The illustrious line of Canon EOS R6 cameras have been a hybrid shooter’s delight, right from the start. The latest EOS R6 Mark III edition raises the bar, with 32.5MP resolution for stills and 7K 60p internal RAW video capability along with 7K open gate capture. It’s a real powerhouse of a camera, equally adept at stills and video and excelling when you need to shoot both, for example with wedding and event photography, sports and wildlife, and more besides. So what lenses do you need to get the most out of what the body has to offer?
Standard, wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses are always top options for versatility, and you’ll need ones that are sharp enough to do justice to that 32.5MP full-frame image sensor. I’ve picked the ones that I feel are the best fit for the camera, in terms of performance and purchase prices. In my colleague’s guide to the best lenses for the Canon EOS R6 and R6 Mark II, he chose some of Canon’s very finest, top-dollar lenses, but most of us are having to be careful with budgets these days, so I’ve gone for lenses that are definitely up to the task but are more affordable to buy.
Bokeh has become something of a buzzword lately, so I’ve also picked some relatively fast primes that deliver wide, standard and telephoto perspectives, ideal for general shooting and lastly for portraiture and even macro photography. And despite being own-brand Canon RF lenses, some of them are great value for money as well. Let’s take a closer look.
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!
The Quick List
Relatively compact and lightweight but with a constant f/2.8 aperture, I think this is the best everyday lens for the EOS R6 Mark III. Read more below…
I love this ultra-wide zoom for everything from cityscapes and landscapes to architectural interiors, at an attractive price. Read more below…
For action, sports and wildlife, this lens makes the most of the advanced autofocus tech of the EOS R6 Mark III, and it's comfortably lightweight. Read more below…
An expansive but not overly wide perspective along with a fast f/1.8 aperture, stabilization and 0.5x macro make this lens massively versatile. Read more below…
I love the natural perspective, fast aperture, ultra-compact design and impressive image quality of this lens, and it's a bargain at the price. Read more below…
I think this lens works great for portraiture, still life and more besides, with lovely bokeh, as well as having a 0.5x macro capability. Read more below…
Best lenses for the EOS R6 Mark III
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Best standard zoom for the EOS R6 Mark III
There are certainly many RF-mount standard zoom lenses to choose from but this one ticks all the right boxes, as far as I’m concerned. Sure, it’s a little lacking in wide-angle coverage and telephoto reach isn’t the most generous. However, I can easily forgive that, taking into account its relatively fast, constant f/2.8 aperture. It’s a major bonus in my books, enabling a tighter depth of field and faster shutter speeds under low lighting conditions. And whereas most ‘trinity’ f/2.8 standard zooms are big and hefty, this one is refreshingly compact and lightweight.
Other ticks on my wish list include highly effective 5.5-stop optical image stabilization, fast and virtually silent autofocus which is ideal for both stills and video, and good handling characteristics. Unlike most regular rather than L-series Canon lenses, this one also includes weather-seals. And the overall build quality feels strong and robust, ideal for everyday shooting.
As with any lens, image quality is the bottom line. For a standard zoom, this one delivers impressive sharpness, combined with attractively smooth bokeh. It’s a very easy lens to live with and good value at the price.
Read more: Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.8 IS STM review
Features ★★★★★ | Appealing features include linear stepping motor autofocus, optical stabilization and a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture. |
Design ★★★★★ | What’s not to love about a retractable design? I do like being able to stow lenses away in small spaces and I also like the weather-sealed build. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | It’s mostly excellent but as is often the case, this ‘mirrorless’ lens relies quite heavily on in-camera corrections. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s good value but similar lenses in other mount options are often less expensive to buy. |
Best wide-angle zoom for the EOS R6 Mark III
I find that this ultra-wide-angle zoom is brilliant for travel, interiors and landscapes, combining very wide angles of view with a lightweight build, at a very competitive price.
