The 6 best Canon macro lenses in 2023

If you’re into shooting close-ups of flowers, animals, and other nature subjects, you’re definitely going to need a proper macro lens for your shot to be extremely detailed and stunning.

Explore our list of the best 7 Canon macro lenses to step up your macro photography - find their key features, pros and cons, and our final verdict!

For each type of photography, there’re different types of lenses that will help deliver incredible shots. Find out everything about other lenses in our guide to camera equipment.

• Editor’s choice: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens
• Best stabilization: Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM
• Best for beginners: Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM
  
  
  

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens (Editor’s choice)

Pros:

• Superb image quality
• Lightening-fast, silent autofocus
• Phenomenal stabilization
• Ideal focal length
• Beautiful bokeh
• Fully weatherproof
• Compatible with all Canon cameras using an adapter
  

Cons:

• Pricey
  

Specs:

• Mount: Canon EF
• Max Magnification: 1.0x
• Minimum Focus Distance: 30cm
• Filter Diameter: 67mm
• Size: 78x123mm
• Weight: 625g
  

Features

Incredible sharpness and detail
This 100mm Canon lens is ideal for macro shooting, with its superb sharpness at medium and narrow apertures. Color fringing is minimal, as is the barrel distortion. Even if it still bothers you, there is a way to correct that - either automatically or at the editing stage. At the aperture of 2.8, the contrast and details are simply fantastic, with impressive sharpness in the center of the frame. For sharpness in the corners, put the aperture at the f/4, and see the details improve on the edges.

Fast and quiet autofocus
The lens features a ring-type autofocus system that is fast and quiet, and the manual focusing is smooth and precise. The lens comes with a hood, as do most of the L-series lenses by Canon. You can also get optional accessories like the Macrolite Adapter and a tripod mounting rig. The accessories enable better balance and orientation.

Verdict
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L is the first lens to feature the Canon’s hybrid image stabilization, allowing for handheld shooting with macro photography. The lens has a solid build, and image quality is top-notch with all-round sharpness. It’s a wonderful lens with 1.0x magnification that offers uncompromisable performance and is one of the top buys for macro photographers.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens

Pros:

• Great stabilization
• Lots of character
• Fun flare
• SA dial is like a built-in mist filter
• Can be super sharp or nice and soft
  

Cons:

• Prone to color fringing
• Lens hood not included
  

Specs:

• Mount: Canon EF
• Max Magnification: 1x
• Minimum Focus Distance: 0.31m
• Filter Diameter: 58mm
• Size: 79 x 119mm
• Weight: 600g
  

Features

Dual Nano autofocus system

The Canon RF 100mm Macro lens uses a Dual Nano USM autofocus system. This lens is capable of capturing portraits of moving subjects. When shooting up close, it can be a little trickier to maintain focus on things like flying insects because of the shallow depth of field. The R3's Animal AF performs just admirably on some subjects.

Endless possibilities for images

This Canon lens is amazing because it offers both outstanding technical performance and a ton of character in one package. Whether it’s super sharp images, dreamy pictures - you’ll get exatly what you need. There are a ton of possibilities from just this one lens when you combine close-up autofocus capability, a respectably bright aperture, and stunning lens flare. The lens often produces fairly accurate colors. With the right white balance, the colors don't become overly saturated but rather feel real. The colors have a lot of contrast and punch under ideal lighting, but it doesn't feel excessive.

Verdict

For both portraits and macro photography, the Canon RF 100mm Macro is a great option. Macro photographers, portrait photographers, and wedding photographers would all benefit from using this lens. The superb balance between character and sharpness enables photographers who occasionally demand technical greatness and other times a lot of character from one lens.

Canon TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro

Pros:

• Tilt, shift, and rotation adjustments
• No distortion
• Very little vignette
• 1:2 macro magnification
  

Cons:

• Manual focus isn't for everyone
• Bulky
  

Specs:

• Mount: Canon EF
• Max Magnification: 0.5x
• Minimum Focus Distance: 49cm
• Filter Diameter: 82mm
• Size: 88.5 x 139.1 mm
• Weight: 1.1kg
  

Features

Manual focus and ASC coating

Like all tilt-shift lenses, this one can only be focused manually. You can focus using the focusing ring on the front of the lens, but it's best to use a tripod and turn on Live View for accurate focus. The lens consists of both molded aspherical and UD elements and contains 11 elements in 7 groups. Additionally, it has an ASC coating to lessen internal reflection and a SWC coating to lessen flare and ghosting. This big lens has a 1:2 reproduction ratio and a 0.49m minimum focus distance.

