Last Updated on March 16, 2021
Are you looking for a top all purpose lens for your Canon camera?
Becoming a great photographer takes practice and the right gear. Capturing inspiring and awesome images does not require fancy equipment but you do need to have the right gear to bring your vision to life.
Most professional photographers have multiple lenses that are designed for capturing specific types of images under specific lighting conditions and for specific subject types.
Because of this, there are many specialized lenses out there but having a top quality all around lens for your camera is something every photographer should have in their bag. Every photographer needs an all around lens as they are inherently versatile making them a great lens to have if you do not have the budget for a dozen specialty lenses or for those times when you cannot carry all of your lenses with you.
Top All Around Canon Lens Picks
Many Canon cameras come with a lens in the kit and these lenses are often beginner lenses primarily designed for getting started in photography. Most photographers will want to upgrade their lens quickly to improve their image quality and there are a number of options available.
There are two primary types of cameras your Canon could be. Either a crop sensor camera or a full frame camera. You will find the top all around lens picks below for both crop frame and full frame Canon cameras.
Best All Around Lens For Crop Frame Canon Cameras
Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens for Canon DSLR Cameras
This is an awesome all purpose lens that is popular with Canon photographer pros and amateurs around the world. This versatile lens offers excellent performance and stunning image quality. This lens performs well in a number of lighting conditions making it one of the top all around Canon lenses on the market.
- Wide angle lens with zoom and a max aperture of f2.8
- Great image quality throughout the entire zoom range
- Image stabilizing technology great for free hand shooting
- Offers a large circular aperture for shallow depth of field
- One year manufacturer warranty
Canon EF S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens
This Canon lens offers great performance under numerous shooting conditions. With the 18-135mm focal range this camera is an awesome all around performer. It features a four stop dynamic image stabilizer for fast and accurate autofocus and limited image noise. This lens performs very well with both still shots and video. Image quality is maintained throughout the entire range of zoom.
- Great all purpose lens
- Top image quality with both still shots and video
- Dynamic IS provides stable video shooting
- Up to .28x magnification
- Excellent value
Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM UD Standard Zoom Lens
The Canon EF-S 15-85mm standard zoom camera lens is an exceptional every day shooting model. In 35mm format It offers a focal length range that is equivalent to 24-136mm. It provides truly precise optics with the advanced image stabilization technology all while offering wide angle and telephoto shooting performance. This lens produces incredibly sharp images even in low light conditions with the 4 stop settings. The autofocus is fast and accurate as well making this a top all around lens for Canon cameras.
- Top performing all purpose lens
- Provides excellent image quality
- Advanced image stabilization technology
- Aperture from f/3.5 to f/5.6
- Compact size for the features this lens offers
Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L is II USM Lens
This lens is one of the best performing all around lenses and it is compatible with both crop frame and full frame Canons. It offers a wide focal length range at a consistent f/4 aperture. It also has a zoom range from 24 to 105mm. This lens is great for many photography styles making it an exceptional all around lens for Canon photographers.
- Compatible with crop frame and full frame Canon cameras
- 10 blade circular aperture
- Sharp and detailed imaged under most lighting conditions
- Zoom with great detail throughout the entire range
- Excellent value
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens
This is another great all around Canon lens that is compatible with both crop frame and full frame cameras. This lens is an exceptional performer and is easily one of the absolute best all around lenses you can get. This lens performs incredibly well even in low light settings. It provides excellent image quality and color contrast for truly jaw dropping pictures. The only reason this lens is not higher on the crop frame list is that it does come with a size-able price tag. If you are comfortable investing this much in your lens then you will definitely be happy with the performance.
- Top performing all purpose lens for Canon
- Stunning image quality
- Performs well under most all light conditions
- Compatible with crop frame and full frame Canons
- Higher price tag than other lenses but well worth the investment
Canon EF 24-70mm f/4.0L IS USM Standard Zoom Lens
The Canon EF 24-70mm lens is one of the best lightweight all purpose lenses on the market. It does come with a decent price tag, but again this lens is well worth it if you want great image quality under most all shooting conditions. This lens is very well constructed and also comes with a macro feature making this an incredibly high performing and versatile lens for crop frame Canon cameras
- Has full macro shooting mode
- Extreme telephoto mode
- Excellent image quality throughout entire zoom range
- Compact and lightweight yet durable design
Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Standard Zoom Lens
This lens offers exceptional versatility with great performing wide angle and telephoto modes making getting the best shot possible under most shooting conditions and styles. This Canon lens offers some of the best focal length range on the market. All this and it comes in at a very reasonable price point making it a great all around lens option for photographers of all skill levels.
- Top performing all purpose wide angle and telephoto lens
- Excellent image quality maintained throughout the entire zoom range
- Canon optical image stabilization system works great
- 4 stop effective image correction even when fully zoomed
Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD
This is a great budget friendly all around lens for crop frame Canon cameras. The lens offers excellent image stabilization for crisp images even when shooting without a tripod. The wide f2.8 aperture is capable of shooting in most day to day situations. Overall this is a great performing all around lens for Canon photography at a lower price point.
