The 5 Best Canon Lens for Sports | For Every Budget

If you are a sports photographer, there you are searching for the best Canon Lens for sports, right? You landed on the right website then.

Photography is an art. This is the best platform to show your artistic skills with a camera. Your creativity can capture a person’s moment and make it an unforgettable memory. It is all about perfect timing.
The best part about this article is that I have added a buying that will help you save time to do research, and you can directly move to buy.

Well, photographers are considered to be sharp with their senses. It is because of the spot-on timing they have to make their click on. All of these are possible when you have a reliable friend helping you out. Who else can be a better friend to a photographer than their camera and lens?

Top 5 Canon Lens for Sports Photography

Just like each friend has a different unique quality of their own, a lens has the same. Whenever you are getting ready for a sports event, you have to choose your gadgets carefully that will ride along with you for that day or event.

Different events call for a different lens. And some of you who are looking to buy that reliable mechanical friend, you came to the right place. I am going to share with you all some of the best Canon lenses for sports there is for you to choose from.

If you go through each of the products carefully, you will see its description, features, and the pros and cons of each lens. This will surely help you decide which one to choose, and you can start buying right away. So here I go.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens is one of my most favorite and most used lenses for sports photography. If you are in the field of sports photography, this lens will always be a familiar face that you’ll see around. If you are looking for a top-notch, and very high-quality image that gives of nothing but professional quality, this Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens is the way to go.

The Cannon 70-200 IS is the most desired lens for me. This is because it has some of my most favorite features like a brilliant auto focus performance, a lightning speed aperture, and the most important 3-stop image stabilization features. I like to make all my shots count, and for that, I turn towards my most trusted friend, the 70-200 IS.

People find the weight of this lens to be an issue as it weighs 3.24lbs (1470g) give or take a few. However, I carry it all the time with me for my events. Also, its ability to withstand any weather makes it a superman lens.

The color and the contrast are very good that enhances the quality of the images. If you have a 1.3x or 1.6x FOVCF body, distortion will surely not be an issue for you. The best part of Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Lens is its internal focusing, which happens to be very fast, noise-free, and very much precise and accurate. This is all thanks to Canon’s brilliant Ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor).

There is a switch for auto focus range limitation that adds an extra hand when you want a more enhanced auto focus performance. Not to forget the best image stabilization it has on lower light. This IS version of Canon has a tripod sensing feature.

Features of Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

Here are some of the features for which this lens is a top seller and favourite to majority sports photographers.

Features:-

• It has a Focal length of 70-200mm
• The Maximum aperture you can get is f/2.8
• The Lens is constructed in 18 elements in 15 groups
• Diagonal angle of view of this lens is 34 to 12 degrees
• Focus adjustment is made using Inner focusing system with USM
• Zoom system of this lens is Rotating type
• The lens has a Closest focusing distance of 4.9 feet
• The size of the Filter is 77mm
• The lens has a Dimensions of 3.3 inches in diameter and 7.6 inches long
• This lens Weighs about 2.9 pounds
• Warranty of 1 year

Pros and Cons of Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L

Here are some of the pros and cons that you better know about Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L.

Pros

• Sharpness- sharpness is an important factor while take photos. This lens happens to be the sharpest Canon makes.
• Constant F2.8- as you zoom in, you’ll lose light with other telephoto lens. You don’t have any chance of losing it with this lens.
• Low Light Capture- Even in a low light environment, Canon EF 70-200 captures images that will blow your mind into pieces.
• Super-Fast AF- The auto-focus feature of this lens is so fast that it rules out any chances of getting a blurry picture.

Cons

• Heavy- Happens to be quite heavy and some might find that to be a problem.
• Expensive- Quite expensive compared to the other lens.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

Well, if you are looking for the best value lens from Canon, then Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens is the way to go. This lens is the combination of both professional image standard and optical qualities. Another reason why most photographers pick this lens is because of its lightweight and small size. Photographers can now carry this lens with ease and feel no burden at all.

You’ll feel the magical sensation of satisfaction seeing the images that you clicked with this bad boy, viewing them at 100% on a monitor. The distortion level is very less, making it barely noticeable. The very sharp and wide open factor of Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L helps to improve image quality. The vignette effect is very nicely controlled.

For those looking to take a bokeh, Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L has excellent colours to ensure you get your perfect shot. You will get a constant f/4 at all focal range thanks to its 8-blade aperture. Just like the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8, this lens also has a speedy focus that focuses on making noises and also gives more accurate focus thanks to the Ring USM (Ultrasonic Motor).

