Some of these lenses could really ELEVATE your photography! Remember, there's loads of information in the description, including timestamps, approximate prices, links to full reviews, and affiliate links, to help you navigate all these different lenses. Take care everyone.
Hey hey, lovely video as always, but I still need some help here! 😳 I have 77D, which of them is best for shooting beauty and lifestyle videos in a small room with continuous autofocus /I have 50 mm 1.8 and it`s far too zoomed/? I see you recommend Sigma 17-50 and 30 mm but I constantly read for bad autofocus on the 30 mm and incredibly loud autofocus on the 17-50...I would love the 17-55 2.8 from Canon, but it`s so expensive 😩 Please help me with advice! Thanks a lot!
@@val-prettyblendedtips5253 hey! I agree the Canon 50mm 1.8 is too long a focal length on APS-C to be an all purpose lens, especially indoors. I bought the Sigma 17-50 2.8 because of Christopher's review and it's been my favorite lens by far. Yes, you will not be able to use the onboard audio for video because you can hear the autofocus motor, but it is an amazing value for still photography. If you want to use it for video, you will need an external microphone. Good luck on your photographic endeavors
@@AntFong thanks for the info! I always shoot with external mic, but if I get it mounted on the camera, not a lav, then would I be able to hear it in the audio? Audio extensions don't work for me since you hear the rf in the audio:((((
@@val-prettyblendedtips5253 from what I can tell, a hot shoe mic should help but it's not 100% guaranteed to hide the AF noise...if you want to stick with a hot shoe mic and shoot indoors, I think your best bet is to stick with shorter focal length Canon lenses with the STM autofocusing motor which is designed to be nearly inaudible during video, like the 24mm 2.8 if you want a fast prime or the 18 - 55 4 - 5.6 IS if you're okay with a kit lens. Both good lenses (especially the 24) and very affordable (especially the 18 - 55) and you can check out reviews of both from christopher.
@@AntFong Thanks again! Well, I have the 18-55, but the f-stop at 30mm /which is my desired focal length won`t give me the bokeh I want, 24mm is too wide:))) I think I might go for the Sigma 30mm 1.4 in the end and manage the audio somehow...As far as I understand the 30mm is quieter than 17-50 so...
Maan I can't tell you how great your channel is. Many a time that I want a quality opinion, I just type my question into youtube and type in "Christopher Frost" afterwards lol. & it's only recently that I saw your face for the first time haha. Very pleasant and chill looking guy. You're awesome.
@@christopherfrost same!! You've saved me a fortune on lenses (ok, and cost me a pretty penny, but I'm 100% happy with every purchase and have had absolutely NO buyer's remorse as a result of your channel!). Also, the quality of voiceover and production is second to none! Sometimes I'll leave it playing in the background and listen to reviews for lenses that don't even work on my camera, just because I enjoy the videos! Thank you!!
I bought the 55-250 STM after your video about it. I cannot stress this enough: the best cheap zoom you can buy. Stabilization, sharpness, focus, everything is great. For ultra fast cheap fiftys, I went to the vintage lane though. Cheers.
Hey Chris. Add a 0:00 to your video description and it should turn it into chapters, making it easier for people to scroll through on youtube. Happy to see the Rokinon 16mm still on here. My favorite lens!
You're a lifesaver for DSLR owners... Nowadays nobody cares about DSLRs with the arrival of Mirrorless... Thanks a lot and lots and lots of love and hugs from India....
Your review about the 55-250mm lens reenforced my decision to buy it. It is indeed very sharp, cheaper, and enjoyable. Good for portrait, and capturing an image of my crush from a far...hahah.. as well as birds, bees, moon, and eclipses. It can also do macro photography. I always check your channel before I buy a lens. And I wait for that "highly recommended" line at the end of your review. Thanks, sir!
I prefeare Tokina 11-20 more than Canon 10-18 . Tokina is really sharp, also in corners and f 2.8 is helping in dark situations and also astro photography.
Ditto! I have a secondhand 6D with the nifty-fifty, and really want some low cost options for landscape and portraits, but not compromising on image quality too much.
@@AntFong Sorry to disappoint you, but there are some AWESOME CHEAP options for full frame too. Chris did a video like this for full-frame before. I was hoping for an update. Despite my limited knowledge because I only tested a few lenses, I already know about the treasures among VINTAGE MANUAL lenses. SOOOOO many awesome quality products for as low as $20 that you can potentially adapt to many DSLRs and mirrorless. There is also examples of some more modern lenses like the Canon 40mm 2.8 stm (which I owned before based on Chris's recommendation), which is a great budget option.
