5 Best Cheap Canon Camera Lenses (2018)

This lens may come at a dirt cheap price, but it can easily help photographers (and even videographers) step their game up considerably. It’s tack-sharp and has solid optics and a solid range. While it can’t be zoomed in while shooting video due to its variable aperture (f4 – 5.6) and it lacks image stabilization, it’s hard to find any fault with this extremely versatile and affordable lens considering the price is this low. If one is looking to take pictures of far away subjects, and even very far away subjects, there’s just no better value way to do so. The lens construction is sturdy and zooming feels great. Also, if one needs stabilization, a three axis gimbal stabilizer can work for both steadying video and stills.

The so-called “nifty fifty” has long been a staple for users looking to shoot great pictures with their Canon camera. Canon took a stab at improving this glass and they’ve succeeded. The nifty fifty with STM (stepper motor) is a knock out. People are loving this classic lens more than ever. The optics haven’t changed too much; but this is probably for the best. The nifty fifty has some of the sharpest, cleanest lines, and lack of chromatic or optical aberration on any Canon lens; it just plain rocks. Some users have said that the optics are slightly better, however. One may be inclined to think that higher image quality can be obtained with say, the 50mm f1.4, but according to DXOmark, this 1.8 is slightly better by their objective testing measures (f1.8 vs f1.4 on DXOmark).

The biggest upgrade here is the compatibility with video autofocus and a much more quiet motor. This is a must have for anyone who wants to shoot tack-sharp portraits (note that it’s 80mm effectively on an APS-C sized sensor. If you don’t have this lens, there’s just no reason not to get it. It’s awesome.

If you’ve ever felt like your camera was just a little bit bigger than you wanted it to be than this pancake lens offers a unique solution and some solid optics to boot. One of two affordable, Canon lenses of this profile, it has a 7 blade aperture and is the lightest lens of the Ef-s series. Another unique feature is that it allows one to use manual focus in one shot AF mode. Users love its tiny size and nice optics. On an APS-C sensor (common in most consumer-level Canon cameras like the Ti series, 60, 70, 80d), this lens is 38mm, meaning it’s not nearly as wide as it sounds at first glance.

If one is looking for a compact fix that is a bit more zoomed into the action than the 40mm f2.8 pancake might be the one for you. Boasting similar traits to the lens above, it has a stepper type AF motor with always available manual focusing. While the minimum focusing distance is a bit far at 11 inches, this lens still can work for some decent quality macro photography.

The optical quality is good enough to take pictures that strongly evoke that classic Windows XP background. What more can one ask?

Praised as a great lens for video, the STM (stepper motor) is particularly quite on this very versatile Canon lens. Users love it for sports photography, video, and being a lens that can pretty much do it all. At this range, there truly are few subjects that will elude you. While this lens is certainly on the pricey end of cheap, its four stops of image stabilization mean it is very viably used for sports photography and catching those tough to nail action shots.