- Lower priced all around lens
- Excellent image quality
- Ideal for day to day shooting
- Image stabilizing technology
Best All Around Lens for Full Frame Canon Cameras
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens
This lens is truly amazing. It offers the best all around performance of any reviewed lens on the market. It is compatible with all Canon cameras, both full frame and crop frame. It provides a consistent f/2.8 aperture through the entire zoom range. This lens is a great performer even in the most challenging lighting conditions. It minimizes image noise and can be set to autofocus which performs fast and accurately. You can also go to full manual mode which is my preferred shooting mode for most situations. This lens is great for shooting bokeh photography. This durable lens is very well constructed making it an overall top all purpose Canon lens on the market.
- Exceptional image quality under most shooting conditions
- Performs well even in low light settings
- Compatible with full frame and crop frame cameras
- Durable and well constructed
- Higher price tag but worth the investment
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens
The Canon 50mmf/1.8 STM lens is one of the most popular lenses for Canon photographers around the world. This lens is incredibly versatile making it an essential addition to your arsenal. This lens offers exceptional image quality with a shallow depth of field. This lens excels at producing images with crisp subjects and soft backgrounds. This lens is one of the lightest on the market and it comes in at a very reasonable price, making it a top all around and travel Canon lens.
- Top lightweight all purpose Canon lens
- Very popular with pros and hobby photographers
- Exceptional image quality for both still shots and video
- Excellent value and performance
Canon EF 24–105mm f/4L is II USM Lens
This Canon lens is ideal for many shooting situations with it’s long zoom range and it’s constant aperture. This lens is another very popular model with professional photographers looking for a versatile zoom lens. It produces consistent, high quality images and it handles difficult lighting very well. The image stabilization works well for clearer images even when shooting free hand.
- Versatile Canon zoom lens
- Image stabilization technology
- Sharp and consistent images
- Excellent value
Canon ZOOM LENS EF24-105mm F4L IS II USM
This is the updated model to an incredibly popular professional lens. It maintains it’s prior features with some key improvements making this an excellent all purpose lens for full frame Canon cameras. The image stabilization has been updated and it makes for very crisp and clear images. The autofocus is faster and more accurate than before as well. This lens comes in at a reasonable price and combined with it’s performance this is an exceptional all around lens option.
- Circular 10 blade aperture for soft beautiful backgrounds
- Excellent image quality
- Fast and smooth autofocus mode
- Image stabilizer with 4 stops
Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM Lens
This is a very popular all-purpose lens that makes a great travel lens. It is an ultra wide angle lens making it perfect for landscape, nature, sports and more. It comes with Canon 4 stop image stabilization for clear and detailed images even when shooting without a tripod. This lens performs well under most all lighting conditions as well. The autofocus is quick and accurate and this camera is great at producing sharp detailed subjects with subtle and soft backgrounds.
- Great all-purpose ultra wide angle lens
- Canon’s image stabilization technology creates consistently clear images
- 9 blade circular aperture
- Excellent performance and value
Sigma 24-105mm F4.0 Canon Art DG OS HSM Lens
The Sigma lens is a great lower cost option for full frame Canon cameras. It offers solid all around performance at a much lower price point than other models on the list. The Sigma 24-105mm f/4.0 DG OS HSM lens is popular with artists and performs well under a number of shooting conditions making it a very versatile lens option. The one downside to this lens compared to others on the list is that it does not offer an f/2.8 aperture.
- Great lower priced all purpose lens option
- Performs well under most lighting conditions
- Popular with art photographers but versatile enough for most situations
- Excellent value and overall performance
Tamron SP Canon 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD G2
The Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 DI VC USD lens is the lower cost option that is comparable to the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II lens. If you are comfortable with a non Canon produced lens but want the performance of this Canon lens, then the Tamron is the way to go. It offers great image stabilization that performs almost as well as that of the Canon. The autofocus is smooth and accurate as well. This is a great lower cost all purpose lens option.
- Great low price Canon lens
- VC auto detect for panning
- Excellent image stabilization
- Smooth and accurate autofocus
- Excellent value
Zeiss Otus 85mm f/1.4 Apo Planar T ZE Manual Focus Lens
The Zeiss Otus is an absolutely amazing lens. It offers the best overall performance of all the full frame Canon lenses on the market. The build quality of this lens is truly unmatched and it performs equally as well as it is built. This lens offers true professional image quality and is ideal for most shooting conditions you will run into. The large aperture is ideal for isolating subjects from their backgrounds for stunning images. This lens is incredibly popular with professional photographers and if you want the highest image quality and are willing to make the investment in your photography this is an amazing lens to use.
- Top all around performing Canon lens
- Exceptional build quality
- Incredible image quality
- One of the most popular professional lenses on the market
If you shoot with a Canon you will need a high performing lens that is versatile enough to handle most shooting conditions. Whether you have a crop frame or a full frame Canon, there are tons of lens options on the market. No matter your budget, one of the lenses on the list is certain to serve you well.
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