Canon, one of the most trusted brands in SLRs, is all-in on mirrorless. Its EOS R digital cameras drop optical viewfinders for electronic viewfinders (EVFs) and work with a relatively new RF lens system. These lenses use distinct optical formulas and a different mount compared with the EF lenses for Canon's popular SLR camera line. PCMag has tested lenses for the EOS R system since it debuted and covered the vast majority of releases, so you can trust our recommendations are worthy of your money. Whether you want a bright standard zoom for events, a telephoto prime for wildlife, or a macro lens for close-ups, you will surely find something that appeals in our list of the best options below. Make sure to click through to our comprehensive reviews to get the full details on each.

What Cameras Use Canon RF Lenses?

The EOS R cameras use RF lenses, which are distinct from the EF lenses for Canon's end-of-life SLR system. Adapters are available to make it a little easier to swap your trusty EOS 5D Mark IV for a newer entry. But not everyone is coming in from a Canon SLR, and there are valid reasons to pick a made-for-R lens over using one with an adapter. Telephotos especially benefit from hybrid optical and in-body stabilization, a feature exclusive to RF lenses.

Canon sells R cameras with full-frame sensors (EOS R, RP, R1, R3, R5, R6, and R8 series) and with smaller APS-C chips (EOS R7, R10, R50, R100). Full-frame lenses are named with RF designations, while APS-C glass uses RF-S.

Canon is several years into the development of the system, enough time to bring bread-and-butter options like f/2.8 zooms, bright primes, and long telephoto glass to market, as well as some exotic and downright experimental lenses. Even so, if you're buying a full-frame EOS R camera, you'll be restricted to using Canon lenses. The brand hasn't yet allowed third parties to make autofocusing optics for its full-frame R cameras.

The APS-C line is a different story. Canon makes a handful of RF-S lenses, and a good number of its small, low-cost full-frame optics are sensible for use with an APS-C body. However, its RF-S zoom lenses tend to be basic with middling f-stops, and no extra-bright f/1.4 primes are available. To compensate, both Sigma and Tamron market some bright-aperture APS-C zooms and primes for the platform.

You may also turn to third-party SLR lenses with the same adapters as Canon EF glass. If you're open to manual focus, you can use virtually any vintage lens; it's just a matter of finding the right adapter.

Should You Choose Full-Frame or APS-C Lenses?

Canon includes both full-frame and APS-C models in its R camera lineup. Lenses that cover the bigger full-frame sensor are designated as RF, while the RF-S badge indicates a lens covers only the smaller confines of an APS-C sensor.

Photographers who use an APS-C model like the EOS R10 or R7 can use RF lenses on their cameras, too. The smaller sensor format means that the same lens will show a narrower angle of view than on a full-frame camera, as expected.

Full-frame photographers can also attach the made-for-APS RF-S lenses to their cameras. In that uncommon situation, the camera crops its active sensor area and cuts resolution down to compensate for the lens' lack of full-frame coverage. An RF-S lens on the 45MP EOS R5, for example, nets 18MP images from the center of the sensor.

Remember that while EF SLR lenses can be adapted to EOS R cameras, there is no way to use lenses from Canon's EOS EF-M mirrorless system with an R camera.

As for variety, there are affordable lenses for entry-level shoppers, a good fit for customers jumping in with the $1,000 EOS RP or EOS R10. On the high end, the Canon L series continues. These premium lenses are built to the standards Canon pros have come to expect.