Best Lenses For Canon Rebel T6 – Top 7 Picks (NEW Guide)

Last updated on June 1st, 2021 at 06:21 am

The main benefit of point-and-shoot cameras is that users don’t need to go through the hassle of purchasing a lens. Lenses are expensive, and you require a different lens for each different subject, which adds up to an exorbitant cost.  

Canon Rebel T6 is an exceptional camera, but the wrong lens may easily undermine its true potential. Considering the wide range of available lenses, you should take your shoot requirements into account in order to purchase the right equipment.  

For your ease, we reviewed several lenses over the past few days and compared their results to come out with a reliable list of the best lenses for Canon Rebel T6.  

Best Lens For Canon Rebel T6

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4	Sigma 30mm F1.4	Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
BEST OVERALL Lightweight and portable Great fulltime manual focus override	PREMIUM CHOICE Compact and lightweight Produces a great bokeh effect	BEST BUDGET Optical image stabilization Minimal chromatic aberration
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Canon Rebel T6 Lenses Reviews

1. Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Lens

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Features:

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 is amongst the favorite lenses of many photographers. This sharp, compact piece delivers an incredible performance without leaving you with an empty wallet.  

Design

Compared to many other bulky lenses, Canon EF is relatively lighter and smaller. As a result, there won’t be any issues with carrying it mounted on long walks. We found the build quality pretty decent at this price, but there are issues with the focus ring fit and function. Moving on, there is a Micro USM motor that produces minimal noise and FTM compatibility: it allows the lens to extend up to 5/16 inches while focusing.  

Performance

What else do you need a good quality lens for except exceptional image quality? Despite being soft wide open, the sharpness at f/2 is impressive, and it lasts till you stop down to f/2.8 or a narrower level. Most of the images feature soft corners until you reach f/2 or f/2.8 with noticeable halos at f/1.4. Moreover, you might see some chromatic aberration but nothing too major to ruin your entire image. However, after reaching f/2, we witnessed an incredible color representation and contrast. Moving on, Canon comes with an eight blade aperture that proves useful for providing a” bokeh” effect- a highly sought after effect.

As we mentioned earlier, Canon EF features a micro type ultrasonic motor with full-time manual override. It delivers fast and silent performance with an exceptional speed as long as factors including subject contrast and light levels are favorable.  

Thanks to the traditional symmetric design of the lens, lateral chromatic aberration is minimal, but axial chromatic aberration is visible towards the center at wide apertures. On the other hand, fall off isn’t a major issue for full-frame lenses used with APS-C cameras, while distortion is almost negligible at 0.5% barrel. However, switching to a full-frame camera increases lateral CA, while axial chromatic aberrations become more apparent.  

Bottom line

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 has been around for ages and is great as long as you’re not too inspired by the modern lenses. The autofocusing ability depends on your luck, especially when while working with the lens open to its full shallow depth of field. We found the fulltime manual overdrive of autofocus pretty impressive, but the lack of sharpness and vignetting issues disappointed us.

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2. Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens

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Features:

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM is a highly practical telephoto lens that is travel friendly and delivers a superb delineation. It’s ideal for all those who desire sharp and clear images regardless of the aperture (who doesn’t).    

Design

Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens may have a large aperture, but it is quite lightweight. However, it features a rather strong build, while the balanced body results in comfortable handling. It comes with a Canon ET-65II lens hood, which is equally light but large enough to keep the lens safe from the light flare.  

Performance

Portrait photographers consider this lens a lifesaver simply because prime lenses in this focal length are ideal for flattening the facial features rather than elongating noses in frontal shots. Moreover, the long focal length proves useful for blurring out any distracting subjects in the background while the soft corners aid in isolating the subjects near the center.  

At f/.18, the images feature soft corners and a soft center that diminishes after you stop the lens down to f/4. At this point till the remainder of the aperture range, the center and corners appear much sharper. However, the optimal point for incredible center sharpness lies between f/2.8 to f/16. On the other hand, corner sharpness is a huge issue at wider apertures but great in other situations. Moving on, Chromatic aberration is fortunately not a huge issue with Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens.  

As far as vignetting is concerned, we found the performance remarkable from f/2.8 through f/22. Our analysis came down to the conclusion that the shading performance is much better for subframe cameras than full-frame cameras, especially at higher apertures. Distortion is a huge issue for many lenses but not for the Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens. We found the full-frame Average distortion excellent with maximum distortion is only visible after extreme scrutiny.  