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L has many uses. However, outdoor sports photography and portrait photography are the best type of photography with this lens. Adding a Canon Extender EF 1.4x will not be a bad choice based on the size of the field and the size of the object. For indoor sports photography, I suggest you add a flash to get the proper light intensity. For Wildlife photography, this lens would also be an excellent choice. The features are optimal for capturing nature in a frame.

Features of Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L

Here are some of the features that makes this Canon product a good pick.

• The Focal length of this lens is 70-200mm
• It has a Maximum aperture of 1:4.0
• The construction of the lens is 16 elements in 13 groups
• The lens has a Diagonal angle of view of about 34 to 12 degrees
• This lens has a Focus adjustment using Inner focusing system with USM
• Closest focusing distance of this lens is about 3.9 feet
• It has a Zoom system that is of Rotating type
• 67mm is the filter size
• The Dimensions of this lens is 3.0 inches in diameter, 6.8 inches long
• Weight: 25 ounces

Pros and Cons of Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L

Check out the pros and cons of this lens to help you understand the advantages you’ll get while choosing this lens.

Pros

• L-series optics
• Light and compact
• Constant f/4 maximum aperture
• Fluorite and UD lens elements
• Fast autofocus
• Super Spectra coatings
• Circular aperture for pleasing background blur
• Various uses
• Accurate and noise free
• Affordable price

Cons

• Not weather sealed
• Not a low light lens

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens

When going with Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens, you have to think about the features that it has and where you can use this lens. To begin with, Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III is a mediocre lens. To be more precise, if you are new to photography and are looking to start your career in sports photography, most professionals would recommend this version of the Canon lens. When I decided to start my career in the sports photography field, I began with this lens.

Some of its features are very much helpful for beginners. For example, Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens is very light, cheap, and small. This makes this lens very much affordable by almost all photographers. The small size makes the lens more durable to be carried around easily. The lightweight makes it a burden-free lens. However, this isn’t the lens that will be able to withstand weather abuse. So I highly suggest that you always do a weather check before taking it out for some shots.

The quality of the image is also of a mediocre level. Canon EF 75-300mm III is a lens that is soft wide open at all the focal lengths. You will see the sharpness decrease as you towards 300mm from 70mm. The softness of the corner gets better as you move towards 300mm. Another good feature is to have a 7-blade aperture at this price. The vignette is controlled well, and the focus speed is quite good, but not fast. If you want to catch some beautiful memories at a low price, Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 is the one for you.

Features of Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens

Here are some of the features that a beginner should take a look into before buying this. I am sure this features will help you understand more about this lens and give you reasons to buy it.

• The Focal length is of 75-300mm
• 1:4-5.6 is the Maximum aperture of this lens
• construction of this lens is of 13 elements in 9 groups
• 32 (at 11 feet) to 8 degrees (at 15 feet) is the Diagonal angle of view of EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6
• 4.9 feet is the Closest focusing distance
• Zoom system is the Rotating type
• 58mm is its Filter size
• Lens has a Dimensions of 2.8 inches in diameter, 4.8 inches long
• Weight: 16.8 ounces

Pros and Cons of Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Lens

Take a look at both the good and bad sides of this lens to get more ideas about it.

Pros

• Very cheap
• Light-weighted
• Small and flexible
• Stabilized
• Sharp at the wide end
• Easy to use. Best for beginners
• The range is good
• Makes less noise
• Auto focus is quick

Cons

• Not weather sealed
• While focusing, lens extend
• Slow aperture at wide end

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM Lens

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II happens to be a hot favourite for many sports photographers out there. And why is that? Well, the possibilities are endless, just like its features. This Canon product happens to offer features that will keep your mouth wide open with a shock. The price that this lens comes in and the features that makes it too good to be true. When this version of the “I” series came out, it was being sold like crazy. Why? Just because of its features.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II offers very high-speed autofocus for capturing stills. It is almost noise-free thanks to the NANO USM technology. This feature helps to capture pictures of a jumping athlete, or an athlete going after the ball. The high-speed autofocus helps you capture still images in the way you pictured them to be in your mind. The noise-free feature helps to record videos without any noise and prevent unwanted noises from mixing with your clips. Not only that, but you can also do manual focusing while setting the lens in autofocus. This helps you get that artistic touch on your captures.

