Prime lenses offer great quality and clarity. Traditionally, prime lenses offer better quality than zoom lenses. Zoom lenses are the “jack of all trades” lenses, whereas prime lenses are more specialist. The downside is that prime lenses do not offer the same flexibility. In this guide, we look at the best Canon prime lenses under $1000.
Canon has an excellent range of prime lenses and you can purchase some for under $1000. Most of the L-series lenses are above this price bracket, nonetheless, there are some great choices of standard Canon prime lenses.
There are also some quality third-party Canon prime lenses from manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron. In this guide, we have listed six of the best Canon prime lenses under $1000 for your benefit – enjoy!
1. Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM (Overall Winner)
The Canon EF 135mm f/2L USM sits right on the border of the price bracket. For the quality you receive, it is a great budget lens under $1000 and affordable for what it provides. At a focal distance of 135mm, it is considered telephoto and makes a great option for mid-range sports and wildlife photography.
As a Canon L-series lens, it benefits from various quality enhancements. For example, it has a USM motor and improved UD lens elements that reduce ghosting, flares, and chromatic aberration. With a maximum aperture of f/2 this lens creates a smooth and creamy bokeh.
2. Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
Sigma produces good lenses and the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art is an excellent budget option as it is one of the most affordable Art-series Sigma prime lenses available. The focal distance of 35mm is suitable for street photography and landscape shots.
This lens has Sigma’s patented Hypersonic Motor (HSM) for quick and accurate autofocusing. The maximum aperture of f/1.4 is the largest on this list and provides great creativity for your backgrounds and depth of field.
As an art-series lens, the Sigma 35mm has superior quality and great lens element technology that reduces distortions. At its budget price, this is one of the best Canon prime lenses under $1000.
3. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM is a great quality L-series lens for an affordable price. It is at the top end of the bracket but offers great performance. It can be used as a macro lens or as a telephoto lens for wildlife and sports photography.
As a high-end macro lens, it has a minimum focusing distance of 0.3m. This might not seem great, but it also has a 1x magnification for close-up shots. When combined with the maximum aperture of f/2.8, the lens allows for some artistic macro creations.
It has a great lens construction made of 15 elements as well as various features to protect from distortions and dust.
4. Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM
Canon has a good range of wide-angle prime lenses for landscape and street photography. The Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM is a good example. It is affordable but still offers great quality.
With a focal distance of 35mm, the lens can fulfill a variety of purposes. For example, you can use it for close-up portrait shots, or relatively wide-angle landscape photography. In addition, the maximum aperture of f/2 allows you to produce some nice bokeh backgrounds.
This is not an L-series lens, but it still has a solid build quality and features. For example, it has built-in image stabilization and a silent USM motor for accurate autofocusing. The image stabilization corrects for up to four stops of camera shake.
5. Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM
Another great wide-angle lens is the Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM. This is a great budget option and has the best value when it comes to the best Canon prime lenses under $1000. It has built-in image stabilization that corrects up to four stops of camera shake.
The lens has Canon’s silent USM motor for fast and silent autofocusing, and you can choose to manually focus using the smooth manual focusing ring. The lens element is spherical and has special coatings to reduce ghosting, flare, and other distortions.
For wide-angle photography, this is a good choice. It also has a solid maximum aperture of f/2.8 which provides creativity when shooting close objects.
6. Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM (Budget Winner)
The Canon RF 35mm f/1.8 Macro IS STM is our budget winner. It is a good macro lens for the Canon EOS R mirrorless cameras. The minimal focusing distance is great at just 0.17m. This means you can capture small details of objects like insects and plants.
In addition, it has an advanced image stabilization that corrects for up to five stops of camera shake. The macro lens element has a 0.5x magnification which helps create greater detail in your photos.
Aside from use as a macro lens, it also works well as a landscape lens. The wide focal distance of 35mm allows you to capture sweeping shots. The f/1.8 aperture is also a benefit that you can use to control the depth of field to a high degree.
Improve Your Image Quality With Canon Prime Lenses Under $1000
When choosing a prime lens, consider the purpose and what you intend to use it for. Different prime lenses are suitable for different purposes. For example, a 22mm or 24mm lens is appropriate for wide-angle photography. You could use such a lens for sweeping landscape shots.
Alternatively, an 85mm or 135mm prime lens would be better suited for portrait photography and creating stunning bokeh backgrounds.
For your lens collection, we advise having a decent zoom lens that you can use as your kit lens. Something like a 24-70mm lens. To complement this, you could then add several of the best Canon prime lenses under $1000 to suit different photographic purposes.