I love the way that the Canon EOS R system caters to my budget. It includes a growing number of relatively affordable non-professional lenses which are also very good. Indeed, Canon RF consumer lenses are often significantly less expensive than those from other brands. This ultra-wide Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM zoom is a perfect case in point.
Canon hasn't skimped on features either, which include highly effective optical stabilization. The maximum aperture is a little limited at f/4.5-6.3, but it's easy to forgive that given this lens's price and portability.
Read more: Canon RF 15-30mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM review
Features ★★★★☆ | Desirable features include 5.5-stop optical stabilization and a customizable control ring. |
Design ★★★★☆ | It’s good overall but there are no weather-seals and the hood is sold separately. |
Performance ★★★★★ | There’s fast autofocus performance and excellent image quality, boosted by automatic in-camera corrections. |
Value ★★★★★ | It’s great value for an own-brand Canon RF lens with this kind of performance. |
Best telephoto zoom for the EOS R6 Mark III
The fast maximum drive rate and highly advanced autofocus system of the EOS R6 Mark III, with its subject recognition, make it a great camera for sports and wildlife photography. There are plenty of telephoto and super-telephoto lenses to choose from but they're often big, heavyweights and feel very cumbersome.
I love the relatively lightweight build of the Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 IS USM, which literally takes a load off for long periods of sports and wildlife shooting. Even so, it has a powerful 4x zoom range, which really covers the distance when I can't get as close to subjects as I'd like. It's also very affordable for this type of lens.
The only potential downsides are that the lens doesn't have weather-seals, so you might need to invest in a cover, and the hood is sold separately. The widest aperture is rather narrow at the long end of the zoom range but the EOS R6 Mark III has excellent high-ISO performance.
Read more: Canon RF 100-400mm f/5.6-8 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 wide-angle prime for the EOS R6 Mark III
Many photographers consider a 35mm prime lens to give a wide-angle view, but I find that 24mm works better in many shooting scenarios, with a full-frame camera like the EOS R6 Mark III. The generous perspective enables me to get expansive views into the image frame, as well as giving me the ability to exaggerate perspective between foreground and background areas. And with the RF 28-70mm being my first choice of standard zoom for this camera, the 24mm prime gives a sizeable step up in wide-angle coverage.
I’ve tended to pick compact and lightweight lenses for this buying guide, and the RF 24mm is no exception. It’s not only conveniently compact and lightweight when shooting, but the whole collection of lenses is relatively manageable when I’m carrying them in a photo backpack.
I like that the lens features optical image stabilization which works particularly well even for extreme close-ups, and the lens actually excels at this with a 0.5x macro facility. I think it really comes to the fore, however, for street photography and general walkabout shooting.
Read more: Canon RF 24mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM review
Features ★★★★★ | Top features include a fast f/1.8 aperture rating, optical stabilization and even a 0.5x macro facility. |
Design ★★★★☆ | The design is refreshingly compact and lightweight but the lens lacks any weather-seals. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | Autofocus is fast and assured and center-sharpness is impressive, less so at the edges and corners. |
Value ★★★★☆ | This lens is pretty god value at the price but you’ll have to buy the hood separately. |
Best standard prime for the EOS R6 Mark III
I've always thought that a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera gives an entirely natural perspective, similar to that of the human eye, and I'm certrainly not the only one. Camera manufacturers have long included an inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 lens in their line-ups, and this is Canon's latest and greatest.
There's nothing cheap about the build quality, handling or optical performance of the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM. It has a metal mounting plate, smooth controls and a recessed front element that means a lens hood isn't a 'must have' item.
The lens has no image stabilization, but that's no problem here as the EOS R6 Mark III has excellent in-body stabilization anyway. What it does have is a compact, lightweight design, strong optical quality and a price tag which makes it hard to resist.
