The best Canon telephoto lenses allow you to get close to your subjects, filling the frame to bring out the finest details in as vivid detail as possible. If you're interested in using your Canon camera – mirrorless or DSLR – to shoot subjects like wildlife and sports, then a great telephoto lens is a must. However, they are also useful for other genres like portrait photography, and can even produce great landscapes if used creatively. I've picked out the best for this guide,
All the lenses on this list are ones that have been tested and reviewed by the DCW team – many of them by yours truly! I've split the list up into mirrorless RF lenses for the Canon EOS R system, and a few EF lenses for those sticking with DSLRs (I haven't included EF-M lenses, as Canon is quite clearly letting that system die out).
I've taken performance and price into consideration – I've included plenty of good-value options, and I've restrained myself to just one ultra-expensive pro lens (which I would nevertheless recommend as great lens for day hire). My list is designed to cater to a range of requirements and budgets, and as such it includes relatively small, compact zoom lenses, ultra-powerful super-telephoto lenses, and everything in between.
Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners!
Best Canon telephoto lenses
Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.
Best Canon telephoto lenses for RF mount
I'm starting out with the best RF-mount lenses – these are exclusively made to fit Canon's newer EOS R mirrorless cameras. It's here that you'll find the newest and most advanced lenses, including some very interesting options.
Best RF trinity zoom
Unlike most constant-aperture 70-200mm zooms, this Canon lens for EOS R-series cameras has an inner barrel that extends at longer zoom settings. Typical drawbacks are an increased likelihood of dust being sucked into the lens and the danger of zoom creep. On the plus side, it enables a particularly small stowage size for this class of lens, and it’s relatively lightweight as well, in keeping with EOS mirrorless full-frame cameras.
It’s pricey to buy but high-end attractions include super-fast and silent Dual Nano USM autofocus, 5-stop optical image stabilization, a customizable control ring, and typically pro-grade L-series build quality. Image quality is superb with fabulous sharpness and minimal aberrations.
Read more: Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM review
Features ★★★★☆ | Top features include optical stabilization, super-fast autofocus, a constant f/2.8 aperture and all the handling extras you could wish for. |
Design ★★★★☆ | The telescoping design raises a few eyebrows but the lens is effectively weather-sealed. Unusually, it’s not compatible with Canon’s RF Extenders (teleconverters). |
Performance ★★★★★ | The design of the lens might be unconventional but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with its image quality and all-round performance. |
Value ★★★★☆ | Typical of Canon’s L-series RF lenses, this one is very expensive to buy but still pretty good value. |
Best value RF zoom
The Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM is designed for EOS R-series full-frame bodies, on which it’s an excellent fit, making for a slimline and easily manageable overall package.
Autofocus is super-fast, image stabilization is highly effective and image quality is highly impressive in all respects. The aperture rating of f/8 will be limiting if you need a lens to shoot in low light, but that’s the price you pay for the conveniently downsized design – and the actual price is sensible as well.
Read more: Canon RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM review
Features ★★★★☆ | Powerful telephoto reach with 5.5-stop stabilization and fast Nano USM autofocus are key features. |
Design ★★★★☆ | This telephoto zoom is certainly lightweight and manageable but doesn’t feature weather-seals. |
Performance ★★★★★ | Image quality, autofocus and stabilization are all highly impressive, making this lens a great performer. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s good value at the price but the ‘optional’ lens hood is a pricey extra. |
Best value RF prime
Usually, long telephoto prime lenses are priced at a level putting them well out of reach of the average photographer – five-figure price tags are the norm. However, Canon cleverly bucked the trend with a pair of fixed-aperture prime lenses, this RF 600mm f/11 IS STM, and its more expensive (but still incredibly good value) partner, the Canon RF 800mm f/11 IS STM.
Using ‘diffractive optics’ and a retractable design to shave off as much weight as possible, this lens is also incredibly lightweight for a powerful telephoto prime. It's easily light enough for extended handheld shooting – something that is further aided by the inclusion of an optical stabiliser. Yes, shooting at f/11 and only f/11 does take some getting used to – but for daytime photography, it's perfectly fine, and the super-telephoto focal length means it's still plentifully possible to achieve crisp separation of subject and background. For Canon-using wildlife photographers on a budget, this lens or its 800mm counterpart are definitely ones to consider.
Read more: Canon RF 600mm f/11 IS STM review
Features ★★★☆☆ | Useful features include optical image stabilization and a fast stepping motor autofocus system, but the aperture is fixed at f/11. |
Design ★★★★☆ | The retractable design and lack of aperture control, as well as a the relatively narrow fixed aperture, enable a relatively compact and lightweight build. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | It’s not ideal for low-light photography but autofocus is fast and image quality is pleasing. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s relatively basic for a super-telephoto prime lens but costs a fraction of the price of most competitors. |
Best RF super-telephoto
The Canon RF 100-500mm came to the market as a superb addition to the rapidly expanding range of RF-mount lenses. It combines Canon's legendary L-series build quality with premium optical performance that's up there with the very best Canon zooms we've tested. It's like the older EF 100-400mm zoom but better in every way, and with longer maximum reach.