Cool man, you ain't "disappointing" me. But you can't convince me that you're gonna find as vast a range of low cost, excellent performing lenses on Canon full frame as you can on their APS-C line, adapting legacy lenses withstanding. It's just a testament to how well Canon fleshed out their EF-S line and how FF has always been more expensive. Gotta pay to play with that big sensor
Chris -- I find that many low-cost 21st-Century wide-angle zooms are beset with enormous field curvature (a hemispherical focal 'plane' where the corners focus much closer than the center). The Canon 10-20 mm in particular, and also the Sigma 17-50 mm have this problem at wider angle zooms. Autofocus systems are entirely oblivious to this fact, and to keep things under control, I use manual focus to ensure that I am holding the focus into the corners (as it turns out, focusing *much* farther away than specified in a depth of field chart). Thankfully, wider focal lengths offer substantial depth of field, and stopped down to ~f/8, I can achieve excellent focus and sharpness from meters away to infinity (including the image corners). Without careful manual focusing -- corner sharpness can be abysmal -- though interestingly -- if the subject scene is also hemispherical, the 'defect' can help!
If you want very good lenses on a budget, have a look out on the used market. DSLR lenses do tend to keep their value, but used prices are usually significantly lower than Canon's asking price for a new lens. This is especially true for full-frame lenses which tend to be more expensive than ones specifically designed for smaller APS-C sensors. Here are some full-frame options which are, IMO, very good value for money: - any 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4, as Chris mentioned. Around $50 to $100 used. 50s are cheap, super useful, and great for learning how to work with prime (aka non-zoom) lenses. - Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L or EF 17-35mm f/2.8L. $300 to $400 used. Very nice ultra-wide angle lenses. The 17-40 does have a reputation of being soft, but my copy is surprisingly razor sharp at 17mm. - Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM. Around $300. Superb portrait lens which doesn't break your hands or bank account like its f/1.2L brother. - Samyang/Rokinon/Walimex Pro 14mm f/2.8. Less than $200 used. It's a manual focus lens, but 14mm is an extreme wide angle, and with the bright max aperture this is THE budget astrophotography lens. Manual focus-only may sound scary but focusing on such wide angles is quite easy, even at f/2.8. - Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L (IS) USM. $200 to $400. Versatile and sharp telephoto zoom, image stabilizer is a nice bonus but not a must. Get the cheapest one you can find used. - Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM, the first version. $600 to $1,000. I got mine for $570. Yes it's very expensive for a 'budget' option, but it is a great way of getting a super-telephoto range. On APS-C, you get an even further equivalent of 640mm. If you get an extender, you can go to 560mm (1.4x) or 800mm (2x) on full frame. On APS-C, that's equivalent to ~900mm (1.4x) and 1,280mm (2x) respectively! Although, keep in mind that these extenders reduce the maximum effective aperture, from f/5.6 to f/8 (1.4x) and f/11 (2x). This may cause issues with your camera's autofocus system.
I want to choose between 1- Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 SP Di VC USD XLD 2- canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM I saw your review for those lenses but I'm little bit confused which one is sharper considering the image quality as well, appreciate your help 🙏
That Holga try lens, used in BnW, then add some grain or old film scratches, can produce some old school looking candid/voters photos. The Yongnuo 50mm really is cheap made. Mine is pretty sharp, but it's as clunky as an old wheelbarrow made out of plastic. Use auto focus when you have sweat in your eyes, making it hard to focus. You might get a sharper image. lol ..Manual focus is rhe best way, but after each shot, you have to refocus your image. If you sneeze wrong, it causes the lens to loose focus. I got mine for $38 brand new/used. The person used it for 2 days then quit. lol The Copy of the Rokinon 85mm is fantastic!! I want the 135mm and I think my set of lenses is complete. 😁
I own as EF-S Lenses, the 10-18 STM, 18-55 STM (new F4-5.6 Version), 55-250 STM Zooms. Also the FF 40/2.8 STM, and 50/1.8 STM, Tamron 28-75/2.8 AF, 24-105/F4L Lenses. For EF-S, i could recommand very much the 24/2.8 STM Lens, since it's close to a ~40mm Lens on Fullframe equivalent, the 50mm becomes a ~75mm Lens, so small Telephoto, not great for APS-C EF-S Canon EOS xxxxD, xxxD or 2-digit D Bodies - unless you want to shoot Portraits with it all the time. The EF-S 24/2.8 EF-S is the perfect APS-C Canon one lens to shoot it all Lens.