Another important aspect of a lens is the AF function, and Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens doesn’t disappoint us in this department either. Focusing is brisk, accurate, and extremely silent. USM lenses allow users to tweak the focus manually with a wide yet smooth manual focus ring:  

Bottom line

Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM is probably the best lens for every photographer unless you require a slightly better optical performance or an extra stop. Most portrait photographers find that the soft corners by shooting wide open add to the aesthetic of the final images. However, the performance is remarkable after stopping down the lens that, too, at an affordable price.

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3. Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art DC HSM Lens for Canon

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Features:

Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art DC HSM Lens is an ideal option for Canon Rebel T6. The remarkable features of the camera combine with the sharpness of Sigma to deliver outstanding results without breaking the bank.  

Design

Sigma is famous for manufacturing state of the art lenses that are highly refined and well built. Fortunately, Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art DC HSM Lens stays true to its expectations. The thermally stable composite structure has a metallic texture for a more smooth and professional appearance. Moreover, the package also includes a lens hood that does a great job of blocking the peripheral light.  

Performance

Sigma 30mm F1.4 delivers a solid performance and surprisingly sharp results for a lens at this price range. The 30mm focal length indicates that it’s a wide-angle lens that is ideal for architectural shots and landscape photography. However, you should refrain from portrait photography as the lens elongates the facial features rather than flattening them out. Fortunately, Sigma does a great job of controlling any distortion or vignetting around the corners. Yes, the corners look soft at some apertures, but it adds up to deliver a pleasing” bokeh” effect. Some of the bokeh credit goes to the nine curved aperture blades that produce a smooth, almost dreamlike blur at wide apertures.  

Further on, Sigma does a great job of offering rich, vibrant colors with a pleasing color rendition. Moreover, the lens is ideal for low light shooting: the low coma and excellent performance at f/1.4 makes it an ideal lens to capture starry nights.  

On the other hand, Sigma is incredible at autofocusing: the system is fast, precise, and doesn’t make any sound either. Obviously, there’s an option of manual focusing as well, but AF has the edge over it when shooting at wide apertures.  

Bottom line

Sigma 30mm F1.4 Art DC HSM Lens didn’t fail to meet our expectations and proceeded to deliver fantastic results throughput. There was hardly any distortion or vignetting, while the final images boasted a remarkable sharpness.

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4. Samyang 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide Angle Lens

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Features:

Samyang SY14M-C 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide lens is a value-priced gadget that delivers remarkably sharp images across full-frame sensors as well. It offers customers the basic features one would expect from a decent lens, including a manual focus, manual aperture, and manual exposure.  

Design

The overall design is lightweight, compact, and pretty basic. Samyang features a robust build with a small lens barrel, a huge built-in lens hood, and a large front element.  

Performance

The most important aspect of a lens is its focal length as it drives the distance choices. Samyang is one of the widest rectilinear lenses available with a 115.7-degree angle of view. As a result, it allows users to capture the entire scene on a single frame while the modern cameras may utilize this feature for a superior panorama shot. Moreover, wide-angle lenses prove useful for capturing landscapes and architectural shots as they make the foreground appear larger in relation to the background.  

Further on, many APS-C lenses offer a 14mm focal length, but they hardly offer an f/2.8 aperture. F/2.8 is an excellent point for stopping motion in low light, and even though most photographers never use this feature, it’s an important one to have. Moreover, f/2.8 is effective at stopping the blur without resorting to ultra-high ISO settings as long as the depth of field is adequate.  

As we mentioned earlier, Samyang is a manual aperture lens, which means that users need to set the aperture manually through an aperture ring. The lens features an AF system as well, but the performance is, least to say, average. It is less precise at stopped down apertures which leads to overexposed images. On the other hand, we found the manual exposures pretty great, but some users resort to post-production exposure compensation.

Another important aspect of the lens is the image quality: the sharper your images, the better the lens. Fortunately, Samyang performs incredibly in this department. The center is exceptionally sharp at f/2.8 while the rest of the frame is quite sharp too. However, the corners seem soft but are great for a full-frame sensor at such a wide aperture. Stopping down to f/4 leads to a visible increase in sharpness, whereas f/5.6 is an optimal point with equally sharp corners.  

Bottom line

Samyang SY14M-C 14mm F2.8 Ultra Wide lens is a great lens for all those photographers who want to capture images at 14mm. This fully manual lens prepares you for a tough photography journey by making you more careful in setting up your images.

