These Are The 7 Best RF Lenses For Canon EOS R5 2024

Canon has finally broken out into the mirrorless world, and they are hitting the ground running. This means you can finally use Canon’s unbeatable lenses on their own cameras, but which should you pick?

If you want to make the most out of that 45MP Full-Frame CMOS Sensor and the 8K RAW video, you should start off with the versatile Canon RF 24-105mm lens. It’s the top of the best lenses for Canon EOS r5 cameras, but we’ve got plenty of more options to pick from!

Let’s dive into the 7 best lenses for Canon r5.

1. Canon RF 24-105mm f/4-7.1 IS STM Lens: Best All Around Lens For Canon EOS R5

The Canon RF 24-105mm is the best all-around lens for Canon EOS r5 cameras. It climbed to the top of our best lens for Canon r5 list due to the quality, versatility, and price point for this lens.

The quality of the Canon RF 24-105mm is one of the biggest factors that pushed it to the top of our list. This is a Canon lens, so you know you’re getting the best of the best when it comes to how it’s put together.

However, it’s the versatility of this lens that makes it the best choice for someone new to the world of mirrorless Canon cameras.

Having a focal length range from 24 mm to 105 mm lets you shoot everything from wide-angle interior photography to short telephoto photography like wildlife and sports.

This lens also has a center macro focus with a 1:2 magnification. The focal distance is also just over 5 inches which makes this great for a macro lens that doubles for other photography styles.

The variable aperture only adds to this versatility. While it’s not as bright as it could be, it’s good enough to get solid results in most conditions.

The customizable control ring lets you shift from changing different settings on your lens like I so, aperture, and more. This is great for giving you a few more options for dialing in the right shot on the fly.

This is also a great first lens to pick up whatever you’re into photo or video. The near-silent stepping motor means that your autofocus won’t be ruining your shots.

We have to talk about a few of the big downsides of this lens.

The first downside is that this is not one of Canon’s L lenses. This means that it is not weather sealed. You’re going to need to be extra careful when taking this one outside.

This lens also doesn’t have much to show off when it comes to coatings or optical elements. This means your shots might have some more distortion than you get with a higher-end lens.

With that said, you really can’t find a better lens for the budget. Whether you want to travel photography and want to travel light or you just want to pick up a first lens that doesn’t cost more than your camera, this is the one for you.

Pros

• Center Macro Focus with 1:2 Magnification
• Customizable Control Ring
• Optical Image Stabilization
• Flexible Focal Length Range
• Great for Video and Photo

Cons

• No Weather Sealing
• f/4 Aperture is Not Very Bright

2. Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM DS Lens: Best Prime Lens For Canon EOS R5

Hands down, the best prime lens for Canon EOS r5 cameras is the Canon RF 85mm. This is the best portrait lens for Canon EOS r5, and it’s got much more versatility than you might expect.

First off, we have to talk about the one feature that makes this 85 mm portrait lens stand out. The defocus smoothing coating allows you to get absolutely buttery-smooth bokeh when you’ve got the aperture set around f/3 or lower.

Now, this lens does have its drawbacks, but we’ll get to that later.

We should also talk about the fact that this is from the Canon L line of lenses. This means I was going to come with weather sealing, multiple coatings, and optical elements, as well as a professional grade build quality.

If you were looking to start taking portraits and getting paid for them, this is the lens that you need to go with.

The ultrasonic motor autofocus system is also going to let you capture images of your portrait models easily and clearly. Nothing ruins a photoshoot quite as bad as a noisy autofocus system. 

The f/1.2 aperture is also perfect for doing portraits. This is incredibly bright which means it delivers excellent bokeh as well as working in low light conditions like weddings and concerts.

We do need to talk about a few of the downsides that come with this lens. The first thing we need to talk about is the defocus smoothing.

The defocus smoothing is going to deliver visible results, but not when you go past f/3. While you can benefit from using this more expensive lens with the additional coating, it doesn’t quite deliver the performance boost we were hoping for.