There is, however, a catch; to really get the most from the AF system – especially for accurate action shots – you’ll need to employ the amazing AF and IBIS on the Canon EOS R5 or Canon EOS R6, or other later models in the R system timeline.
Read more: Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM review
Features ★★★★★ | Headline features include highly effective stabilization, super-fast autofocus and pro-grade handling extras. |
Design ★★★★☆ | Build quality and handling are superb but the widest available aperture is a bit pedestrian at the long end of the zoom range. |
Performance ★★★★★ | Image quality and all-round performance are superb but you’ll need a second-generation EOS R system camera or later to get the best out of this lens. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s a properly expensive L-series RF lens but well worth the money. |
Best RF ultra-telephoto
For a while it felt like Canon was staying out of the big telephoto superzoom fray – until the manufacturer jumped in two-footed with this stunner of a lens. The full-frame Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM achieves staggering reach – which can be bolstered by the 1.4x and 2x teleconverters if desired – while maintaining impressive optical quality, with just a little softness creeping in right at the outer edges of the zoom.
The lens weighs just over 2kg, which is pretty lightweight for an ultra-tele zoom, and puts handheld shooting into play. Compromises do have to be made, of course, and the narrow maximum aperture does mean that you'll need to push the ISO when light levels get even slightly low, as we found in our review.
Read more: Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM review
Features | One range to rule them all, and some solid image stabilization | ★★★★★ |
Design | Weatherproofed reliable Canon build but missing some switches | ★★★★★ |
Performance | Fantastic image quality that only falls short at the longest end | ★★★★ |
Value | A pricey purchase, but offers value for the sheer range this lens covers | ★★★★ |
Best RF travel zoom
With a massive 24-240mm range, this is the lens to go for if you want to carry just one RF lens in your bag – but you still want to be able to shoot things that are both close and far away, from portraits and interiors to landscapes, architecture and even some wildlife.
This isn't one of Canon's L-series lenses, so there's no weather sealing. And, like with all superzoom lenses, there is some compromise on image quality. However, I was still impressed with the results – especially since in-camera corrections help to avoid major aberrations.
The lens also benefits from fast and accurate autofocus and 5 stops of image stabilization – something I definitely appreciate when shooting all the way at 240mm, especially at slightly slower shutter speeds when balancing the narrow apertures.
For anyone who likes to shoot with minimal kit instead of carrying multiple lenses around with you and having to keep changing them, this option may be very welcome indeed – and it won't weigh you down too much.
Read more: Canon RF 24-240mm f/4-6.3 IS USM review
Features ★★★★★ | Top features include a monster 10x zoom range with super-fast Nano USM autofocus and highly effective optical image stabilization. |
Design ★★★★★ | The design is sufficiently compact and lightweight to make this the ideal travel zoom lens for EOS R system cameras. |
Performance ★★★★★ | Image quality and all-round performance are especially good for a ‘superzoom’ lens, redefining what’s possible with this sort of lens. |
Value ★★★★★ | The lens can genuinely replace both a standard zoom and a telephoto zoom in one convenient package, making it great value at the price. |
Best RF pro telephoto prime
Naturally, the price tag of this lens is going to instantly put it out of reach of the majority of photographers. However, if you've got a professional's budget, and you're looking for the best telephoto lens you can get for Canon mirrorless cameras, the combination of superb reach and large aperture make this lens a winning proposition. We've tested it, and it really is just scintillatingly sharp, right across the frame.
Our professional wildlife photographer reviewer Owen Eaton also noted that the lens is surprisingly light for an optic of its class, to the point where it's even lighter than his old faithful DSLR lens, the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 IS USM. The lens delivers snappy autofocus, and its high resolving power provides plenty of latitude for losslessly cropping into images to extend that crazy telephoto reach even further.
Even if you can't afford this lens, it could well be worth hiring for a day's shoot if you've got some once-in-a-lifetime subjects lined up. It's a big boy that requires some careful handling, but it really is the top of the class for Canon EOS R shooters.
Read more: Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM review
Features ★★★★★ | One range to rule them all, and some solid image stabilization | ★★★★★ |
Design ★★★★★ | Weatherproofed reliable Canon build but missing some switches | ★★★★★ |
Performance ★★★★★ | Fantastic image quality that only falls short at the longest end | ★★★★ |
Value ★★★★☆ | A pricey purchase, but offers value for the sheer range this lens covers | ★★★★ |
Best Canon telephoto lenses for EF mount
Read on as I cover the most impressive telephoto lenses for Canon's venerable EF DSLR mount. Remember that these lenses can also be used on EOS R mirrorless cameras via the EF-EOS R adapters, so the choices in this section aren't necessarily just for DSLR users.
