Are all Canon wedding lenses premium-priced and not user-friendly products?
When choosing a Canon wedding lens, pay attention primarily to the optic characteristics of the lens and the technical capabilities of your camera body. Any DSLR camera with almost any lens gives a nice picture in good lighting. But the main problems are frequent changes of location.
The main challenge is the excessive sharpness of the background. To make the picture look beautiful and professional, you need to blur the background. All Canon wedding photography lenses are represented by the L-series of zoom models that provide the necessary aperture range, have a fixed focal length, and offer superior brightness.
The choice of the best Canon lens for wedding photography greatly depends on the photographer in question and their creative goals. However, for this review, I’ve put together such a diverse array of lenses that everyone is bound to find an option to their liking while basing my selection on my past wedding photoshoots.
This Canon lens for wedding photography has high-aperture performance. This is a very versatile and high-quality lens in every sense that is suitable for taking wedding photos from a variety of angles and in different conditions. The first thing I am pleased with is the color rendition; the colors are smooth and deep.
This model is rightfully considered the best wedding lens Canon product in terms of picture quality and autofocus speed/precision. It offers terrific sharpness, unparalleled full-frame contrast even at f/2.8, and is made of top-quality components.
Photo made by Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
This is definitely a good variant for portraits, as it is impossible to find such sharpness, accuracy, and the quality of the image anywhere else. This lens allows you to receive clear portraits that will prominently feature even the tiniest details of your wedding look.
If you’re going to take photos at an open aperture of f/2.8 or f/4, you’ll create a stunning bokeh by blurring the backdrop. The focusing speed of this lens is also incredibly impressive even if you pair it with a slightly outdated camera. Meanwhile, the 3 provided focal lengths make it suitable for working all kinds of events. Additionally, this kit is a perfect choice for Canon cameras for video recording.
Photo made by Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
One of the most prominent lens improvements compared to its predecessor is the optical image stabilizer, which allows taking beautiful and clear group photos of the newlyweds and their guests. This lens shows an excellent image quality, weighs little, and doesn't cost much.
This is the perfect option for outdoor wedding photoshoots, as it supports long-range shooting, which is ideal for ceremonies, wedding parties, and other events. The provided image stabilization further facilitates the universal nature of this lens while the weather protection increases its reliability in different shooting conditions.
Photo made by Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM
This model provides good performance at all aperture settings and is a perfect fit for creative nighttime wedding ceremonies. Its full manual focusing mode gives you ultimate control over the precision of your shots while the offered autofocus system provides terrific results as well.
For handheld shooting without a flash, a shutter speed of 1/30 second is the limit. With longer exposures, there will be a 'blurred' frame. This is a suitable Canon lens for wedding photography, as well as for reportage photography, as its plastic body makes it very light.
Photo made by Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
If you want your photos to encompass as many details as possible (like the decorations, accessories, the wedding cake, bridal jewelry, etc.), then give this lens a shot. With a 2.8 aperture, the lens is quite sharp. When the aperture value is 4, it is very sharp.
Turn the focus ring to switch to the manual focusing. The front part of the frame of the lens doesn't rotate when it is focusing. The images you get have great color and contrast. The lens is resistant to back and side light.
Photo made by Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM
The main features of this wedding Canon lens are a compact size and comfortable ergonomics. At the moment, it is the only brand 100 mm autofocus lens with such a large aperture. That’s why this is the perfect option if you want to take clear, focused photos of all the dances and dynamic events that occur at the wedding.
Moreover, the lens has no Hard stop – when it reaches the extreme positions, the movement becomes a bit tight for a second. It signalizes that we are at the end point, after that it just spins further.
Photo made by Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
This wedding lens especially stands out for its high aperture and, at the same time, affordable price. It is light enough, compact, rapid, very fast, and even full-framed. You can use this lens both for portrait and wedding photography with equal success.
You can shoot everything only with 24-70, which will be enough for some photographers. When paired with Canon cameras it gives a high-quality picture, but the main drawback is the absence of the delightful bokeh, which appears if you shoot with the prime lenses.
Photo made by Canon EF 85mm F/1.8 USM
This is one of the most popular Canon wide angle lenses and a frequent favorite of professionals who are involved in both indoor and outdoor wedding photography. With flash and aperture of 4.0, you can get perfect sharpness. Its autofocus is instantly accurate.
Usually, a wide angle is associated with a rather big distortion, but this is not the case with this variant. Sometimes flares might appear, but they are minor, which is very rare for such an angle. You can easily take photos with a good aperture using your hands if the lighting is bad.