You will find a lens information display on your Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II. This gives you access to a variety of information about the lens. You can find out the distance that the lens is focusing on as well as get an idea about the depth of the field.

The image stabilizer helps you getting constant sharp results on every click. It reduces any shaking and thus enhances shake reduction. This means you can get a clearer picture in low light or in low ISOs. This feature minimizes the need of any tripod, something that all photographer wants I’m sure.

Features of Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM Lens

Well, you have to take a look in its features that made this lens rule the market for sometimes now.

Here are some of its features

• Focal Length is of 70–300mm
• The Maximum Aperture you can get is f/4–5.6
• Lens is Constructed in 17 elements in 12 groups
• 34°–8°15′ is the Diagonal Angle View of this lens
• Focus Adjustment type is AF with full-time manual
• A Closest Focusing Distance of 3.94 ft. / 1.2m
• The Filter Size of this lens is 2.6 in. / 67mm diameter
• Max. Diameter x Length of this lens is Φ3.15 x 5.73 in., approx. 25.04 oz. / Φ80 x 145.5mm
• Weight is approx. 710g

Pros and Cons of Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM Lens

Pro Take a look into the benefits and some drawbacks of this lens.

Pros

• Nano USM- enhances picture qualities
• Good reach- 70-300mm is a good way to reach out and capture images that are considered far.
• Light weighted- compared to other telephoto lens, this one is light.
• Image stabilization- enables you to capture nothing but the best photos.
• Super-fast auto focus—helps you to take images under any conditions like low light or low ISO.
• Affordable price- very much within the budget of most photographers.
• Weather sealed- ready to take on weather abuse.

Cons

• Limited aperture
• Not as sharp as higher models.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens

To meet the high demand for the best image quality lens, Canon came up with its Canon EF2-70mm f/2.8L II lens to satisfy the crowd. This lens if from the L series that would serve the purpose of high-resolution images. The lens coating is optimized, which helps in giving an excellent colour balance.

The optimized USM Autofocus features make this lens an absolute noise-free lens. There is a zoom lock lever to ensure that you can keep your lens fixed in a particular zoom position.

You cannot forget about the sharpness and the contrast level of this lens. They provide excellent quality images that are far better. The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II has a brilliant weather seal that helps it to withstand any weather conditions.

Features of Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens

Here are some of the features that this EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II has that has attracted a good number of photographers.

• It has a focal length of 24-70mm
• It has a Maximum Aperture of 1:2.8
• Lens is constructed in 18 elements in 13 groups
• Inner-focusing with USM is used for focus adjustment.
• 0.38m/1.25ft is the closet focusing distance.
• The zoom system is of Rotating type.
• 82mm in terms of filter size.
• Magnification up to 0.19x

Pros and cons of Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM Standard Zoom Lens

Like every other lens, this too has its pros and cons

Pros

• Sharp= produces high quality images
• Weather sealed- can withstand any weather
• Light weight and small in size- makes it very easy to carry around
• Noise free- lens doesn’t make any unwanted noise
• Super-fast autofocus

Cons

• Expensive
• No image stabilization

Factors to consider before buying Sports Camera Lens

Well, after you buy the camera body, it is very important that you chose the best Canon lens for sports that will go hand in hand with your body. And how will you know which one to buy? Simple, you have to take a look at the key features and factors that are associated with the lens. Each feature of a lens plays an important part in capturing your desired images.

Focal Length

The focal length of a Canon camera lens is represented in millimeters. Based on the type of sports photography you are willing to do, you will need a lens of that focal length that best suits that sport. The focal length is important in understanding the distance of the object and the depth of the field.

Weight and Size

As you have to carry the lens around with you whenever you have a game, you need to use a lens that will not be a burden to you. For example, a telephoto lens can be heavy at times, and you will have to drag that around with you during sports. Also, big size lens means carrying big bags, which too can be a pain and a hassle.

Maximum Aperture

You should always buy a lens that has a maximum aperture. High aperture means that more light can enter, and the image, therefore, will be much clearer. This helps in taking images in low light environments. This is mostly used for indoor sports, where there is a lack of natural and powerful light.

Image Stabilization

Image stabilization helps in enhancing the image quality and taking you closer and closer to your desired image. It also enhances shake reduction and thus reduces any sort of noise on the image, making it sharp. This feature also reduces the needs of a tripod.