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5. Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS Lens

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Features:

Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM FLD Zoom Lens is a competitive lens amongst its rivals. Moreover, it’s the first lens by Sigma that offers both: a fixed maximum aperture and optical image stabilization. Along with this, there are several other praiseworthy features that make it a great lens to invest in.  

Design

The minimalistic design of Sigma consists of an all-black, high-quality plastic structure for a sturdy yet lightweight body. Most parts of the lens have a rubberized coating to prevent any wear and tear from constant contact. Moving on, there are two switches to switch the image stabilization and AF system on and off. Moreover, there is a distance scale, while the aperture consists of seven curved diaphragm blades to deliver a pleasing blurred effect. Along with this, there is a metal lens mount, 77mm plastic filter threads, and a 3/4 inch wide zoom ring.  

Performance

Sigma EX caters to all the APS-C sized camera bodies with an effective field of view of 27-80 mm for Canon and 26-75mm for Nikon. We found the central performance extremely sharp throughout the zoom range, but the softness at the edges varies. When we used the lens wide open at f/2.8, we noticed major deterioration because of soft edges that improved significantly as we stopped down the lens to f/5.6; stop the lens down any further to f/16 or f/22 causes the soft edges to reappear. However, it’s worth noticing that even at the widest aperture, the center area is quite sharp. The optimal point of the lens is 50mm at f/8 with exceptional sharpness throughout the frame.  

Moving on, there is a risk of chromatic aberration of a magenta green variety in extreme corners or areas of high contrast. This is more prominent while using the lens wide open, but zooming in limits the presence of CA. Moreover, vignetting isn’t a huge issue when it comes to Sigma. Even though the corners may seem half a stop darker than the center at 17mm and f/2.8 and a third of a stop darker at other focal lengths, vignetting won’t be a huge issue at other apertures.  

Further on, distortion is a common issue amongst wide-angle lenses. Sigma limits it to around 0.75% barrel at 17mm while there is zero distortion at 24mm.  

Bottom line

Safe to say, Sigma EX DC OS HSM FLD Zoom Lens is a great alternative with a great performance throughout the aperture range.

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6. Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM Lens

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Features:

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 released back in 2009 but is still demanded by many photographers to date. Designed specifically for APS-C cameras, it offers a wide range of features not limited to fast autofocusing and great image stabilization.  

Design

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 features an even profile with a simple control layout that comprises of zoom and manual focus rings. Not only are they ideally positioned, but they function quite smoothly to avoid any accidental adjustments. Moreover, they feature a nice rotational dampening as well.  

Performance

The first thing we notice in any lens is the focal range, as it plays an important role in the final results in terms of framing and perspective. Fortunately, Canon performs pretty well in this test as the wide focal range caters to a variety of subjects. EF-S lenses are only compatible with APS-C format cameras that don’t require a larger image circle. This proves useful for framing the scene more tightly while the 1.6x magnification determines the full-frame angle of view: in this case, it’s 28.8-216mm. Considering this range, Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 is an excellent travel companion as it allows users to shoot diverse subjects, including full-body portraits and landscapes.  

Moving on, the maximum aperture of the lens is f/3.5 to f/5.6, which is pretty decent compared to other lenses at this price range. Basically, a lower number would allow more light to reach the sensor while every stop affects the amount of light entering the lens by 2x. A wider aperture allows users to use a lower, less noisy ISO setting. Further on, Canon features a great image stabilization system that allows users to hold the camera under dim light conditions and makes it easier for them to use low ISO settings. Moreover, it minimizes motion blur with long handheld exposures. Image stabilization might not be necessary for most wide-aperture lenses, but a narrow aperture lens like this one benefits greatly from it.  

Moving on, image quality is another important factor which we base our decision on. Fortunately, Canon performs well in this department with gray center sharpness that decreases as you move towards the corners. However, the softness at the corners decreases gradually as you stop down the lens.  

Bottom line

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 is a significant upgrade from the previous STM version. The compact, lightweight lens features some great elements, including an efficient IS system and a general-purpose focal length. Just like every device, Canon has its own set of drawbacks as well, but nothing too major to break the deal.

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7. Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 IS STM Lens

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Features:

Canon EF-S 55-250mm F4-5.6 is an economical alternative for your Canon Rebel T6. An upgraded version of the Canon 55-250mm IS II lens features an advanced stepping motor technology that enhances the performance of the lens significantly.  

