When it comes to travel, it’s important to have lenses that are lightweight, versatile, or both. While it may be tempting, carrying a case or pack full of lenses just isn’t practical. You also need to think about balancing high performance with weight and bulk. Pro-level glass can be heavy, due to build quality, as well as more elements and groups in the lens design. Sometimes, sacrificing a few stops of light for weight and portability can make the difference, and it’s important to invest in go-to options for travel, especially if you travel constantly as a content creator, photographer, or videographer.
This article is for Canon shooters that are ready to get better about traveling and creating, bringing the best, and leaving the rest. Canon makes some of the best lenses in the world, and here are their top lenses you should take around the world with you.
Top Canon RF Lenses for Travel:
Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM ()
This is a newer lens from Canon, released with the new EOS R full-frame mirrorless line and built for the new RF mount. It has an incredibly versatile zoom range, from 24-105mm, allowing for wide and tight shots, for whatever subject you are shooting. Its aperture is at a flat f/4, and the lens performs incredibly well in low light, and because of the higher aperture, it only weighs in at around 1.5 pounds, which incredibly light for a lens. As a bonus, that makes it perfect for traveling.
With the versatile zoom range and low light performance, this lens is fantastic for travel photography and videography, and it is built to not weigh you down when you need to pack light.
Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 L USM ()
If you love to take portrait or lifestyle shots while you travel, the Canon RF 50mm f/1.2 is an incredible prime lens for travel. At a flat f/1.2, this lens offers unparalleled low light performance, incredible performance with shallow depth of field subjects, and beautiful bokeh for elements in the background, and still weighs in at 2 pounds.
Top Canon EF Lenses for Travel:
Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II USM ()
If you’re looking for a “go-to” lens that can do it all while traveling, look no further. The Canon 24-70 f/2.8L is fast, accurate, and produces beautiful stills, while providing zoom range for all types of photo and video content. You truly can do it all with this lens, and the best part is that it shoots at a flat f/2.8, which allows for two extra stops of light, adding unparalleled low light performance at its size, weight, and zoom range. Yes, it’s f/4 sister lens is lighter, but only by .3 pounds, which makes the added performance far worth it.
The lens is pricier than others on this list, but if you are serious about your craft, want to invest in one of the best lenses on the market, and have a perfect companion for travel, the EF 24-70mm f/2.8 is the lens you need to have in your pack.
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM ()
Yes, this is a telephoto lens. It’s not the smallest lens either, and most lenses at this size and focal length weigh at least several pounds, and are incredibly difficult to travel with. However, the EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II USM is actually quite light. Weighing slightly over 1.5 lbs, this lens will not weigh you down, and weighs as much as most of the lenses on this list.
In addition, you get a lens with a focal length that can really add to your photography, allowing for compression and greater depth of field. If you’re a photographer who loves to work with scale, and adding subjects in the background of a beautiful city or landscape, this lens is perfect for that. And at f/4, it has plenty enough low light performance for most all travel situations.
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM ()
No, this lens isn’t a “professional” prime, like the 85mm f/1.4, or other legendary primes from Canon. A lot of people may even refer to it as a “kit lens.” But at just under a half a pound, this lens is a compact, incredibly lightweight lens that produces great photos, at a price point that is almost as small as the lens itself. It’s a lens you can purchase, in addition to your normal workhorse prime, as an option for travel. And the results will still be fantastic. In the end, you won’t lose much performance when shooting with the EF 50mm f/1.8 on your next trip, and you certainly will be able to travel lighter.
Another note about these EF lenses: if you have an EOS R or EOS RP full-frame, mirrorless body with the RF mount, you still can use any of the EF lenses! The optional Mount Adapters allow for seamless use of EF lenses on the RF mount, without affecting performance and speed.
Feature photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash
