5 Best Lenses for your new Canon DSLR

You may be a photographer, or you want to venture into the field of photography. You may also be a person who likes carrying a camera around and taking pictures for personal pleasure. Whichever you are, to increase your camera’s image quality, you need to have the quality lens in front of it. You may have spent a significant amount of time looking and searching for great canon lenses that offer superior quality, while at the same time being pocket-friendly.

While the kit lens that comes with the camera may be pretty good, a small investment in additional Canon lenses will greatly boost the creative flexibility of your Camera, as well as the quality of the output pictures. Canon creates some of the best lenses available in the market today, and you are guaranteed to get what you are looking for, from their wide range of lenses. They are bound to take your photography adventure to the next level. Having the right Canon lens is one good step of the journey towards harnessing the most out of your camera.

Whether you’re looking to step up from the kit lens that came with your camera, or looking for a premium lens, we’ve got you covered. Here is a review of some of the best Canon lenses you can find in DGElectronics – Your Best Camera Shop in Singapore

EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM Mark II

The heir to the throne has emerged! The successor to the king of DGElectronics’s Camera Shop Singapore branch is the Mark II. Canon, after 15 years, has finally released an upgrade on one of their biggest selling Tele zooms of all time, which is the EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM. This version, commonly referred to as Mk II boasts the same basic specs with the Mk I version but has boosted features and improved all-around performance.

The EF 100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM still has the original focal length as well as maximum apertures, just as the Mk I. This canon lens can, however, change to F5 while it’s at about the 125mm mark and will go up to just above 300mm. It has a new optical design, more elements, greatly enhanced image stabilization and an autofocus drive that has greater speed. Its finishing has not been done with the old creamy white, but with Canon’s new light-grey L-color.

The main features of the Mk II include;

• Faster USM autofocus drive
• Extensive weather-resistant seals (Mk I is partly sealed)
• An enhanced image stabilization with 4-stops benefit (Mk I has 2)
• An improved optical design- 21 elements in 16 (Mk I has 17 elements in 16)
• A Twist-ring for controlling zoom(Mk I has push-pull)

This Canon lens goes very well on APS-C cameras like the Canon 7D Mk II. For the former, you’ll have excellent AF and fast frame rate, as well as an exceedingly useful reach. The later will only autofocus on higher-end Canon DSLRs that retain AF up to F8. This model from Canon Lenses Singapore is the best telezoom you can get among all brands.

EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x

Here is the world’s first SLR lens that has an inbuilt teleconverter, The Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x. These lenses are flexible enough to be turned to a 280-560mm f/5.6 optic, just with a simple flick of a switch that is on the top of its barrel. These are carefully designed Canon Lenses that took 2 years of development.

The 200-400mm is 14’’ long (36 cm) and has a weight of 3.6 kg. It boasts 33 elements in 24 groups. These include a Fluorite and Ultra-Low Dispersion glass. It also has ultrasonic focus motor that has power focus for movie shooting, a weather-sealed magnesium alloy barrel and an image stabilization that can do four stops. This is in addition to a 200-400 mm focal length range, with F4 constant maximum aperture. Though the product is bulky, it still can be used handheld, but not for extended periods of time.

However, these lenses are a bit stratospherically positioned. They are premium lenses that are specialized for sports coverage and wildlife capturing. They are a bit costly and are therefore suitable for agencies, rather than individuals. They are one of a kind, though, and if you are looking for lenses that offer you superior sports coverage, then Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x fits the bill.

EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is one of the first Canon lenses to use a linear stepper focusing motor. This was along with the Rebel T4i and STM zoom.

This lens has a focal length of 40mm, which might be considered a little odd, based on the fact that most photographers are used to 35 & 50mm when it comes to Len’s focal length. However, many photographers look at 40mm as the ‘perfectly normal’. This is because it provides a perspective that looks natural.

Of the Canon EF lens, these are the smallest, with them being just o.9’’ thick (22 mm) and weighing just 130g. It’s, therefore, ultra-compact and designed for portability, with it being meant specifically for people who like carrying their cameras often. Despite its small size, it still has 6 elements in 4 groups’ optical unit. This unit also has an aspherical element that helps in aberrations’ reduction.

This Canon Lens is usually offered on the cheap and will be a perfect fit for you, of you are looking for quality traveling lenses that are pocket –friendly.

EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

Clear favourite of DGElectronics’s Camera Shop Singapore branch, the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II is the champion of the mid range zoom category. Canon Lenses Singapore released this excellent Canon lens as an upgrade of the great EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. It is a significant upgrade of the latter and has a new design, while also incorporating a special design for improving the imaging performance. It also significantly reduces distortion, a factor that was for long problematic with its predecessor. It is smaller and has a lighter design with a construction that weather-sealed. It also ensures that you have high robustness, a feature that has been made possible by its internal development, which has been revised.

Its principal features include;

• 0.38m close focus offers 0.19x magnification
• Fast F2.8 constant maximum aperture; F22 minimum
• Ring-type Ultrasonic Motor (USM) focusing.
• 24-70mm focal length
• 18 elements contained 13 groups

This lens greatly reduces aberrations.

This Canon Lenses, however, do not offer image stabilization, as Canon claims that the feature would mean a significant compromise on either the image quality or image size. Its focus will however only work when the lens is mounted on a Camera that has been powered on since its focus design is electronic. The focus is done using a focusing ring, located near the front of the lens. When you turn it, the entire barrel and hood turn. To activate the focus monitor, you need to turn the ring. The response of the focus is pretty quick, though it does not offer you the tactile response that would have been otherwise afforded by a mechanical focus ring.

EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is one type of lenses that go unmatched for years. It’s a master at taking portraits, and if portraits are your thing, you have a companion. Portraits that have a shallows field depth are possible at f/1.2, while it also offers smooth and silky out-of-focus rendering.

Its also photographer’s favourite when they have to take without flash in low light conditions. Its price may also be a drawback but at the same time worth everything. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is a specialty lens, with its unique view of the world making it one of a few.

Conclusion

I have taken you through some of the best Canon lenses that you can find in the Singapore market today, whether you are looking for expensive sports lenses or cheap quality lenses that you can carry around. However, to make sure that you choose the best Canon Lenses in Singapore for your camera, you need to understand the purpose fully, and what drives the upgrade from the kit lenses that come with the camera. 2 things you also need to consider before making the purchase are the focal length and maximum aperture of the lenses.

The Focal Length: Len’s focal length is usually expressed in mm. The larger it is, the bigger the zoom. A lower number will, however, mean that the lens can be used for wider shots. Since the human eye is said to have a focal length of around 35-50 mm, a lens with a lower number will mean you take a bigger view than you can naturally see, while the larger number will mean that you can focus on a smaller aspect of your view.

The Maximum aperture is the other essential factor. It is the amount of light the lens can gather. It’s usually shown in different ways e.g. f/2.8, F2.8 or 1:2.8, etc. Larger maximum apertures (with lower numbers) are capable of gathering more light.

If you are looking for quality Lenses for upgrade from Canon Lenses Singapore, you can now feel confident while purchasing one of the above lenses, while considering your needs.