Weather-Sealed

Weather is something that is very much unpredictable. And as a sports photographer, you’ll have to work at any time of the day and under any climate circumstance. Always try to buy a lens that is able to withstand abuse from the weather. The lens can be expensive, and you can’t keep buying it every time something happens to it because of the weather.

So now you know what factors you have to look at before purchasing the best Canon lens for sports.

My Pick as the Best Canon lens for sports

To be honest, everyone has their thoughts and opinion on what lens to use. I have been in sports photography for way too long now. Therefore everything I shared here on this website was to help another fellow sports photographer to experience what I experienced throughout my career in sports photography.

Lens depends on what skills you have, what camera body you are using, and what type of photography you do. In the case of sports, well, there are the ones that will best suit and serve your purpose.

Now, if you ask me about my opinion on which lens I would choose, then here is my Top 3 pick of Canon lens for sports photography.

Choice 1:

My first choice would be my most favourite lens, which is Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Telephoto Zoom Lens. I am in love with this lens because of the professionalism it brings in my images are absolutely breathtaking.

Why choose this?

It is because I am not at a level where I work professionally and is engaged with big sports. If you are a professional like me with experience or have recently turned professional, then this is the lens you should buy right now. The key features of this lens, like the high aperture to allow maximum light in image stabilization for better image quality, weather-sealed to withstand weather abuse are some of the features that a professional like me needs—also, Ultrasonic Motor which reduces the unwanted noise. The focal length of 70-200mm is perfect for me to take pictures of what I do.

Choice 2:

Well, my second favourite one would be Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM Lens. There are so many reasons, just like its feature, why I would choose this lens.

Why choose this?

For starters, this lens is your road to professionalism. When you are done using a basic lens and are ready to take your photography to the next level, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II is the one you need right away. This lens offers features in a budget that is too good to be true. It also has multi features like image stabilization, maximum aperture, Nano USM, and both manual and autofocus. The autofocus is of high-speed that gives me an upper hand while taking photographs. Even though I use a higher model, I still carry this bad boy with me as it has taught me so much and certainly comes in handy at times.

Choice 3:

My third and final choice would be Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens. This lens is for those who just started their career in sports photography and is looking to do a lot of experiments to understand the factors that capture a high-quality image.

Why choose this?

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens has the most basic features of a lens that is needed to begin one’s career in sports photography. The image quality is of an intermediate level. The lens is light and small in size, making it easy to use and carry. The best part is the price, which is very cheap, to begin with. This is the best Canon sports lens, to begin with at the best price. One can do a lot of practice with it before moving on to a higher and better version. I personally started off with this lens before moving towards Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM Lens.

Well, there you have my opinion on which lenses I think would be best for a sports photographer of different levels. Go through the products and carefully read the specifications, and then give it a shot.

FAQs of Canon lens of sports

• What Camera lens should I buy next?

• Why should I buy a weather sealed lens?

You never know what weather will appear out of nowhere. You might have to shoot throughout the year in different climate situation. So it’s always best to use a lens that can survive under any climate conditions. As a professional photographer, it is important that your work isn’t hampered due to the gadget issues.

Flash is a good equipment for taking pictures and adding light to it. However, at times, flash changes the colour of the object by adding its own light. Flashes are used in poor lighting conditions. But if you use a high aperture lens in such conditions instead of a flash, you’ll get the image the way you wanted it in the original colour will be captured.

• Why is a noise free lens used by photographers?

Noise free lens helps to prevent unwanted noise get mixed with the video that you record using your camera. A video can be disturbed due to the motor noises of the lens and thus to prevent this from happening. Noise free lens also helps you to focus and take a good shot.

You may be interested in : Canon EF 50mm Lens Review

Conclusion

Now, here I have shared everything there is to know about Best Canon Lens for sports. I have spent years of research on the lens before buying them. And then years of practical experience in different games under different conditions. Everything you are gathering is coming from a guy who has used all of these lenses. Now if you are new to sports photography, I suggest you begin with the basic ones. However, if you are a pro like me, then go for the higher models.

The buying guide that I have added will help you the most in buying the best canon lens for sports—everything you need to learn or research about glass before buying is mentioned here.

Professionalism is an essential thing when it comes to being a photographer. You must try and make all your shots count. So this is why a photographer should always be ready with the right gear and equipment to make this happen. And so, if this is all I got for now. Feel free to share your opinions with me as well.

Here is what I believe, Capture a picture like you capture a heart.

Enjoy your clicks!!!