We should also talk about the 85 mm focal length. This is the perfect focal length for portraiture, but it’s going to give you some challenges for other styles of photography.

This isn’t quite wide enough for street photography, and it’s also not telephoto enough for sports or wildlife. It’s in between which means it will pose a few creative challenges for using it outside of taking portraits.

Canon is still playing the catch-up game when it comes to releasing prime lenses for their mirrorless cameras. As it stands, this 85 mm lens is by far the best choice when it comes to picking up a prime lens for a Canon mirrorless.

If you want the extreme budget alternative, consider Canon’s new Nifty Fifty the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens.

Pros

• Defocus Smoothing Coating
• Rounded 9-blade Diaphragm for Amazing Bokeh
• Blue Spectrum Refractive Optics
• Ultrasonic Autofocus System
• Weather Sealing and L Glass Build

Cons

• Defocus Smoothing Not Always Useful
• Awkward Focal Length for Certain Styles or Environments

3. Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens: Best Budget Lens For Canon R5

Our pick for the best budget lens for Canon r5 cameras is the Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens. There’s no doubt that this is the best choice for even the tightest possible budgets.

However, this almost got the pick for the top of the best lenses for r5! Here’s why the modest Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens is just so good.

When we are picking the lens that ultimately gets to the top slot, we need to look at a balance of features, versatility, and pricing.

The Canon RF 50mm is easily the most affordable lens for the Canon RF mount. Your camera bag is likely more expensive than the cost of this lens. In fact, you can buy two of these lenses for the cost of one of our top picks.

Canon has a powerful reputation when it comes to these budget 50 mm lenses. We know working wedding photographers that built their careers on Canon’s budget 50 mm options.

You read that right. This lens will not only save you money, but it could make you money.

Don’t let the budget mislead you, this lens is ready for professional work if you are.

This one is a 50 mm prime focal length which means you’re working with roughly what the human eye can see. It’s also got one aspherical element to help reduce distortions. The bright f/1.8 aperture also gives you the versatility to handle portraits and shoot in low-light conditions.

BUT, even Canon’s iconic Nifty Fifty style of lens has a few drawbacks.

The thing that we need to look at is the fact that this just isn’t from Canon’s top-quality lenses. This means we’re missing out on weather sealing, additional distortion-reducing elements, and overall higher build quality.

You’ll also be working with a lens that you were going to eventually grow out of. You’ll also be a little bit more limited when it comes to the type of photos you can take with this lens rather than our top pick.

After having run through everything there is to know about this lens, the big takeaway is that it is still great to have in your photography bag. Even if you already have all the lenses you’ll ever need, you should pick up one of these budget 50 mm lenses just to give yourself a compact backup option.

Pros

• You Will Not Find A Cheaper Lens
• 50mm Is Considered To Be The Most Natural Focal Length
• Ultra Bright F/1.8 Aperture
• One Aspherical Element
• Customizable Ring Control
• Compact Design

Cons

• No Weather Sealing

4. Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens: Best Wide Angle Lens For Canon EOS R5

If you want the best wide-angle lens for Canon EOS r5, you can’t pass up the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens.

Wide-angle lenses have a lot of competition when it comes to Canon’s RF mount, but the Canon RF 15-35mm is the best lens for Canon EOS r5 when you want to go wide!

Wide-angle photography unlocks everything from taking pictures of landscapes to interior design photography and even astrophotography.

If you’ve been looking into zooming out instead of zooming in, this is the lens that you’ve been dreaming of.

The first thing we need to look at with this lens is all of the optical elements and coatings that Canon has put in place to reduce distortions.

The three aspherical elements and two ultra-low dispersion elements help reduce any visual distortion in your photograph. The air sphere coating on this lens also helps reduce flaring and ghosting in your wide-angle shots.

No amount of post-editing can replace getting a clean photograph to begin with, and this lens certainly delivers on that front.

This lens is also much more versatile than you might think at first. If you keep things closer to the 35 mm end, this can be a great street photography lens as well as a video lens for documentary work.

