5 Best Canon Wide Angle Lenses In 2023!

Wide-angle lenses bring something extra to landscape photography. They allow you to perfectly immortalize scenery without cropping other elements that contribute to its majestic look. Having one of the best wide lenses for Canon helps to make sure that you’ll never find yourself missing an opportunity to capture the beauty of nature.

Five of the Best Wide-Angle Lenses for Canon in 2023 Reviewed

Canon EF-M 22mm f2 STM Compact System Lens

This Canon wide-angle lens is specifically for EOS mirrorless cameras with APSC sensors. The EF-M 22mm F2 STM Compact System Lens is not compatible with DSLR cameras and will be equivalent to 35mm on a full-frame camera. It has a built-in stepping motor, to provide smooth and quiet autofocus when shooting video, and a circular aperture (7 blades) for beautiful, soft backgrounds. You will have AF with full-time manual focus, with a minimum focusing distance of 5.9 in./0.15m allows you to get close to your subjects.

Pros:

Compact and lightweight – Put it on a mirrorless camera, and this pancake lens will give you an extremely compact and lightweight combination that’s ideal for everyday situations.

Autofocus – the Stepping Motor technology (see the STM in the name) integrated into this Canon wide-angle lens did wonders on making this lens faster and snappier in terms of performance compared to its older model.

Cons:

It is not compatible with DSLR cameras.

There is no optical stabilization.

Best Wide-Angle Lens for Canon Rebel T6

Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens

Canon claims that the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM lens is fast and versatile and even comes with advanced autofocus features and superior optics. This wide-angle camera lens comes with features that includes a 7-blade circular aperture that provides great out-of-focus detail, STM motor that provides stability during video shoots, and a full-time manual focus, manual AF adjustment (one-shot AF) that can keep the focus down to a minimum distance of 0.5 feet or 0.16 meters.

Pros:

Great optics – Canon really did deliver on optical quality on this wide-angle lens. It was able to produce topnotch sharpness, chromatic aberration at a minimum, and no significant vignetting.

Reasonable price – the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is reasonably priced when you look at its counterparts. The fact that it delivers great focal length incorporates STM technology, and a solid and lightweight construction are enough reasons for you to grab it.

Cons:

Image stabilization – If you are looking for a wide-angle lens that comes with great image stabilization, you should start looking elsewhere. Image stabilization is totally absent in this Canon lens. The good thing is that shorter focal length makes up for what it lacks.

Lack of manual indicator – While many may live without this feature, it would be nice to see an indicator whether you are running on manual focus or on autofocus. Still not a big deal compared to the lack of image stabilization.

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM Wide-Angle Lens

If you are on the market for the best budget wide-angle lens for Canon full-frame, then the Canon EF 35mm f/2 has that and more. This wide-angle lens from Canon comes with a GMo aspherical lens element that is capable of producing high-quality images with great performance in the periphery. It also features full-time manual focusing even when in AF mode, a micro-stepping drive that provides a near-silent operation, and a low-speed focus drive for optimal results when doing video shoots.

Pros:

Capable wide-angle lens for its price – The EF 35mm f/2 is one of those wide-angle lenses from Canon that delivers quality images without breaking the bank. It is capable of capturing a wider angle of view for landscape pictures when there’s not much space for you to move. Additionally, the distortion of the image is very minimal while using this lens.

Lightweight – Heavyweight and portability are among the downsides of using wide-angle lenses. This Canon lens sets itself apart from its counterparts by being lightweight. Its relatively low weight also allows you to handhold this lens easily and transport it from one spot to another.

Cons:

Not good at vignetting – The EF 35mm f/2 offers a great balance between a wider angle and less distortion, however, it lacks power when it comes to vignetting. The camera lens performs at just average when you do vignetting at f/2.

Low sharpness – this offering from Canon also underperformed in terms of producing sharp images when compared to the quality produced by another Canon lens, the 200mm f/2.8.

Best Wide-Angle Lens for Canon 80D

Canon Ef-S 15-85 Mm F/3.5-5.6 is USM Lens

The EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens from Canon is perfect for those looking for a wide-angle lens that gives excellent sharpness. This wide-angle lens is capable of delivering great-quality images in a lightweight frame due to its advanced features. The EF-S 15-85mm comes with a maximum focal length of 85 millimeters, an excellent implementation of image stabilization technology, and a Ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor) AF system.

Pros:

Great image quality – this Canon lens was able to produce great sharpness even at corners with a wide-open aperture. However, you might notice some signs of lessened sharpness when you are at 50-70 mm with a wide-open aperture.

Topnotch bokeh – bokeh is another strong area of this wide-angle lens from Canon. Its stopped-down Out of Focus (OOF) gives off those concentric circles common among those pictures taken with bokeh.

Cons:

Noticeable chromatic aberration – with the lens’ extreme focal length, chromatic aberration is clearly this wide-angle lens’ weakness. Chromatic aberration might not be noticeable at 24mm but it is very evident once you adjusted to 70 mm through 85 mm.

Distortion – While distortion is really a problem among wide-angle lenses, the EF-S 15-85mm struggles to reduce distortion in its images. Images produced by this lens comes with a blue hue in the middle distortion when shooting at 15mm.

