The best Canon telephoto lenses in 2020: from budget zooms to pro lenses

(Image credit: Nicola Margaret/Getty Images)

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Affordable telephotos
Premium telephotos
Long-range telephotos

Once you're done choosing best Canon camera you then have to face an even greater challenge – picking the best lenses to go with it!

Why buy telephoto lenses? Quite simply it's all about the reach, with telephoto lenses able to push you further and pick out more distant subjects than any other kind. This makes them desirable for all types of photography but essential in particular for sports and wildlife; however, you'll also find them useful if you work in other disciplines. Telephoto lenses produce a different perspective to wider optics, with less distortion, making them desirable for shooting more flattering portraits.

But which to choose? While you'll likely be tempted to stick with Canon, and it's true the firm does make excellent lenses, it's always worth comparing the third-party options, many of which are absolutely fantastic and can also save you a small fortune. For example, there’s no denying that the newer Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS III USM is a top-class, professional-grade lens. But in some respects, the Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 is even better and costs little more than half the price.

In this guide, we’ll be choosing the best-buy telephoto lenses in terms of price and performance. We’ll be catering to a wide range of requirements and budgets, from relatively small, compact telephoto zooms right up to powerful super-telephoto lenses.

However, we’ll be stopping short of ultra-telephoto 150-600mm lenses, which you’ll find in our separate 150-600mm lens buyers’ guide here.

Affordable telephotos

1. Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

The best APS-C format EF-S lens for Canon

Very compact and lightweight

Virtually silent autofocus system

Plastic rather than metal mounting plate

Lens hood costs extra

Proving that telephoto lenses don’t have to be heavy, the Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM weighs just 375g. Part of the weight loss is due to it having a plastic rather than metal mounting plate, but it’s also downsized because it’s specifically designed for APS-C format DSLRs.

As such, it only produces a relatively small image circle and the lens isn’t compatible with full-frame DSLRs. More sophisticated than the IS II model that it replaces, this latest edition has a virtually silent STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus system which is faster for stills and gives smoother autofocus transitions for movie capture.

It’s attractively priced, but as usual with Canon’s non-L-series lenses, you need to buy the hood separately.

2. Tamron 70-210mm f/4 Di VC USD

The best value 70-200mm lens for Canon DSLRs

Much lighter than 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses

Great all-round performance and image quality

It’s an f/stop slower than f/2.8 lenses

Optical stabilizer is good rather than great

The longest focal length of the Tamron 70-210mm F/4 Di VC USD stretches marginally further than conventional 70-200mm lenses, and while it’s full-frame compatible, the lens gives a powerful zoom range of 112-336mm on APS-C format Canon DSLRs. It’s a little heavier than Canon’s latest 70-200mm f/4 IS lens, but still much lighter than f/2.8 lenses.

As usual with this class of constant-aperture telephoto zoom, the physical length of the lens remains fixed throughout the zoom range. The build includes weather-seals and a fluorine coating on the front element, although the 4-stop stabilizer is slightly less effective than that of Canon’s latest equivalent lens, and it only has a single operating mode.

Autofocus speed and image quality are highly impressive, and a tripod mounting ring is available as an optional extra.

3. Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM

The best buy 70-300mm for Canon DSLRs

Impressive autofocus and stabilization

Smart LCD info display

Good performance & features

Powerful reach for the price

Hood costs extra

Lacks weather seals

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.

4. Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD

A good lens at a great price

Fast autofocus and good stabilization

Features a focus-distance scale

Not weather-sealed

Pricier than non-stabilized lenses

This isn’t the cheapest 70-300mm lens on the market, as both Sigma and Tamron make cheaper non-stabilized options.

However, it adds fast and highly effective ring-type ultrasonic autofocus, which improves performance and handling, and includes the bonus of optical image stabilization. Both of these features tend to be lacking in cheaper 70-300mm lenses.

Given that Canon DSLRs don’t feature sensor-shift stabilization for shooting stills, stabilization is practically a ‘must-have’ feature for handheld telephoto shooting. Although it’s not weather-sealed, the Tamron is very well built for such an inexpensive lens.

It also delivers very good image quality with impressive sharpness and contrast. Unlike Canon’s similarly priced lenses, the Tamron comes complete with a hood.

Premium telephotos

5. Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2

Pro-grade performance at half the price

Super-fast autofocus system

Excellent triple-mode stabiliser

Brilliant performance and image quality

Typically weighty for a 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom

While the latest edition of Canon’s own 70-200mm f/2.8 stabilized zoom is only a minor refresh of the previous version, Tamron’s SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 (Generation 2) lens benefits from a major revamp.

