Best Lenses for Canon T5i

Check out our list of best lenses for the Canon T5i, from prime to zoom lenses covering both wide and telephoto ranges. Want to buy a new lens for your Canon T5i but don’t know what’s important and what to look for?

You probably want something that will allow you to get that professional look, but without breaking the bank. Worry not, as there are so many affordable options that outperform their more expensive competitors.

All of the lenses below have great image quality, are easy to use/useful for many situations and are friendly on your wallet. They’re also one of the most popular Canon lenses, which is a great sign that they know what they’re doing and photographers love it.

Canon T5i Prime lenses we covered:
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM
Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

Canon T5i Zoom lenses we covered:
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM
Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM

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Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM

The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is the best-selling lens from Canon, which already says a lot. It’s affordable, compact and delivers high quality images so it’s a great lens to pair with your T5i.

It’s amazing for low light photography because the maximum f/1.8 gathers a ton of light, meaning you’ll be able to shoot at night without getting so many blurred images.

Another reason why f/1.8 is so good is because it allows you to completely blur the background, making your subject stand out (called shallow depth of field). It’s the easiest and quickest way to make your shots look professional.

Auto focus is quick, silent and accurate thanks to STM (Stepping Motor), which is also a plus for videographers because you won’t have any noise from auto focusing in your videos.

Who is this lens good for? Everyone. The 50mm focal length is truly good for almost all types of photography, from food, portrait, street, product, low light, animal, to sports and travel photography.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM

The Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is a “pancake” like lens because of its looks. It’s light, super short and simple to carry around (you’ll forget you have it with you).

While it looks like a lot of it is missing, that’s not the case with its performance. Great colors, sharpness and quality, and fast auto focus. It’s a lot of wider than the 50mm above and comes with a slightly smaller aperture (f/2.8), but that’s still considered big.

Who is this lens for? It’s great for landscape shooters, club/indoor photographers and street/travel photographers.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

How to describe the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM? Beautiful colors, razor sharp images, superb quality, creamy bokeh and most importantly, affordable! If you buy this for your Canon T5i you get one of the sharpest prime lenses Canon has ever made.

Featuring an Ultra Sonic Motor, it’ll quickly focus on your subject even in darker conditions. With f/1.8 and 85mm focal length, you can’t even imagine what kind of amazing photographs you’ll be able to take!

Where this lens truly shines at is portrait, wedding and concert photography.

Often shoot in low light? At f/1.8 you’ll be able to get crisp shots without having to raise your ISO speed to extreme sensitivities.

Who is this lens for? Portrait, concert, street, animal and even sport photographers. If you’ve never used anything but your Canon T5i kit lens, you’ll be blown away by what the 85mm f/1.8 can do. Hands down my favorite prime lens for price/performance, I’ve been using it for years and love it.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM

Released in 2014, the Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM is an amazing choice for anyone looking to do landscape, architecture or real estate photography.

Replacing the older and much more expensive 10-22mm version, the 10-18mm comes with Image Stabilization up to 4 stops, an STM motor for silent and accurate auto focus (this applies to videos as well) and the same high image quality.

The Image Stabilization is perfect for those who plan on shooting at night or generally without a tripod, as you can shoot with speeds you otherwise couldn’t.

Who is this lens for? At such wide angles, you see the whole world differently, which is why I think every photographer should own a wideangle lens! It’s great for landscape, traveling, architecture, real estate, clubs/indoor and group shots.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

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

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM is your best choice for the Canon T5i if you want to photograph wildlife, sports or things that are quite far away without breaking the bank.

If you own the 18-55mm Canon T5i kit lens or are also planning on buying the 50mm prime above, this telephoto lens continues right where they both stop, so you’re covered on all ends!

First of all, it’s not heavy (13.2oz/375g) like the majority of telephoto lenses, meaning you won’t be tired after shooting with it for hours. It obviously doesn’t come with the best build design but then again, it feels solid and well-built.

Then there’s the Image Stabilization system which helps you up to 3.5 stops, but this works only for subjects that are still.

It’s sharp from 55 to 250mm and also comes with STM like the rest of the lenses we covered.

Who is this lens for?  Anyone who feels their current lens just doesn’t get them close enough. Length wise, it’s great for races, outdoor sports (indoors you’ll have to increase your ISO speed), pets and wild animals, but 250mm might still be a bit short for serious bird photography.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

The Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM serves as an excellent replacement for the kit 18-55mm. It gives you 80mm longer reach at the telephoto end, same aperture sizes, much better image quality and improved build quality.

Thanks to the STM technology, you can also record videos without having any noise from the actual focusing, but personally I recommend you to use the manual mode when shooting something more serious.

Who is this lens for? Anyone who likes using a single lens (like the 18-55mm) but wants much more zoom and improved image quality. From 18 to 135mm is where 99% of photography happens.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM

A couple of years ago, large apertures were only possible on prime lenses, but Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM changed that in 2013. You’re looking at an optically superb, wide-to-standard large aperture lens that could save you a lot of money and weight (1 zoom with f/1.8 instead of 3 primes with f/1.8).

Not familiar with Sigma’s terms? The lens features HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which means the lens for your Canon T5i is very quick and accurate at focusing. You can also expect beautiful background blur thanks to 9 diaphragm blades, especially when wide open.

Besides amazing quality in still photography, the lens is perfect for videos as well, thanks to its smooth focus and zoom rings. There’s absolutely no focusing issues for stills or videos on the Canon T5i, it behaves like the rest of Canon’s lenses.

It weighs 1.79 pounds (810 grams) and is quite long, meaning your neck will probably get tired after a couple of hours of shooting. If you want ‘pancake’ like lenses (24mm f/2.8 STM) and something super light, the Sigma 18-35mm is not for you. However, in a way, it’s like 3 x f/1.8 lenses in one so it’s just something you have to live with.

Who is this lens for? Anyone who shoots around the 18-35mm range but wants to stick with 1, high quality lens that offers f/1.8. That includes street, night, sky, club and indoor photography, but it’s just as good for traveling if you’re okay with carrying it for such long periods.

You can buy it at Amazon or read more reviews here.

5 More Recommend Lenses for Canon T5i

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM – An excellent walk-around lens that covers the lengths most of us use on a daily basis. With excellent image quality, a large f/2.8 aperture and USM focusing, you’re ready to shoot in any situation.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM – For weddings, sports, animals, portraits, it’s the perfect choice. It’s sharper than many prime lenses, features an f/2.8 aperture and is blazingly fast at auto focusing. Perfect companion for the Canon EOS 80D.

Sigma 150-600mm f/4.5-6.3 USM – If you’re into wildlife/action photography and want something that reaches 600mm without emptying your wallet, check out the Sigma monster zoom.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM – Perfect for product and animal photography.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM – Sharper and cheaper than Canon’s more 35mm version.