Design

Similar to other lenses within this price range, Canon features a high-quality plastic construction. EF-S lenses are only compatible with EF-S compatible cameras; thus, you must make sure that any other camera except Canon Rebel T6 supports it. Moving on, the lens balances well because of the compact, lightweight structure that also makes it easier for users to carry around.  

Performance

We appreciate the incredible performance of the AF system. It’s brisk, precise, and doesn’t produce much noise either. However, full-time manual focus override isn’t an option while the focusing motor operates the manual focusing mode. The single focus mode allows users to make any relevant adjustments after locking on to the desired subject. Even though the focusing ring is quite light to operas, which makes it easier to make accidental adjustments, it’s well-damped for fine-tuning the settings with ease. Moreover, the lens is ideal for polarising and graduated filters, as focusing is an internal task. Further on, users get exceptionally sharp images at around 1/25 secs if they know how to operate the lens properly. The image stabilization is quite fast and only takes a second to settle and catch up with your motion.  

Moving on, the center sharpness is great at maximum aperture with clear edges. The optimal point for most photographers is f/5.6, where the lens performs at its maximum potential and delivers outstanding sharpness across the frame.  

After zooming to 135mm, there aren’t any visible changes to the center sharpness at the maximum aperture. The best results are obtained at f/8 for this focal range with relatively sharp edges and outstanding performance in the center.  

Fortunately, the performance doesn’t deteriorate even after reaching 250mm with peak performance between f/8 and f/11. Talking about chromatic aberrations, Canon has firm control over it throughout the zoom range. There might be minor appearances of CA but nothing too major to ruin the large prints.  

Bottom line

Canon 55-250mm IS II lens is an incredible lens for all those on a tight budget. Our expectations from budget-friendly lenses are quite low, but Canon exceeded them by quite a bit. However, most people prefer using the predecessor as the addition of a focusing motor isn’t a groundbreaking revelation.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): About Canon Rebel T6 Lenses

Q: Can I use an EF lens on a rebel?

A: The original EOS camera system consisted of an EF lens mount that allowed users to connect the lens in a completely electronic way. Instead of using a motor inside the camera to drive the focus, an EF lens comprises an internal motor to do the job. As a result, all communication takes place in an electronic manner for accurate, real-time data transfer. Moving on, the EF lens is compatible with every EOS camera, including Canon EOS Rebel T6.  

Q: How do I know if my Canon lens is compatible?

A: Buying a lens is the second most important thing after purchasing a DSLR: the right lens makes your images look remarkable and very close to reality. Canon is the top camera manufacturer with its own line of interchangeable lenses, including EF, EF-S, and EF-M. However, you must make sure that your lens is compatible with your current camera.  

There are indicators on lens mount on the front of your camera: release the lens by pressing the release button and turning it clockwise. A red circle on the lens mount indicates compatibility with EF lenses; a white square indicates compatibility with EF-S lenses while a red circle with a white square means that your camera accepts both the lenses.  

Q: Is a Canon Rebel t6 a good camera?

A: The first word to describe Canon Rebel T6 is” cheap.” This $500 dollar camera released in 2016; thus, you need to prepare yourself with the features an affordable, yet outdated camera would consist of (read: keep your expectations low). T6 is similar to a point and shoot camera with a big sensor to get stunning images but not as stunning as the images one would get from Sony A6000. It comes with a lens, and even though DSLRs allow you to switch lenses, we found the original one pretty great in terms of performance.  

T6 is a wonderful entry-level DSLR for beginners, and despite the uninspiring features, the overall results are pretty solid. Fortunately, you get Wifi and NFC connectivity along with a high-resolution screen for effortless image viewing.

On the other hand, most modern photographers might be put off by the absence of a touchscreen LCD and only 95% viewfinder coverage. As long as you’re willing to forgo the high specs, T6 is a great option for beginners.  

Conclusion

We hope that our list of the best lenses for Canon Rebel T6 made the selection process easier for you. However, it is necessary to be aware of the features of each lens: a zoom lens is great for architectural shots, whereas the wide aperture of a prime lens is great for low light shots. Similarly, you must take your budget into account. Most lenses by renowned manufacturers tend to be heavy on the pocket, but it’s easy to find a budget-friendly alternative. Further on, our FAQ section answers some common questions that prove helpful in narrowing down your choices.