Perfect for food photography
This lens is excellent for photographing food and products because it allows you to select a plane of focus that is not available with conventional lenses. Although a wider angle is more likely to be your preferred length for those types of images, you might utilize this lens to capture architectural detail.

Verdict

A well constructed lens, the Canon TS-E 135mm f/4L Tilt-Shift Macro produces stunning images. This lens can provide amazing and incredibly distinctive results thanks to its macro focusing and tilt, shift, and rotate functions. This lens is intended for studio photographers who shoot food and other products because it gives them fine control over the plane of focus so they may change the depth of field without using photo editing software.

Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art Lens

Pros:

• Affordable
• Compact and lightweight design
• Extendable lens tube with focusing distance and magnification
• Weather-sealed
  

Cons:

• Slow autofocus
• No image stabilization
  

Specs:

• Mount: Canon EF
• Max Magnification: 1,0x
• Minimum Focus Distance: 25.8cm
• Filter Diameter: 49mm
• Size: 70.8×105.8 mm
• Weight: 515g
  

Features

Premium design and feel
Starting with the crisp white package and the high-quality padded soft case, Sigma has done a fantastic job of giving their ART lenses a premium feel. This carries over into the design of the lens, which is a sturdy, well-built beast that might be used as a self-defense weapon if you ever find yourself surrounded in a pitch-black alley with nothing but your Sigma Art lens. Except for the plastic hood, the entire construction is made of metal.

Lightweight and great for handheld use
With a weight of 515g and a length of 10.6cm, the Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro Art is quite light and small for a high-end macro lens, making it suitable for both hand-held and support-mounted operation. It works perfectly with the top-of-the-line Canon EOS 5DS R camera, not feeling front-heavy at all and matching the body's build quality.

Verdict

In the hands of the appropriate photographer, a decent macro lens is a potent instrument. There are several, but few are as small, light, and crisp as the full-frame Sigma 70mm F2.8 DG Macro Art, which is available for Canon, Sigma, and Sony cameras. This 70mm lens is just fantastic optical-wise, producing extremely sharp close-ups with a ton of fine detail and ultra-precise focusing.

Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

Pros:

• Good price
• Sharp image quality
• Autofocus
• Hybrid image stabilization
• Weather sealed
  

Cons:

• Not completely silent
• Occasional lens flares
  

Specs:

• Mount: Canon EF
• Max Magnification: 1.0x
• Minimum Focus Distance: 30cm
• Filter Diameter: 62mm
• Size: 79x117mm
• Weight: 610g
  

Features

Solid barrel build and wide compatibility
The SP 90mm measures 4.6 by 3.1 inches, weighs 610g, and supports 62mm front filters. It has a black finish and a silver ring at the bottom. The barrel is made of metal and has a sizable manual focus ring with a rubber knurled texture. A top pane displays the current magnification and focus distance in feet and meters. The Tamron lens is available for use with Canon, Nikon, and Sony cameras; the Sony version lacks optical stabilization because that functionality is already included in Alpha SLRs.

Great resolving power and optimal bokeh
The 90mm f/2.8 macro lens excels in close-up and portrait photography thanks to its excellent resolving power, clear image representation, and optimum background blur. This macro lens was designed with portability in mind, and it is small and light. In the macro mode, fine manual focusing is simple and accurate thanks to a broad, smooth focusing ring.

Verdict

For both APS-C and full-frame Canon and Nikon DSLRs, it is a fantastic purchase. Through the use of an EF-EOS R mount adapter, it also functions with Canon EOS R system cameras, albeit this may require a firmware update. It provides superb all-around performance and image quality for DSLRs, and combines extremely good optical performance with very good image stabilization. Its autofocus is stable, and the lens works well for both close-up and distant shots.

Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM (Best for beginners)

Pros:

• Pocket-sized and great for travel
• Built-in LED light
• Autofocus and stabilization
• One of the closest focal lengths to a wide-angle lens
  

Cons:

• Not compatible with full-frame cameras
• Short focal length is not ideal for live macro subjects
  

Specs:

• Mount: Canon EF-S
• Max Magnification: 1.0x
• Minimum focus distance: 13cm
• Filter Diameter: 49mm
• Size: 69x56mm
• Weight: 190g
  

Features

Hybrid imae stabilization and great sharpness
This lens has a hybrid image stabilizer in addition to a quick and extremely silent stepping motor focusing technology. For close-up photography, stabilization is still more successful than usual because of its hybrid nature, which corrects for both x-y shift and the more common angular vibration. One glass-moulded aspherical element is part of the optical path, which is designed to improve sharpness and clarity while minimizing spherical aberrations. Videographers will also benefit from that, as the system does a great job removing the jittery look that can appear in an unstabilized handheld video.

Superb light fill and revolutionary LED system
You only have roughly 1.5 inches of working distance between lens and subject if you want to focus as closely as possible because minimum focus is set at 5.1 inches from the image sensor. The lights are particularly helpful in this situation since they are powerful enough to create fill if your camera is casting a shadow. The EF-S 35mm f/2.8 IS STM has a revolutionary LED light system on the front that provides up to a full stop of light that forms a semi-ring around your subject, making it simpler to photograph at 1:1. It can be manually turned on for one or two stops by pressing a button with your left hand.

Verdict

The Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro is a reliable, reasonably priced accessory. For photographers who wish to shoot in low light and acquire better shots than you can with an entry-level zoom lens, its standard-angle field of view, wide f/2.8 aperture, and image stabilization make it an excellent option as an everyday lens. Its macro focusing power is enhanced by built-in lights, which help to reduce shadows that result from working closely with subjects.

Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM (Best stabilization)

Pros:

• Affordable
• Stunning stabilization
• Excellent image quality
• Compact
  

Cons:

• Not weather sealed
• No lens hood
  

Specs:

• Mount: Canon RF
• Max Magnification: 0.5x
• Minimum Focus Distance: 0.35m
• Filter Diameter: 67mm
• Size: 78 x 90.5mm
• Weight:500g
  

Features

Bright and close-up portraits
Short telephoto lenses like the Canon RF 85 mm can be utilized for both portrait and macro photography. Its f/2 brightness is only one-third stop less intense than the f/1.8 that is often seen on 85mm lenses today. It is also one stop brighter than most macro lenses at that F2. When shooting portraits at full aperture, this 85mm provides you a rather hazy background because of that relatively high brightness. And unlike most 85mm lenses, this portrait allows you to snap photographs of people up close, including, if you want to, only their eye.

Fast and quiet autofocus
There is an STM focus motor in the RF 85mm F2. This guarantees quick and quiet autofocus for both film and photos. Focusing is even a little bit quicker than with the RF F1.2, where a larger lens element must be moved by the USM focus motor, which is actually faster. A 0.5x magnification is available at the shortest setting distance of 35 cm. Even at its widest aperture, the Canon RF 85 mm F2 macro IS STM maintains excellent sharpness in the image's center.

Verdict

Another budget-friendly RF prime that outperforms its peers is the Canon RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM. It has corner sharpness that rivals the magnificent RF 85mm f/1.2L.  The 5-stop IS makes a significant difference when shooting both macro and portraits, and the click-less control ring and silent, smooth STM focusing make it an effective tool for video work. Canon offers just another excellent RF optic.

How we picked the best

Minimum focus distance

The minimum focusing distance for macro lenses is an important thing to take into account. The lens can only get that close to a target before losing focus. Depending on the lens's focal length, the precise distance will vary, although the best macro lenses typically have a minimum focusing distance of no more than 30 cm.

Image stabilization

You want to ensure that you take stable pictures with a clear focus if you want your macro photography to be successful. More close-focusing macro lenses now have image stabilization for clean shots at slower shutter speeds, which is helpful because the closer you are to your subject, the more evident camera wobble is.

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