THE ULTIMATE CAMERA LENS GUIDE: HOW TO CHOOSE A CAMERA LENS

Your camera lens shapes your photo. When you look through the viewfinder, adjust the settings and press the shutter, your lens reacts. Day or night, close or far, from a moving vehicle or from a tripod, advanced optics and precision engineering transform the scene in front of you into the image in your mind. With features including aperture, autofocus, image stabilisation and focal length all framing your image, choosing the right lens is crucial. Our lens hub offers everything you need to get started, from beginner advice to best for guides for your chosen genre. 

Lenses for Beginners

We have a wide range of lenses for beginners. From different apertures and focal ranges to choosing your lens by genre, find the best lens for you.

A person holding a Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM lens while standing on a street.

How to Read a Lens Name

Understanding camera lenses can be overwhelming, but our experts break it down with this guide. Learn how to understand Canon lens names, including key specifications such as aperture, focal length and image stabilisation. Understand the jargon and get started with the right lens today.

Learn How to Read a Lens Name

Find Compatible Camera Lenses

Finding the right lens for your Canon camera is simple with our lens compatibility page. Whether you shoot with a DSLR, mirrorless EOS R camera or EOS M camera, this guide helps you quickly identify which lenses are fully compatible, which need an adapter, and which combinations to avoid. With clear visual markers, a straightforward compatibility chart and helpful explanations of RF, EF, EF-S, and EF-M mounts, it's easier than ever to match lenses to your camera body with confidence.
View Compatibility Chart

What Is the Difference Between EF and RF Lenses?

Our Canon EF lenses are built for DSLR cameras. They are affordable, reliable and we have a large range. They aren’t compatible with our newer mirrorless camera range, unless you use a mount adapter. Mirrorless cameras are smaller, faster and use an electronic viewfinder, with their compatible RF lenses being more compact, lightweight and coming with the newest technology, meaning better sharpness, larger apertures and speed between camera and lens. If you want to make the most of our RF lenses, then you can upgrade your DSLR camera to a mirrorless camera . If you’ve made the upgrade but still have a collection of EF Lenses in your kitbag, our EF EOS R Lens Mount Adapter lets you use your EF or EF-S lenses seamlessly with a EOS R camera, while maintaining speed, autofocus, image stabilisation and exposure.
WHY UPGRADE TO RF LENSESSHOP MOUNT ADAPTERS

Best For Guides: Find the perfect lens by genre

Know what genres you want to shoot? Take a look at our best for guides and find the best lens for your genre.


Find Your Lens by MM

Discover zoom and prime lenses by mm, from wide-angle to telephoto lenses for wildlife and landscapes to fixed-length primes across the focal range.

Lens Selector

If you know what genre you want to shoot, who you want to shoot and where you want to shoot, check out our Lens Selector. Here, you will be asked about what type of photography and what camera you already own, and our tool will find our best lenses for you.
View Lens Selector

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