The best Canon telephoto lenses: for your DSLR or EOS R series camera

With the best Canon telephoto lenses, you can really fill the frame, getting closer than ever to bring out the finest details of the most elusive subjects. I've focused on telephoto zooms for this guide, featuring lenses that give you as much versatility as possible. That holds true when you're shooting sports, action, wildlife, portraits, and even landscapes.

There are three distinct types of Canon camera, each with a different lens mount. The best RF lenses pair with Canon's mirrorless range of EOS R cameras; the best EF lenses are for Canon DSLRs, though can be adapted to fit EOS R; and EF-M lenses pair with Canon's slimline mirrorless range of EOS M cameras. However, the EOS M system has largely died out, especially now that APS-C format EOS R cameras have taken over.

I've therefore aimed to compile the best Canon telephoto lenses, taking performance and price into consideration – one big reason I've focused on zooms rather than primes is that telephoto primes tend to be very, very expensive, suited only to serious professionals. My list is intended 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

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!

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Best Canon telephoto lenses

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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, both full-frame and APS-C. It's here that you'll find the newest and most advanced lenses, including some interesting new 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 our full Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM review for more details

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 our full Canon RF 100-400mm F5.6-8 IS USM review for more details

Best RF super-telephoto

The Canon RF 100-500mm is 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. 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. Shoot with this lens on the older Canon EOS R or Canon EOS RP and you can expect AF to be noticeably more sluggish, which is somewhat disappointing when you've just dropped big money on a lens like this.

Read our full Canon RF 100-500mm F4.5-7.1L IS USM review for more details

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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. It weighs just over 2kg, which for a lens of its type is not bad, 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 our full Canon RF 200-800mm f/6.3-9 IS USM review for the full picture.

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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

Sigma really pushed the boat out when designing this fast, constant-aperture zoom. From the ‘Sports’ line-up of Global Vision lenses, it goes large on speed and performance, as well as physical size. Autofocus is courtesy of a rapid ring-type ultrasonic system, and comes complete with AF on/hold buttons on the barrel, the action of which can be customized in recent mid-range and up-market Canon DSLRs.

The full range of automatic lens aberration corrections is also available, and two switchable dedicated custom modes can be set up with Sigma’s optional USB Dock. The lens is super-sharp even when shooting wide-open, helped in real terms by a highly effective optical stabilizer. The only real downsides are that it’s big and weighty for a 70-200mm zoom, and only the tripod mounting foot is removable (via four Allen screws) rather than the complete mounting ring.

Read our full Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | S review for more details

Best value EF zoom

A massive improvement over the original Canon 70-300mm IS USM, this Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM has a much faster Nano USM autofocus system that’s virtually silent, yet gives smooth transitions for video capture.

It’s like the best of ultrasonic and stepping motor systems rolled into one and, unlike in the previous lens, the focus ring no longer rotates during autofocus. The image stabilizer is also much improved, with a 4-stop rating, and image quality is much sharper with better contrast.

Another nice touch is that there’s an LCD screen on the barrel with a pushbutton for cycling through display modes. These include focus distance and depth of field, effective focal length on an APS-C format camera, and the current level of vibration.

Shockingly the lens hood for this lens is sold separately - but save yourself money by buying a third-party version, which is much better value than the Canon ET-74B original.

Read our full Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM review for more details

Best EF super-telephoto

At around twice the price of the Sigma and Tamron 100-400mm lenses on the market, 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 our full Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM review for more details

Lab data and comparisons

The graphs below show the comparative performance of the lenses in this guide, based on our in-house lab tests. As expected, the premium Canon RF 70-200mm and 100-500mm L-series lenses lead the way for sharpness, although the EF-mount Canon and Sigma lenses still do pretty well. All of the lenses in the group do quite well to minimize distortions and color fringing.

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.