The Nano USM Focus system, customizable control ring, and streamlined design make this lens much more utility focused than most wide-angle zoom lenses.

Not everything is perfect when it comes to the Canon RF 15-35mm. This lens has a high price tag and is a little specialized which means that you should only pick it up if you’re willing to dedicate to the wide-angle lifestyle.

You should also be aware that this is the first edition of this lens. There might be a new upgrade coming in the future that could introduce even more coatings, optical elements, and improved performance.

With all these different factors to consider, this one is absolutely the right choice if you’re looking for a versatile wide-angle lens that can give you the freedom to do everything from landscapes to video work.

Pros

• Three Aspherical Elements And Two Ultra-Low Dispersion Elements
• Weather Sealing
• Nano USM Focus System
• Optical Image Stabilization
• Customizable Control Ring
• Versatile Design
• Could Even Be A Good First Lens!

Cons

• Very High Price
• No telephoto ability
• An Updated Version Could Release Soon

5. Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 L IS USM Lens: Best Telephoto Lens For Canon R5

Do you want the best telephoto lens for the Canon r5? Then you need to break out the biggest lens in town: the Canon RF 100-500mm!

It’s going to be extremely easy to sing the praises of the Canon RF 100-500mm as this is one of the best lenses that Canon has released. When it comes to working in the telephoto range, you really can’t go wrong with a lens that is this decked out.

The first thing that you need to know about this lens is that Canon has packed in just about every coating and optical element they could.

This lens has 6 optical elements as well as additional elements that help reduce distortion. This is vital when you’re working in these ultra-telephoto ranges as even the slightest distortion can cause a serious impact on your images.

Canon also included a fluorine coating on this lens which helps protect the glass when you’re out shooting. Seeing as how these telephoto lenses will see the most usage for wildlife and sports photography, extra protection is vital.

We also need to consider this is a Canon L lens. This means it’s got a weather sealing that helps resist dust and moisture which could give you even more options when it comes to shooting outdoors.

We’ve been talking about everything good about this lens, and we haven’t even talked about the lens itself. The 100 to 500 mm range is going to be ideal for wildlife, sports, and plenty of other situations.

Canon also sells focal range extenders that you can use to boost to the effective focal length of this lens.

There are a few trade-offs that we need to look at when it comes to working with lenses this big.

Canon’s mirrorless cameras are bigger than the competition’s, but they’re still much more streamlined than the old DSLR bodies. This massive telephoto lens is going to feel pretty bulky on those small mirrorless bodies.

This lens also comes packed with features. You can select the focal range limiter, change the image stabilization mode, or even toggle image stabilization off. You can even adjust the torque of the rotating zoom ring.

These are all great features to have in a definitely going to give you plenty of things to do as you learn how to use this lens. However, don’t let all those features distract you from focusing on getting the right shot.

Pros

• Amazing Telephoto To Ultra-Telephoto Range
• Canon L Build Quality
• Weather Sealed
• Six UD Elements
• Rotating Zoom Ring With Torque Adjustment
• Plenty Of Selectable Options

Cons

• A Little Bulky On The Mirrorless Body
• There’s A Learning Curve With All These Features

6. Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM Lens: Best Zoom Lens For Canon R5

You should pick up the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens if you want the best zoom lens for Canon r5 cameras.

It should go without saying that the Canon RF 24-70mm is the exact lens that you need to pick up if you’re looking for the best zoom lens for the Canon R5 mirrorless camera. This lens simply has everything you could ever need to cover your basic range of zoom focal length.

We should cover one important point up front. Most people think that zoom just means an extremely high focal length, but zoom actually refers to a lens that can change focal length.

The Canon RF 24-70mm offers you great wide angle potential at the low end with 24 mm and dips a toe into telephoto at the 70 mm top end. This lets you zoom through an incredibly impressive range of focal lengths.

This means that the Canon RF 24-70mm can help you unlock countless photography styles. This might even make a great first lens if you have the money to invest upfront.

You’re certainly getting your money’s worth when you buy this lens from Canon. It’s got their high-quality, weather-sealed body. Canon also added three ultra-low dispersion elements, multiple coatings, and even more elements that help reduce color fringing and distortion.

This lens is also a great choice for anyone who needs a video lens for the Canon R5 camera. The Nano USM autofocus system is near silent which is ideal for video.

The biggest drawback to this lens is that it doesn’t offer as much in the telephoto range as it does for wide-angle. You can use this lens for landscaping or interior photography, but you will be challenged to use this lens for wildlife or sports.

This means you’re either going to need to carry a second lens that offers more telephoto capability or change up your style and photography skills to overcome the lack of an ultra-telephoto range in the focal length of this lens.

Pros

• One Of Canon’s Most Popular Lenses
• Highly Versatile
• Professional Quality
• Nano USM Af System
• Air Sphere And Fluorine Coatings
• Three Ultra-Low Dispersion Elements
• Weather Sealing

Cons

• Mid-Range Focal Lengths Might Not Offer Enough “Zoom” For Your Needs

7. Canon RF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens: Best Macro Lens For Canon EOS R5

Need to get up close to your photography subjects? You’re going to need the best macro lens for Canon EOS r5—the Canon RF 100mm!

Macro photography is an exciting style that allows you to take up-close photographs of things that are too small to see with the naked eye. This could be flowers, wildlife, or even insects.

Whenever you’re working with a specialized style of photography, you’re going to want to pick up a lens that can not only deliver high-quality images but also work within that specialization.

The first thing that you want to look at in any macro lens is image magnification. You want to see at least a one-to-one image magnification. That means you see images as they appear in real life.

This lens does even better and gives you 1.4X magnification. This means that you can get greater than real-life size on your macro shots.

The next thing that you want to look for is the minimum focusing distance. This is the closest you can get to the lens to the subject of your photography. When it comes to macro photography, the closer you can get to your subject the better things are going to be.

This lens offers a decent minimum focusing distance of 10.2 in. This isn’t the best we’ve seen in macro lenses for mirrorless cameras, but it’s still very impressive.

This lens also has all the bells and whistles he looks back to see on a Canon L product. It’s got a weather-sealed body, a variety of coatings and elements, and a professional-grade build.

This lens also has a hybrid optical image stabilization which can be especially valuable when trying to focus-in on things that are difficult to see with the naked eye.

There are some trade-offs that you get when you purchase a lens that’s this specialized.

The first two trade-offs with this lens so that the aperture could be brighter in the focusing distance could be closer. We’re dealing with the most high-end lenses in the world and it is a bit of a downside that Canon didn’t put the extra effort in for these two stats.

This is a great lens to pick if you’re looking to get into macro photography, especially on the professional level.

It’s also a little bit more versatile as you can do some interesting portraiture, street photography, and other artistic photography using a 100 mm macro lens.

Just don’t expect this lens to be able to accomplish everything that a more versatile zoom lens can handle.

Pros

• Minimum Focusing Distance: 10.2″
• 1.4x Magnification
• f/2.8 Aperture
• Weather-Sealed Body
• Hybrid Optical Image Stabilization
• Super Spectra Coating

Cons

• Not That Versatile
• Expensive
• Aperture Could Be Brighter
• Focussing Distance Could Be Closer

Wrapping Up The Best Lenses For Canon r5 Cameras

When you’re picking up your first mirrorless lens for a Canon r5, you need to get the Canon RF 24-105mm lens first. It’s got the most well-rounded features and works for nearly every photographer.

You’ve got a few more options when it comes to picking up the best lenses for Canon EOS r5 cameras. The Canon RF 85mm should be your go-to if your main focus is portraits while the Canon RF 100-500mm is a powerful choice for telephoto photography.

Which of the best lenses for Canon r5 cameras is right for you? Let us know which lens you picked and if we missed your favorite Canon RF lens on our list!