Photo made by Canon EF 14mm f/2.8L II USM
Choose this Canon wedding lens if you like beautiful blur effects or want to take creative shots. The aperture consists of 7 blades, which results in accurate bokeh. The background is blurred in a soft and nice manner.
This lens is packed with fantastic optics that include AD and aspherical components to help you take sharp photos through the entire zoom range to 55mm. Meanwhile, its 1:3 focus ratio allows the lens to create appealing bokeh blur even when working in subpar lighting.
Photo made by Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8
This is a widely-used 50mm lens that is known for its compact, lightweight build and amazing picture quality. Even with a fully open aperture, the image impresses us with its sharpness and the absence of flares.
The quality of the optics used for this Canon lens for weddings lens allows you to enjoy virtually non-existent geometric aberrations (straight lines often appear curved when using an 18-55mm), fantastic results in low-light conditions, and a shallow depth of field (that helps blur the background to ensure the foreground is emphasized as much as possible).
Photo made by Canon 50mm f1.8 ST
If you’re a beginner photographer and are in search of a Canon wedding lens that is suitable for different shooting conditions and genres, then this model will pleasantly surprise you with its performance across the board. It has great autofocus, moisture protection, and a reliable internal structure.
The lens is wide enough to encompass a large scene but isn’t wide to the degree that makes people and other subjects appear distorted when taking photos from a smaller distance. Other than the ability to blur the background, the broad aperture supports a bright viewfinder while also providing the light necessary to take high-precision shots.
Photo made by Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM
During testing, this lens has proven to capture highly-detailed photos, with the resolution being particularly great in the center of the frame even if you use an aperture of f/1.2. But the main feature is its unique pattern, the capability to beautifully blur the background. That’s why it’s often used for capturing outdoor scenes at weddings and other similar events.
Of course, the result depends on the specific situation, but with the proper construction of the shot, its volume, plasticity, and soft and pleasant color rendering will be satisfying. When paired with a Canon DSLR camera, this lens offers a sufficiently high enough focusing speed that will help you quickly adapt to the dynamic scenes you’ll be witnessing during the wedding photoshoot.
Photo made by Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM
IMAGE | NAME | FEATURES | |
---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM
OUR CHOICE
|
CHECK PRICE → | |
![]() |
Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM
FOR PORTRAITS
|
CHECK PRICE → | |
![]() |
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM
GROUP PHOTOS
|
CHECK PRICE → | |
![]() |
Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM
FOR LOW LIGHT
|
CHECK PRICE → | |
![]() |
Canon EF 85mm F/1.8 USM
BUDGET
|
CHECK PRICE → |
Ultimately, you can only choose the best Canon lens for wedding photography after properly evaluating your needs and determining your preferred genre. Base your decision on the way you work during weddings – do you mostly take portrait, group, documentary, or close-up photos? Are you mostly invited to outdoor to indoor wedding celebrations? Answering questions like that will help you make the right choice.
Photography Prime Lenses. This is the best option if you’re interested in getting the best lens for portrait shots. The focal length of such lenses is fixed and you wouldn’t be able to stand still, you’ll have to walk around the subject to get the best shot.
A low aperture makes the shallow depth of field. It means you soften your bride and groom's skin and make the couple pop off the page.
Wide Angle Lenses. The wide angle lens is primarily designed for capturing large outdoor scenes that feature the newlywed couple in the center of the shot. You may use it for indoor shooting, as well as for large group shots. But make sure that you do not have distortions that are very typical for this type of lens.
Telephoto Lenses. This Сanon lens for portraits and wedding photography can “move” you closer to the object in case you are far away and blur the background perfectly, similarly to what a bokeh lens does. Telephoto lenses really help to take natural emotions of people staying invisible and far away from them. Be careful, as you need to use a fast shutter speed or a tripod for these shots.
Classic Zoom Lenses. The main advantage of these lenses is that you don't need to constantly move while shooting to get closer to the subject. Another noteworthy perk is the boosted shooting speed. You’ll be able to quickly go from taking photos at 17mm to 55mm without having to waste time by replacing one lens with another and potentially missing a perfect shot while doing so.
Macro Lenses. They allow you to find the beauty of an event in the little things such as décor, flowers, cakes, etc. However, such models are especially popular as lenses for newborn photography so if you’re interested in that genre as well, purchasing such a model is a must-have.