stellar lens in every respect.
Read our full Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM | A review
Features ★★★★★ | Typical Sigma DLSR lens features include ring-type ultrasonic autofocus with a physical distance scale under a viewing panel. |
Design ★★★★☆ | Robust build quality includes a weather-sealed mount but the integral hood precludes the easy use of filters. |
Performance ★★★★★ | Image quality is fabulous, from sharpness and clarity to an almost complete lack of distortions. |
Value ★★★★★ | This Sigma lens is standout value for money, especially compared with similar lenses from other camera manufacturers. |
Canon EF-S
If you're using a Canon DSLR with an APS-C sensor, here's the wide-angle zoom to go for. Third-party alternatives have now been discontinued.
Best EF-S wide-angle zoom lens
I prefer this new Canon STM lens to the veteran EF-S 10-22mm, and not just because it’s only about a third of the price. The 10-18mm is wonderfully compact and lightweight for a wide-angle zoom – it’s actually less than half the weight of the competing Sigma APS-C format lenses, so ideally suited to travel photography. The weight saving is partly due to the mounting plate being made from plastic rather than metal, but the lens still feels reasonably robust.
The STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus system is fast for stills and ideal for video capture, delivering smooth focus transitions and being virtually silent in operation. Another advantage over the Canon 10-22mm is that this lens adds image stabilization, which is great for indoor or twilight shooting.
Read our full Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM review
Features ★★★★☆ | Optical image stabilization and stepping motor-driven autofocus are strong features but the lens hood is sold separately. |
Design ★★★★☆ | The lens lacks any weather-seals but is incredibly compact and lightweight for an ultra-wide-angle zoom. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Sharpness and clarity are good, and Super Spectra coatings are on hand to combat ghosting and flare. |
Value ★★★★☆ | The lens gives you a lot of bang for your buck, even adding the ‘optional’ hood into the financial equation. |
Lab data and comparisons
The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. The Canon RF full-frame zooms generally come out on top for sharpness, but the Sigma EF-mount lens also does very well.
Scores for sharpness and color fringing are averaged from data taken across the entire image frame, from the center to the edges and corners, throughout the aperture range. For zoom lenses, the scores are also averaged from data measured at all marked focal lengths, and the same applies to distortion.
Bear in mind that these average values don't fully reflect specific areas of performance. For example, a zoom lens might have noticeable barrel and pincushion distortion at its shortest and longest focal lengths respectively, which tends to average out when looking at the data overall. For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, which give the full picture, check out the graphs in our full standalone lens reviews.
How to choose a Canon wide-angle lens
When picking a wide-angle lens, it's important to think about what kind of photography you want to use it for – and these lenses have quite a few application. A wide-angle can be great for travel photography, for instance, allowing you to accentuate the drama and scale of tall landmarks or dazzling interiors. They can be used to great creative effect, letting you recede the backdrop of an image and dramatically separate the main subject in the foreground. Short focal lengths also introduce a large depth of field, which lets you keep the whole image plane as sharp as possible.
Our guide includes the best wide-angle zooms across all Canon's systems. Naturally, DSLR users with the EF and EF-S lens mounts will have the most choice, as the ranges for EOS M and RF mirrorless cameras are a lot less expansive. Also, users of EOS M, APS-C DSLRs (EF-S) or APS-C RF mirrorless cameras (RF-S) should be aware that the crop factor will affect the perspective of the lens, and if you use a full-frame wide-angle lens on an APS-C camera, you'll lose some of the effect; a 17-40mm full-frame EF lens will behave like a 27-64mm lens on an APS-C camera.
How we test lenses
We test lenses using both real world sample images and lab tests. Our lab tests are carried out scientifically in controlled conditions using the Imatest testing suite, which consists of custom charts and analysis software that measures resolution in line widths/picture height, a measurement widely used in lens and camera testing. We find the combination of lab and real-word testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics.
FAQs
Can I use Canon EF lenses on RF cameras?
Yes – as long as you have an EF-EOS R adapter. This accessory allows EF-mount DSLR lenses to be mounted to EOS R mirrorless camera, in most cases with full functionality of electronic features like stabilisation and autofocus. DSLR lenses can also be mounted to EOS M mirrorless with the EF-EOS M adapter.
This process does not work the other way around however, nor does it work between mirrorless systems – you cannot adapt EF-M lenses to work on EOS R, nor vice versa.
What is a good budget wide-angle lens for Canon RF-mount?
Budget RF lenses aren't exactly commonplace (yet). However, if you don't mind a 'dumb' lens that can't communicate electronically with the camera, Laowa's 12-24mm f/5.6 lens is a good budget option for the system. Until Canon is a bit more open with letting third-party manufacturers develop for its RF-mount, this situation is not likely to change much.