Best EF trinity zoom
A staple in any professional photographer’s kit bag, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM combines a flexible telephoto zoom range with a wide constant aperture of f/2.8 for shallow depth of field portraits or maximizing light in dark scenes. 3.5 stops of image stabilization supplement the fast aperture to maintain faster shutter speeds handheld.
The lens benefits from Fluorite and UD optics and improved coatings to combat lens flare, and ghosting, and improve overall contrast and sharpness with minimal chromatic aberration no matter which end of the focal length range you’re shooting in.
Read more: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM review
Features ★★★★★ | Features include super-fast autofocus, highly effective image stabilization and plenty of handling extras. |
Design ★★★★★ | If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it… The lens is essentially the same as the Mark II but with additional optical coatings. |
Performance ★★★★★ | Performance is top-drawer in most respects, although sharpness at the short end of the zoom range could be a little better. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s expensive for a 70-200mm ‘trinity’ zoom lens but well worth the money. |
Best EF super-telephoto zoom
At around twice the price of the (now discontinued) Sigma and Tamron EF-mount 100-400mm lenses, the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM is a more substantial proposition. It’s about 50 percent weightier, comes complete with a tripod mounting ring, and has Canon’s typical L-series pro-grade build quality and weather seals. The Mark II edition of the lens ditches the trombone-style push-pull zoom mechanism and adopts a more conventional twist ring.
However, it still incorporates the adjustable friction damper for the zoom mechanism, as featured on the original lens, which helps to avoid zoom creep. The top-class glass includes fluorite and Super UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements, along with ASC (Air Sphere Coating) to minimize ghosting and flare, and fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. There’s a 4-stop triple-mode image stabilizer and very fast autofocus. All in all, it’s a better lens than the original edition in every respect.
Read more: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM review
Features ★★★★★ | It’s packed full of features, including rapid autofocus, effective stabilization and a torque adjustment for the zoom ring. |
Design ★★★★★ | There are control switches aplenty and, unlike the first edition of the lens, a proper zoom ring rather than a trombone push-pull affair. |
Performance ★★★★★ | The lens is an excellent performer, easing ahead of the previous edition for image quality. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s a chunky telephoto zoom with a heavyweight price tag but is still very good value for money. |
Best EF-S, APS-C telephoto zoom
About half the price of Canon’s now obsolete full-frame EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM telephoto zoom, this EF-S optic for APS-C format bodies is smaller, lighter, and more affordable. It gives a powerful, effective reach of 400mm (in 35mm equivalent terms) at the long end of its zoom range, while at the short end, it picks up neatly where Canon's 18-55mm standard kit lens leaves off. An upgrade over the previous IS II model, the STM lens features redesigned optics and a stepping motor for powering autofocus, instead of a basic electric motor.
I like how the stepping motor enables smooth and virtually silent autofocus transitions that are well-suited to video as well as stills capture. The optical image stabilizer also performs well, with an effectiveness of about 3.5 stops. Handling is an improvement over previous generations of the lens, in that the focus ring no longer rotates during autofocus.
See more: Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM review
Features ★★★★☆ | A stepping motor-based autofocus system and optical image stabilization are the leading features. |
Design ★★★★☆ | It’s quite a basic design but does at least include focus mode and stabilization switches. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Image quality and overall performance are good but short-zoom edge-sharpness could be better. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s good value if not entirely great and as usual with non L-series Canon lenses, you have to buy the hood separately. |
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 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM zoom lens and Canon RF 600mm f/4L IS USM prime lead the way for sharpness, with fabulous lab test results for both of these lenses. The APS-C format Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM brings up the rear.
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 the best Canon telephoto lenses
If you're a serious wildlife or sports photographer then owning a telephoto lens is a must. Telephotos cover a range of common focal lengths, including 70-200mm lenses and 150-600mm lenses, but they all enable you to pick out finer details in the distance and still produce a sharp, clear image. Using a zoom lens also means you don't have to be too close to your subject which is perfect when you're shooting wildlife and you don't want to scare animals away.
Likewise, if you're a sports photographer you'll often be in a defined area so you'll want to make sure you can still capture some great pictures, even if you're on the far side of the track, pitch, or court.
Telephoto lenses have many uses and are great for producing different perspectives to wider options. They have a lot less distortion which makes them great for picking out details in a landscape and the longer focal lengths enable you to achieve greater separation between your subject and background. For this reason, portrait photographers will shoot with a telephoto lens so that they have a beautifully blurred background in their image.
So how do you choose the best camera lenses for you? While there are some incredible Canon lenses, lots of third-party brands such as Tamron or Sigma make equally good lenses that are more affordable. Take the Canon EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS III, for example; it's a professional lens for DSLR photographers but costs $2699/£2000, whereas the equivalent Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 weighs less and is half the price.
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-world testing works best, as each reveals different qualities and characteristics. More on how we test and review here.
Compare prices