Read more: Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM review
Features ★★★★☆ | The feature set is pretty basic but includes STM autofocus and a switchable focus/control ring. |
Design ★★★★☆ | I love the compact and lightweight yet robust build of this lens but it lacks any weather-seals. |
Performance ★★★★☆ | It’s not up to the standard of Canon’s top L-series lenses but punches well above its weight for image quality. |
Value ★★★★★ | The bargain basement price of this lens makes it a no-brainer for both full-frame and APS-C format EOS R-system cameras. |
Best portrait prime for the EOS R6 Mark III
For me, portraiture is a key element of photography, whether it's formal or casual shots, or weddings and events. An 85mm 'portrait' lens is one of my kit bag essentials, and I've often gone for fast f/1.2, f/1.4 or f/1.8 apertures for a really tight depth of field.
The Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM looks like it falls slightly short in the aperture stakes but in practice, I find that the f/2 aperture gives a perfectly shallow depth of field for isolating portrait subjects within a scene by blurring fussy backgrounds. The lens actually combines excellent brightness with beautifully dreamy bokeh.
The 0.5x macro magnification for extreme close-ups adds versatility and, although some of Canon's other RF primes have this facility, the longer focal length of the 85mm lens gives a more comfortable working distance. All in all, it's compact, lightweight, affordable and a great lens for the EOS R6 Mark III.
Read more: Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM review
Features ★★★★★ | Smart features include STM autofocus, optical stabilization and 0.5x macro magnification. |
Design ★★★★★ | Small but beautifully built, the design and construction are excellent, complete with switchable focus/control ring. |
Performance ★★★★★ | This lens works wonderfully well for portraiture, still life, general shooting and extreme close-ups. |
Value ★★★★☆ | It’s very good value for money but as with other Canon non-L-series lenses, you need 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. Sharpness results are generally very good across the board although the RF 85mm leads the way and the RF 100-400mm is the least impressive. The distortion figures flatter some of the zoom lenses, as the scores are averaged out across the entire zoom range.
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 distortion at its shortest focal length, which is less obvious when everything is averaged out. For more detailed graphs of each lens's performance, take a look at the graphs published in our full standalone reviews.
How to choose the best lens for the Canon EOS R6 Mark III
Do all Canon lenses fit the EOS R6 Mark III?
The EOS R6 Mark III uses the Canon RF mount, which means it works with all RF and RF-S lenses. RF lenses are designed for use with full-frame Canon cameras like the R6 Mark III, and there are lots to choose from. RF-S lenses are made with APS-C Canon cameras like the R10 in mind. However, you can use RF-S lenses on the R6 Mark III in 'Crop Mode', resulting in a 1.6x extension in 'effective' focal length.
The EOS R6 Mark III can also use Canon's older EF and EF-S lenses for DLSRs, but you have to buy a Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R to fit the lenses. Not all EF and EF-S mount lenses from third-party lens manufacturers work on EOS R system cameras.
The R6 Mark III can’t use EF-M lenses, which are made for the Canon EOS M series of cameras, as there's no available adaptor.
How do I know which lenses to get for my EOS R6 Mark III?
The reason there are so many types of lens in the first place is that different scenes demand different lens designs, particularly when it comes to focal length and aperture rating.
Usually, you will decide what you want to photograph, then get a lens with the focal length that suits the situation. For example, to shoot landscapes you will need a wide-angle lens, while for sports and wildlife you will need a telephoto.
You can watch this video that explains focal length: it helps you work out what kind of lenses you need for different genres of photography.
How we test lenses
The lens experts in our testing lab run a range of tests under controlled conditions, using the Imatest Master testing suite. Photos of test charts are taken across the range of apertures and zooms (where available), then analyzed for sharpness, distortion and chromatic aberrations.
We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the centre of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths.
There's more to it than just the technical side, though! Beyond the lab, our reviewers test lenses in real-world environments – and sometimes on professional shoots! We work with lenses both indoors and outdoors, in studio conditions and in natural light, with as many different subjects as is possible (or appropriate – there's no point testing a landscape lens' ability to shoot a portrait!).
We take into account everything from handling and ease of use to speed of autofocus and the overall quality of the images produced.
Find out more about how we test and review on Digital Camera World