The new lightning-fast autofocus system is based on dual microprocessors. There’s also a class-leading image stabilizer with 5-stop performance, and it gains two additional operating modes. The three switchable modes are for static and panning shots, plus an option that only applies stabilization during actual exposures, rather than affecting the viewfinder image.

This makes it easier to track erratically moving objects. Unlike the previous edition of the lens, the G2 is also compatible with Tamron’s new tele-converters, which are also extremely good.

6. Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM

The new Mark II punches above its weight

Tough yet lightweight build

Superior autofocus and stabilization

Pricier than some 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses

Optional tripod mount ring is expensive

New and improved in 2018, the Mark II edition of Canon’s stabilized 70-200mm f/4 lens has an upgraded optical design for improved image quality.

As well as new glass elements in a different configuration, the coatings are more refined, to help fend off ghosting and flare. Fluorine coatings are also added to the front and rear elements, to repel moisture and grease, and to aid easy cleaning. Similar in performance to Tamron’s 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, the optical stabilizer has a 5-stop rating and three switchable operating modes.

Image quality is excellent and handling benefits from the lens only being about half the weight of most 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses. A tripod mounting ring is available as an optional extra, but the genuine Canon ring is pricey to buy.

7. Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM

Superb performance for a 70-300mm lens

Excellent weather-sealed build quality

Supplied complete with a hood

Heavy for a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens

Optional tripod mounting ring is pricey

At first it’s hard to see the attraction of a souped-up 70-300mm lens that has the same f/4-5.6 variable aperture rating as most ‘budget’ telephoto zooms on the market.

However, this L-series Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS USM lens is typically well-built with a robust and weather-sealed construction. Attractions include a 4-stop image stabilizer with switchable static and panning modes, plus super-fast ring-type ultrasonic autofocus. Image quality is fabulous, helped by the inclusion of two UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements.

All in all, the lens is a good choice for action sports and wildlife photography, whatever the weather, especially when you need a bit more telephoto reach than a 70-200mm lens can deliver. An optional tripod mounting ring is available but it’s typically pricey. At least, unlike other Canon 70-300mm lenses, this one is supplied with a hood.

Long-range telephotos

8. Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD

More reach for less money

Powerful telephoto reach

Reasonably light in build and price

Slow f/6.3 aperture rating at 400mm

Tripod mounting ring sold separately

Weighing in at just over a kilogram, the recently launched Tamron 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD only weighs about two-thirds as much as most 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses, but delivers twice the telephoto reach.

It’s a particularly attractive option for photographers who have traded up from an APS-C body to a full-frame camera, and are missing the extra ‘effective’ reach of a 70-300mm lens with a 1.6x crop factor. Well made, the Tamron feels sturdy and incorporates weather-seals.

Handling is refined with super-fast autofocus, a 4-stop dual-mode stabilizer and an autofocus limiter switch that can lock out either the short or long end of the focusing range. Image quality is excellent, on a par with Canon’s much pricier and heavier 100-400mm lens.

9. Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM

Big, strong and very long - loved by pro wildlife photographers

Fully pro-grade build and handling

Very good all-round performance

Big and heavy

Expensive to buy

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 per cent 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. 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.

10. Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM | C

Surprisingly compact and great value for a 100-400mm zoom

Small and light for a 100-400mm lens

Great handling and performance

No optional tripod mounting ring

Lacks a full set of weather seals

Slightly smaller and more lightweight than the competing Tamron lens, and much more compact than the Canon, Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ class 100-400mm zoom nevertheless feels very well built.

The zoom and focus rings work with a smooth, fluid feel and you can also operate the zoom mechanism with a push-pull action. Indeed, the supplied lens hood is specially shaped for this purpose.

High-quality optics incorporate four SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements, while up-market features include extremely quick ring-type ultrasonic autofocus with three switchable focus modes. As such, you can give priority to either automatic or manual override in dual-mode AF, as well as selecting a purely MF setting. You can also apply custom settings to the new-generation image stabilizer and autofocus system, via Sigma’s optional USB Dock.

In our tests, the Sigma proved marginally less sharp than the competing Tamron 100-400mm but there’s very little in it, and the level of customisation is superior. One disappointment, however, is that no optional tripod mounting ring is available for the Sigma.