How to Pick the Right Canon Lens for Your Camera

Canon currently markets three types of interchangeable lens cameras—and they all use different lenses. That can make shopping for a new lens a little more difficult than with other brands.

The first step in your search should be to determine what type of camera you have: a Canon Rebel SLR, EOS M model, or EOS R mirrorless body. We explain all of those distinctions below to help you figure out what type of lens to buy.

Here’s a hint: If you’ve had your Canon camera for more than a few years, it likely falls into the first category, an SLR with an optical viewfinder.

Canon SLRs: EOS Rebel, x0D, and xD

Canon uses the Rebel branding for its consumer SLR series, a marketing push that started in the film era when wild-haired tennis superstar Andre Agassi was the company’s pitchman. The Rebel line lived on into the digital era, swapping out 135 film cartridges for APS-C format digital sensors. Midrange digitals didn’t use the branding, but camera lines from the 10D through 90D, as well as the 7D and 7D Mark II, all share the same sensor format and lens mount. These cameras work with the made-for-APS EF-S mount as well as full-frame compatible EF lenses.

International readers take note, Canon doesn’t use Rebel branding outside of North America. In Japan, the series is called Kiss, and, in Europe, Canon uses model numbers with a three- or four-digit designation—the EOS 1500D and 800D are two examples. Recent reports indicate that the Kiss and Rebel lines are sunsetting(Opens in a new window) as Canon moves away from SLRs in favor of mirrorless, but this information can come in handy when picking a lens for an older model.

SLRs like the Canon EOS 90D use EF and EF-S series lenses
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

If you don’t know a thing about cameras, you can tell an SLR apart from mirrorless models very easily: it has an optical viewfinder and you can see a silvered reflective mirror inside the camera when you remove the lens.

Full-frame system owners are a little more limited in lens choice. If you have a 1D, 5D, or 6D series SLR, you can use only full-frame compatible EF lenses. Most Canon SLR lenses are in the EF family, but it’s still worth watching out for when you shop for new glass.

Click through to read our list of the best canon EF SLR lenses for all your best options. Our roundup includes product recommendations for both EF and EF-S mount cameras.

Canon EOS M: The First Try at Mirrorless

EOS M cameras like the M50 shown here use EF-M lenses
(Credit: Zlata Ivleva)

Canon’s other ILCs are mirrorless. They fall into two lineups with lens systems that are not cross-compatible. The first, EOS M, debuted in 2013 and works with EF-M lenses. If your camera has the letter “M” in its model name, it uses an EF-M mount. This includes the first EOS M through follow-ups like the latest EOS M6 Mark II; other series like the EOS M100 and M200; as well as the EOS M50 and M50 Mark II.

Model names aside, EOS M cameras are a bit smaller all around than SLRs, and don’t have an optical viewfinder or mirror box. If you take the lens off of one of these cameras, you see only the shiny green surface of an image sensor, not a silvered mirror as you would with an SLR.

Canon hasn’t supported the EF-M mount as well as its other lens systems. The company released only eight EF-M lenses in total, though some third-party manufacturers like Sigma offered alternatives. The available lenses tend to be compact and sport relatively dim apertures, so this system is a better option for photogs who don’t want to spend loads on bulky F1.4 primes or F2.8 zooms.

The lens library isn’t vast, but these cameras can use EF and EF-S SLR lenses via an adapter if you don’t mind putting a big lens on a small camera. If you’re interested in a new lens for your EOS M series, click through to read our picks for the best Canon EF-M mirrorless lenses.

Canon EOS R: The Mirrorless Future

The EOS R system, which uses RF and RF-S mount lenses, is the youngest of Canon’s camera lines, but the clear path forward. EOS R launched in 2018 as an exclusively full-frame platform, but 2022 saw the addition of two APS-C models, the EOS R7 and R10, with the R50 joining them this year.

The EOS R5 and other EOS R cameras work with RF lenses
(Credit: Jim Fisher)

In just a few years. Canon has released more RF lenses than it did EF-M ones. It offers consumer-friendly options like the $200 RF 50mm F1.8 and multi-thousand dollar telephoto glass for pros. As we mentioned above, EF-M and RF lenses are not cross-compatible, so there’s no upgrade path to EOS R if you’ve bought into the EOS M system. However, EOS R cameras work with EF and EF-S SLR lenses via an adapter; the EF-EOS R is the most economical option at around $100.

If you have a full-frame model, stick with lenses that have the RF designation. RF-S lenses still mount on full-format sensor bodies, like the EOS RP and R5, albeit with reduced resolution. For instance, the 45MP R5 crops photos down to the APS-C sensor area (about 20MP in its case) when you mount an RF-S lens. Photogs with an APS-C EOS R7 or R10 are free to use either RF-S or RF lenses.

Click through to read the best Canon RF mirrorless lenses to find the right one for your EOS R series camera.

For more help on getting better photos from your camera, check out our photography tips for beginners. We’ve also put together some for more advanced photographers, as well as guides for photographing birds, fireworks, and lightning. Finally, also make sure to read our instant photography walkthrough.