After testing sereral lenses, the best value for me is Canon EF-S 55-250 IS STM. - it can take razor sharp pictures, especially close to 55mm with good light - it has a very useful Image Stabilization - il looks very well build, feels solid and smooth to operate - the price is very low compared to other canon super-zoom lenses
It is optically very good. But I am so pissed, heartbroken really, that samyang did not put any effort into making the aperture blades properly shaped to attain a roud shape of the aperture. It is clear why it is an expensive endeavor for auto/electronic lenses, blades have to move hella fast thus be very lightweight nad have minimal resistance. But for a manual - why not make a bazilion of blades with a complex curve, like even archaic soviet lenses(Jupiter 9, anyone?) do...
What a well timed video. I just bought my wife an older canon DSLR as her first steps into photography and we were discussing what would be some good cheap lenses to get her started. I'm a little suprised the canon 18-135 isn't on the list, I've heard decent things for a low budget super-zoom lens.
@@christopherfrost USM Nano version can be had @400 if bought as a "white box" (lens taken from a 80D or 90D kit to be sold separately) That's how I got mine BTW.
Excellent video.Highly Informative.If possible please make a video on APS-C lenses that have highest resolving power e.g. Sigma 18-35 , Sigma 50-100 etc.These high quality APS-C lenses somehow come closer to the Image Quality of a full frame camera.You can also include full frame lenses that are equally good on high resolution APS-C cameras like 80d and 90d.
What about the cheap manual 85mm f1.8? It's sold under different brands like Opteka, Andoer, Neewer, Vivitar, etc. Second hand is very cheap and image quality is good. Only downside is the manual focus and aperture and no communication with the camera, so no EXIF data
now sponsored by yongnuo! lol just kidding, brilliant video as always. have you tested the YN 35mm F1.4? i wonder if that one is any good, my YN 35mm F2 broke so im in the market for a new 35mm.
Reverse mount the Canon EOS DSLR to the EF-S 55-250mm using Movo AF (Auto Focus) Reverse Mount Macro Lens Converter for Canon EOS DSLR and you will have the best and most versatile "MACRO ZOOM LENS". YOU can even mount a Canon macro ring flash to this rig.
It really depends what you consider as budget lens. For my new ASP-C Camera (Canon EOS M6 MKII) I just purchased a 18-35mm f1.8. The lens price is around $750 which seems not very cheap. But if you consider that it replaces 2-3 fast primes out of Sigma´s or Samyang´s 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, 30mm, 35mm it suddenly seems rather "budget friendly" - with the downside of losing 0,5 Stops in max. aperture (and therefore 50%) compared to the f1.4 options - on the pro-side you safe hundreds of dollars and 2kg of weight.
Hi I am going thru a couple of video of your chanel and I would your help as you mention lot of lens and m'y canon 18_55 has not same aperture. I have 2 Canon Lens with m'y 750D. A 18-55 EFS 3.5-5.6. And a 55-250 EFS 4-5.6. As I will go to japan I am thinking at upgrading m'y gear with 2ndhand Lens. What would bé best for more photo qualité and better color. Sigma 17-55 2.8 you mention. Or Sigma 18-200. I Guess less quality than 1st Sigma but better than m'y 2 Lens. ?? I am lost
Hey,man I really appreciate all your reviews. I was just wondering how come you haven't made review of best high-end L series or sigma's art series for apsc cameras? Not just budget lenses but what are the really best performing more expensive lenses for Canon apsc cameras. Thanks you
Something like these for the Canon APS-C mirrorless system? - Sigma 16 mm f/1.4 DC DN C (a bit of chromatic aberration at low f-stops but it's sharp and there's really no competition for it) - EF-M 22 mm f/2 STM (it's ok, but the size rules) - EF-M 32 mm F/1.4 STM (the absolute best but very expensive) - Sigma 30 mm f/1.4 DC DN C (some chromatic aberration and barrel distortion, but much cheaper than the Canon 32 mm) - EF 50 mm f/1.8 STM with an adapter (the greatest cheap & cheerful lens of all time, though the focal length is not quite as versatile with crop sensors) - EF-M 55-200 IS STM (basically the EF-S 55-250 IS STM, but smaller, lighter and slightly darker aperture) I have the 16 mm f/1.4 Sigma and the EF-S 55-250 IS STM with an adapter. Both of them bought used, based on the reviews on this channel. I'm really happy with them!
hey how you're doing my brother it's so good to talk to somebody who also have the same camera as me. i have the 16-35 mark 2 lens and the 50mm lens i want to get the sigma 18-35 but should i get that even though i have the 16-35 L series lens? i want the 55-250 and the 15-85 lens i was told they are some good lens and they're cheap ya see. i want another good prime len like the 35 for portraits. i want the 1. 15-85 2. 55-250 3. 24mm 4. 24-105 5.35mm 6. 18-35 i think having 8 lens should be good and i don't have to go with full frame if i don't want to right i think camera is good enough
There are so many options for canon DSLR's. I've long since switched over to Sony but sometimes I miss the way my pictures came out on my old 5d Mark II. There was something about it's image quality that felt more...I don't know...organic(?) to me. I kinda feel like buying a second hand canon just so I can play around with some of the decent/cheap lenses that are available.
