Lenses

This is a list of lenses described in articles or used in taking photographs on this site. They’re grouped by manufacturer, then ordered by focal length.

Canon Lenses

The lenses listed below are made by Canon, Inc. of Japan for their cameras, primarily for their Canon EOS cameras.

Canon EF f/2.8 20mm USM Lens

Canon EF 20mm Lens

An ultra wide-angle lens for serious applications, it’s easy to hold and carry at 14.3 oz. (405g). A floating rear focusing system gives sharp images at all subject distances and an ultrasonic motor (USM) enables fast, smooth and quiet autofocus. Buy on Amazon

Canon EF-S f/2.8 60mm Macro USM Lens

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens

This lens is a wonderful multi-purpose lens for macro shots, portraits or available-light photos. With a floating optical system that can focus down to full life-size (1:1) magnification. Inner focusing, driven by a silent and powerful ring-type USM.

Buy on Amazon

Canon EF f/1.8 85mm USM Lens

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens

This highly practical lens is ideal for a range of uses including portraits. Its fast f/1.8 maximum aperture is effective in low light and ideal for shallow depth of field. An ultrasonic autofocus motor (USM) provides fast, smooth and quiet AF action. Buy on KEH

Canon EF L f/1.2 50mm Lens

Canon EOS 50mm f/1.2 L Lens

With a coating and construction type that are optimized to minimize the ghosting and flare, this lens also offers an ultra-large aperture that produces a narrow depth of field. It delivers the superb image resolution you expect in a Canon L Series lens. Buy on Amazon

Canon EF L f/4 24-105mm IS USM Lens

Canon EF 24 - 105mm f/4 IS USM Lens

Designed for professional photographers who need a light zoom lens, it has an image stabilizer that allows shutter speeds of 3 stops slower than would otherwise be possible, with no perceptible increase in image blur. Buy on Amazon

Canon EF 180mm f3.5L Macro USM Lens

Canon EF 180mm Macro USM Lens

A macro lens with a maximum magnification of 1x. Life-size close-ups can be taken from a farther distance without disturbing the subject. The internal floating system minimizes fluctuations in aberrations caused by changes in the focusing distance. Buy on Amazon

Canon EF L 85mm f/1.2 USM Lens

Canon EF L 85mm f/1.2 USM Lens

This lens uses a ring-type USM, high-speed CPU and optimized algorithms to achieve fast autofocus. The high-speed AF and circular aperture create a shallow depth-of-field. The floating optical system suppresses aberrations and ensures excellent images. Buy on Amazon

Canon EF f/4.5 - 5.6 DO IS USM 70 - 300mm Lens

Canon EF f/4.5 - 5.6 DO IS USM 70 - 300mm Lens

This lens provides superior performance in an ultra-compact telephoto zoom lens with image stabilization. Diffractive Optics elements are combined to reduce size and boost image quality. It focuses down to 4.6 feet without rotating the front element. Buy on Amazon

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens

This lens is a standard zoom with Image Stabilizer to allow sharp hand-held shots. It consists of 11 elements in 9 groups and uses an aspherical lens element to correct aberration for excellent image quality throughout the zoom range. Buy on Amazon

Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens

This lens provides wide-angle to tele coverage to Canon EOS cameras. With image stabilization, it prevents camera shake up to three stops slower than normally possible. A ring-type USM means fast and silent AF, as well as manual focus when in the AF mode. Buy on Amazon

Leica Lenses

These lenses are made by my favorite lens and camer manufacturere, Leica Camera AG of Wetzlar, Germany. They’re manu lenses made specifically for their cameras.

Leica Summicron-M f/2.0 50mm Lens

Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 Lens

Outstanding due to its compact optical design, as well as its legendary focal length, the fine picture quality of this lens extends all the way to the extreme corners of the image field, and excellent contrast is achieved at all apertures. Buy on Amazon

Leica Apo-Summicron-M f/2 75mm Lens

Leica Apo-Summicron-M f/2 75mm Lens

This compact, fast, short telephoto lens for Leica M cameras is acclaimed for its excellent image quality at maximum aperture and over the full focusing range from infinity to minimum distance. It will provide sharp detail on a blurred background. Buy on Amazon

Zeiss Lenses

These are lenses made by Carl Zeiss AG of Germany. They make several types of optical products, in particular lenses for Canon cameras, as well as their own cameras. Their lenses are typically of better quality than those made by Canon.

Zeiss Planar T* f/1.4 50mm ZE Lens

Zeiss Planar T* f/1.4 50mm ZE Lens

This lens has precise manual focusing and provides high-performance wide open. The lens construction controls flare and ghosting artifacts, resulting in a brilliant image with excellent contrast and natural color rendition. Buy on Amazon

Zeiss Planar T* f/1.4 85mm ZE Lens

Zeiss ZE 85mm Lens

This classic portrait lens has a range of sharpness, soft focus and contrast effects. Its distinctive circular bokeh is a crucial creative element. It produces high quality and shallow depth-of-field when wide open. Buy on Amazon

Zeiss Distagon T* f/2.8 21mm ZE Lens

Zeiss Distagon T* f/2.8 21mm ZE Lens

A super wide-angle lens, thanks to its aperture of 2.8 and non-reflecting and virtually distortion-free characteristics, it helps to create spectacular compositions full of variety, dramatic contrast and deep, vivid colors. Buy on Amazon

Zeiss Planar T* f/2.0 50mm ZM Lens

Zeiss Planar T* f/2.0 50mm ZM Lens

Designed with a symmetric combination of 6 optical elements in 4 groups, this lens includes excellent resolving power, high image quality over the entire field, and outstanding flare control. It provides creative possibilities for all-round photography. Buy on Amazon

Zeiss Biogon T* f/2.0 35mm ZM Lens

Zeiss Biogon T* f/2.0 35mm ZM Lens

This small size wide-angle lens, made for Leica M and Zeiss Ikon cameras, offers high speed, stunning resolving power and next to zero distortion. It’s deal for travel, photo-journalism, street photography, and documentation. Buy on Amazon

Zeiss Sonnar T* f/1.5 50mm ZM Lens

Zeiss Sonnar T* f/1.5 50mm ZM Lens

The Zeiss C Sonnar T* 1.5/50 ZM Lens is fast, resistant to flaring and unusually compact. With its well controlled distortion, the lens produces a very accurate representation of objects. Buy on Amazon

Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* f/4 85mm ZM Lens

Zeiss Tele-Tessar T* f/4 85mm ZM Lens

With robust construction, the image quality of this lens is almost distortion free and adjusted to the field of curvature as well as to all other defects in color. As close as 0.9 meters, it delivers brilliant pictures at any distance. Buy on Amazon