Tamron Wide-Angle Lens for Lens

Tamron 10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 Di-II VC HLD Wide-Angle Zoom Lens for Canon APS-C Digital SLR Cameras

The Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 wide-angle zoom lens is among the best wide-angle lens for Canon APS-C and is the only third-party lens on this list, but its performance is on par with wide-angle lenses offered by Canon. This Tamron lens comes packed with features that includes a large aperture aspherical lens and Low Dispersion elements that enables it to come up with images with great resolution across the complete zoom range. The lens also introduces a new technology among Tamron lenses. The High/Low Torque-modulated Drive (HLD) system allows you to have an excellent drive when focusing, with strong stability and precision.

Pros:

Ultrawide open aperture – the aperture of this lens is not a weakness. Instead, it allows the lens to deliver sharp images with low distortion considering that you are shooting at ultrawide open aperture.

Great manual focus – the Tamron lens also wins in terms of manual focus. It is short and responsive despite the fact of its short throw. However, there might be a struggle when using STM/USM technology on the Canon wide angle lens.

Cons:

Noisy when using autofocus – the Tamron 10-24mm is not silent when using autofocus. It fails to deliver the near-silent feature seen in wide-angle lenses offered by Canon.

Factors to Consider Before Buying a Wide-Angle Lens

Before getting the best wide-angle lenses for Canon, you should first know what it is and its capabilities. Yes, you already know that a wide-angle lens comes with a wider angle of view compared to normal lenses (usually wide-angle consider to be smaller than a 50mm lens, keep in mind to take into consideration the crop factor, you can read more about it down below). However, there are more factors you should know to get the best Canon wide-angle lens in the market. You should understand how aperture and focal length affect the way you shoot with a wide-angle lens attached to your camera among many other factors.

If you are on the market for a Tamron wide-angle lens, or any lens for that matter, you’ll know that there is a wide variety of wide-angle lenses available. Having more options allows you to find one which fits your photography needs, but it can also overwhelm you and you might end up getting one that wouldn’t fit your Canon camera nor your needs as a photographer. The solution to this problem is simple. You should know what you want in a wide-angle lens so you can make the most of your investment. The following are some of the factors you should consider before making that purchase:

Focal Length

The focal length is an important feature you should consider when getting a wide-angle lens. This feature allows you to capture a wider scene without moving. It is particularly helpful if you don’t have any options to move around in order to get the whole landscape. A 17mm lens is a recommended starting point when testing out whether the focal length of a wide-angle lens fits your needs.

Crop Factor

Focal length allows you to capture a greater view of a landscape or subject and its background. It is great for a full-camera with a 35mm sensor. However, that is not the case among those with smaller sensors. The crop factor affects the effective focal length of your lens and you need to know the best wide-angle lens for Canon crop sensor.

For example, a 17-55 focal length lens designed for a crop camera will be a replacement for a 24-70 lens designed for a full-frame camera.

Or

A 35mm lens for the crop camera will replace the 50mm lens for a full-frame camera.

So, check and compute the true focal length and angle of view of your desired wide-angle lens before purchasing.

Filter Compatibility

A filter is one feature unique to wide-angle lenses. ND and Polarizers are some of the most common filters used by photographers who use wide-angle lenses, but there are wide-angle lenses that do not feature this capability. The best you can do is to check whether the Sigma wide-angle lens or that Tamron wide-angle lens for Canon you have been eyeing comes with this capability.

Aperture

Aperture is another important feature to consider whether you are a landscape photographer or a newbie starting the hobby. This feature allows you to still capture any subject in all its glory despite low-light conditions. An aperture between f/2.8 and f/1/4 is recommended so that you can produce great images without them appearing too dark. This range also allows you to shoot at a faster shutter speed and a lower ISO value.

Distortion

Wide-angle lenses do give you a bigger angle of view, but that benefit can lead to greater distortion of your image. Usually, images taken with a wide-angle lens tend to not only be distorted but also have subjects that end up appearing elongated.

Other Things to Consider

Intended Use – You should, of course, know where you will be using this kind of lens. Wide-angle lenses are mostly used by landscape photographers to capture a more panoramic view of the environment. It allows them to fit every detail into a picture without the need for stitching them together during editing.

Brand – the manufacturer of your wide-angle lens can easily give you a glimpse of the quality of the product you are about to buy. Many photographers say that when buying camera lenses, it is best to stick to those offered by the manufacturer of your camera. For example, if you are using a Canon DSLR or need the best wide-angle lens for canon 6d, get something from the long list of lenses offered by the Japanese camera brand. That is not to say, however, that third party brands are not as capable of those from the original equipment manufacturer. Those coming from your OEM just fit and work seamlessly with your camera.

Which is The Best canon wide-angle lens?

For those of you with a DSLR camera with an APS-C camera sensor, the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM lens is the clear winner as it provides you with the same angle of view as a 35mm lens sees on full-frame, and as I wrote above, it is the best wide-angle lens for Canon Rebel T6. This pancake lens is small, lightweight, and compact. with its great optics and reasonable price makes it the complete winner.

For those who have the Canon mirrorless EOS camera with APSC sensors, the EF-M 22mm F2 STM Compact System Lens, clearly is the winner in this list. It is lightweight, ultra-slim and compact, that’s ideal for walk-around use.