@@christopherfrost bro I ❤ photography,, and i want to be a photographer,, pls help me,, my budget 500 usd, pls suggest a good camera and a lens , i want background much blur and sharp photo
@@NahidMalithaVlogs take a look at this video, then :-) there are lots of cheap Canon cameras that you can get second hand these days. One good option is the 100D.
I just bought a used sony a5000 for £50 , I'm really happy with the focus assist it helps GREATLY with the manual focus on vintage lenses , also the screen helps with the exposure as can adjust live aperture and shutter speed to get bang on straight away , I sold my canon 500D I think you can put custom firmware with focus assist on but I never bothered with it , the sony is also is much smaller easier to carry around and I can now focus to infinity........and beyond lol
Thank you very much for this extremely timely round-up, merely the latest in a long line of thoughtful and practical videos. Now that Canon are throwing all their weight behind mirrorless, apsc is probably on its way out, so efs-s compatible lenses are becoming harder to find. This is thus a very valuable reference. Thanks again, and keep fighting the good fight!
this is a really helpful review - I had a quick question - im getting the 50 mm prime already, the canon one, and im looking for one to add -i was deciding between the canon 10-18 that you mentioned, or a rokinon 2.8 14 mm that would have some astro benefits that the other couldnt give me, and a better apeture, which one would you reccomend, or anyone for that matter?
I used a Yongnuo 50 mk1 , its tack sharp , literally not a problem with it , i use it on Canon 5D mk1 , 12mPix sensor , every pixel is defined and sharp , its a fantastic image , truly wonderful . And you say here its not sharp , i dont know where you get your shots but sharpness depends on your sensors if you have 100Mpix sensor , and a 12mpix lens , its going to look bad , while at the same time if you use 10mpix camera , same lens will be tack sharp on it . So its best to use mpix as refrence, not sharpness , for sharpness for one might not be sharp for other , but 12mpix lens , is 12mpix lens for all of us .
Hey, I do a lot of product photography - I'm currently using the 18-135 mm canon lens but it's not very sharp. What kind of recommendations do you have? Thanks!
not sure if you can get it for the dslr but the 7artisans 7.5mm is a good lens for under £200.00 i have one for the M50, also the 55-200 is stm kit lens that came with the M50 is highly worth getting, also morth mentioning to anyone with m mount, DORR do a great set of extension tubes for the m series, normally i stay away from non canon ext tube due to an off brand just falling apart in a few days but these ones are good, auto focus etc works with them too.i have more expensive and bigger stuff to but thats not relevant for the topic of the vid. as always fantastic informative vid again, thanks Christopher.
Dear Christopher, is next step the similar variant « all budget lenses for budget FF EF Canon »? Thanks again for your very informative and independent reviews Best regards
Very useful video and from previous videos I made the decision to purchase the 55-250mm, simply astounding for the value. Out of interest, do you have any astrophotography experience and in-particular lens recommendations for a Canon 90D? Look forward to more videos and personally I recycle your content for further information and the relaxing music.
It should be noted that the crop sensor lenses made by Sigma Tamron etc are also available with mounts for Nikon and maybe Sony. They will also fit on Canon FF cameras, unlike Canon's own EF-S lenses the only work on crop. They will produce Lots of vignetting though on a FF body. I would have added the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 zoom. Great for sports.
Hi, I like your video very much... I am planning to start my RU-vid channel for education videos.. And planning to buy m50 but distance between camera to my sitting position is maximum 4 feet.. Can you plz suggest me which lens will be best for me.. is 50 mm lens is good for my case or 10- 18 mm lens or any other lens? I have no idea about photography and waiting for your reply.. Thanks in advance...
I use 50mm sigma art on my 6D but when it comes to traveling... canon 40mm pancake lens is the best! understably mediocre performance in low light situation BUT cannot beat the convenience of its size
Can you keep a running list of top lenses that you've tested for each category and platform? It would be incredibly helpful. For example, I would love to be able to look up your top 5 wide angle zooms for Sony Full frame.
Which one would you pick if it's between Canon EF-S 18-135 IS STM and Sigma 18-200 DC OS Macro C? Is the extra money worth it for the Sigma considering sharpness?