Best Telephoto Lenses for Canon DSLRs in 2023

Best Telephoto Lenses for Canon DSLR Cameras. Looking for recommended telephoto lenses for Canon DSLR cameras? Here are the top rated telephoto lenses for Canon DSLRs.

You know, a telephoto lens is a lens whose focal length is longer than the focal length of a standard lens. Today, we’ll concentrate on telephoto prime lenses (including super telephoto prime lenses) and telephoto zoom lenses to find out the best telephoto lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLR Cameras and APS-C DSLR Cameras.

Below are the best telephoto lenses for Canon DSLRs. All the lists are based on the test results from DxOMark. You can choose the one you need.

Best Telephoto Lenses for Canon DSLR Cameras

Telephoto Prime Lenses for Full Frame DSLRs | Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Full Frame DSLRs | Telephoto Prime Lenses for APS-C DSLRs | Telephoto Zoom Lenses for APS-C DSLRs

Best Telephoto Prime Lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 5D Mark III, 6D Mark II, 1D X Mark II

Zeiss 135mm f/2.0 APO-Sonnar T ZE Lens and Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Lens are the best performing telephoto prime lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs, but both of them are very expensive. Of course you can buy one if you can afford it. Considering the price and the performing, Sigma 85mm f/1.4 and EF 100mm f/2 USM lenses are really great lenses. And Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM is a great super telephoto prime lens for Canon full frame DSLRs. See the best telephoto prime lenses for Canon full frame DSLRs below and choose the one you need.

LensDxOMarkBuy Now
Zeiss 135mm f/2 Apo Sonnar T* ZE38Amazon/Adorama
Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 APO Planar T*38Adorama
Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM35Amazon
EF 100mm f/2 USM33Amazon
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE32Amazon
EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM31Amazon
Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF30Amazon
EF 85mm f/1.8 USM28Amazon
Zeiss Planar T 85mm f/1.4 ZE28Amazon
Super Telephoto Prime
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM32Amazon
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM30Amazon
EF 200mm f/2.8L II USM26Amazon
EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM26Amazon
EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM25Amazon
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro24Amazon
EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM22Amazon
EF 300mm f/4.0L IS USM19Amazon

Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, 5D Mark III, 6D Mark II, 1D X Mark II

Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens is the best performing telephoto zoom lenses for Canon Full Frame DSLRs, but it is very expensive. So the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8, EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the new released Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S are all great lenses. See the best telephoto zoom lenses for Canon DSLRs below and choose the one you like.

LensDxOMarkBuy Now
Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM29Amazon
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD28Amazon
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM27Amazon
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM SAmazon
EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x24Amazon
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD17Amazon/Adorama
Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM APO17Amazon
EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM17Amazon
Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di VC LD Aspherical IF Macro14Amazon

Best Telephoto Prime Lenses for Canon EOS 80D, 77D, 7D Mark II, Rebel APS-C DSLRs

Below are the recommended telephoto prime lenses for Canon EOS 7D Mark II, 7D, 70D, 60D, Rebel APS-C DSLRs. Zeiss 135mm f/2 Apo Sonnar T* and Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 are the best two, according to the DxoMark test results. You can choose Sigma 85mm f/1.4 or EF 100mm f/2 USM instead if you want to find a cheap one with great performing. See the list below and choose the one suits you best.

LensDxOMarkBuy Now
Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 APO Planar T*24Adorama
Zeiss 135mm f/2 Apo Sonnar T* ZE24Amazon/Adorama
Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM22Amazon
EF 100mm f/2 USM21Amazon
EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM20Amazon
Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 100mm f/2 ZE20Amazon
EF 135mm f/2.0L USM19Amazon
Zeiss Planar T 85mm f/1.4 ZE19Amazon
Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF19Amazon
Super Telephoto Prime
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM20Amazon
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM19Amazon
EF 200mm f/2.8L IS II USM18Amazon
EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM17Amazon
EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM16Amazon
Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro15Amazon
EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM14Amazon
EF 300mm f/4.0L IS USM11Amazon
Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di LD IF Macro11Amazon

Best Telephoto Zoom Lenses for Canon EOS 80D, 77D, 7D Mark II, Rebel APS-C DSLRs

Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD, Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM APO and Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM are the best performing telephoto zoom lenses for Canon APS-C DSLRs. The new released Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM S is also a great one. See the recommended telephoto zoom lenses for Canon 7D Mark II, 7D, 70D, 60D and choose the one you like best.

LensDxOMarkBuy Now
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD19Amazon
Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM SAmazon
Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM APO19Amazon
Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM19Amazon
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM17Amazon
EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x15Amazon
EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM12Amazon
EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II11Amazon
EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM11Amazon
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD10Amazon/Adorama
Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 DG OS HSM APO10Amazon
EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM10Amazon