Rankings
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is a compact, fast prime lens offering excellent sharpness and silent autofocus, making it a great value for beginners and vloggers, though its plastic construction and lack of a hood limit its professional appeal.
The Lightdow EF 85mm f/1.8 MF is a budget-friendly manual-focus portrait prime offering a fast aperture, solid build, and UMC coating, making it a good entry point for enthusiasts seeking shallow depth-of-field on Canon EF-type mounts.
The Samyang 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC is a manual-focus telephoto prime that delivers studio-grade sharpness and beautiful bokeh at a budget-friendly price. Its solid aluminum construction and high-quality optics make it ideal for portrait and low-light work, though the lack of autofocus and its weight limit its use for fast action.
The JINTU 420-1600 mm f/8.3 manual telephoto zoom offers astonishing reach for a modest budget, but its lack of autofocus, stabilization and soft performance at the extreme end limit its usefulness to static, well-lit subjects.
The Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II is a lightweight, compact kit zoom that adds 4-stop image stabilization. It offers decent sharpness when stopped down and a versatile focal range, but its plastic build and variable aperture limit its appeal for advanced work.
The ZEISS Classic Planar 50mm f/1.4 delivers classic rendering, excellent build quality and a non-rotating front element, making it a strong choice for portrait and video work. However, its softness at f/1.4, lack of autofocus and weather sealing, and premium price limit its appeal for fast-action or rugged shooting.
The JINTU 85mm f/1.8 is a manual-focus portrait prime for Canon EF/EF-S DSLRs offering a fast aperture, solid metal construction and good sharpness at a budget price. Its lack of autofocus and stabilization limits flexibility for fast-moving or handheld low-light shooting.
The Meike 8mm f/3.5 rectangular fisheye offers a dramatic 200° view and solid metal build at a budget price, but its manual-focus only design and lack of electronic contacts limit its practicality for fast or automated shooting.
The Yongnuo YN50mm f/1.8 for Canon EF is an affordable, lightweight prime offering a fast aperture and decent optics. It excels in portability and price-to-performance but lacks weather sealing and has a noisy autofocus motor.
The Tokina AT-X 11-20mm f/2.8 PRO DX is a fast ultra-wide zoom with excellent sharpness and build quality, aimed at APS-C users. Its lack of IS, weather sealing and a noisy AF motor limit its suitability for video and harsh environments.
The Yongnuo 50 mm f/1.8 II offers a fast aperture and solid optical performance at a very low price, making it a popular choice for beginners and budget-conscious shooters. Its slower, noisier autofocus and plastic construction keep it from being a professional-grade lens.
The Meike 85mm f/1.8 offers a fast aperture and solid center sharpness at an affordable price, but its autofocus is noisy and slow, and edge performance suffers from chromatic aberration. It is best suited for hobbyists who prioritize cost and portability over premium optics.
The Lightdow 420-800mm F8.3 manual zoom provides budget-friendly super-telephoto reach for Canon DSLRs, but its lack of autofocus, stabilization and weather sealing limit its usefulness to static subjects.
The Yongnuo YN35mm F2 is a budget-friendly, fast-aperture prime offering solid optics and a sturdy metal mount. It shines in portability and price but suffers from slower autofocus and a fragile filter thread.
| Attribute | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ↓ lower better | 50 mm | 50 mm | 18 mm | 35 mm | 8 mmbest | 135 mm | 85 mm | 11 mm | 50 mm | 85 mm | 85 mm | 50 mm | 420 mm | 420 mm |
50 mm | 50 mm | 55 mm | 35 mm | 8 mm | 135 mm | 85 mm | 20 mm | 50 mm | 85 mm | 85 mm | 50 mm | 800 mm | 1,600 mmbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 1.8 f | 1.8 f | 3.5 f | 2 f | 3.5 f | 2 f | 1.8 f | 2.8 f | 1.4 fbest | 1.8 f | 1.8 f | 1.8 f | 8.3 f | 8.3 f |
| ↓ lower better | 119 gbest | 159 g | 200 g | 179.9 g | 590 g | 816 g | 430 g | 560 g | 380 g | 420 g | 490 g | 162 g | 758 g | 1,000 g |
| ↓ lower better | 83 mm | 111.3 mm | 70 mm | 59 mm | 154 mm | 122.1 mm | 110 mm | 89 mm | 45 mmbest | 154 mm | 101.6 mm | — | 240 mm | 289.6 mm |
| ↓ lower better | 45 cm | 35 cm | 25 cm | 25 cm | 10 cmbest | 80 cm | 85 cm | 28 cm | 45 cm | 85 cm | 85 cm | 35 cm | 160 cm | — |
0.15 x | 0.21 x | 0.34 xbest | 0.23 x | — | — | 0.13 x | 0.12 x | 0.15 x | 0.11 x | — | — | — | — | |
12 months | 12 months | 0 months | 12 months | — | — | 12 months | 36 monthsbest | 24 months | — | 24 months | — | 12 months | — |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Performance(1) | ||||||||||||||
Image Stabilization | false | false | true | — | false | — | — | false | false | false | false | false | false | false |
Mount & Compatibility(2) | ||||||||||||||
Mount Type | Canon EF | EF | Canon EF-S | Canon EF | Multiple (Canon EF, Nikon F, Micro Four Thirds, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Sony E, Olympus, Panasonic) | Canon EF | Canon EF / EF‑S | Canon EF | Canon EF | Canon EF | Canon EF; EF‑S | Canon EF | Canon EF/EF-S | Canon EF |
Autofocus Motor Type | DC motor | STM | Micro Motor | DC motor | — | Manual Focus | Manual | Micro motor | Manual | STM | Manual | — | none | — |
Optical(8) | ||||||||||||||
Focal Length (Min) (mm) | 50 mm | 50 mm | 18 mm | 35 mm | 8 mm | 135 mm | 85 mm | 11 mm | 50 mm | 85 mm | 85 mm | 50 mm | 420 mm | 420 mm |
Focal Length (Max) (mm) | 50 mm | 50 mm | 55 mm | 35 mm | 8 mm | 135 mm | 85 mm | 20 mm | 50 mm | 85 mm | 85 mm | 50 mm | 800 mm | 1600 mm |
Maximum Aperture (f-number) (f) | 1.8 f | 1.8 f | 3.5 f | 2 f | 3.5 f | 2.0 f | 1.8 f | 2.8 f | 1.4 f | 1.8 f | 1.8 f | 1.8 f | 8.3 f | 8.3 f |
Minimum Focus Distance (cm) | 45 cm | 35 cm | 25 cm | 25 cm | 10 cm | 80 cm | 85 cm | 28 cm | 45 cm | 85 cm | 85 cm | 35 cm | 160 cm | — |
Maximum Magnification Ratio (x) | 0.15 x | 0.21 x | 0.34 x | 0.23 x | — | — | 0.13 x | 0.12 x | 0.15 x | 0.11 x | — | — | — | — |
ED Elements | — | — | — | — | — | true | — | true | false | — | — | — | — | — |
Aspherical Elements | — | — | true | — | — | — | true | true | false | — | true | — | — | — |
Coating Type | Multi-coated | — | Super Spectra | Multi-coated | Multi-layer nano coating | Ultra Multi Coating (UMC) | Ultra Multi Coating | Multi-layer | T* anti-reflective coating | Multi-layer anti-reflective coating | Ultra Multi-Coating (UMC) | — | UMC | Ultra Multi-Coating |
Build & Durability(1) | ||||||||||||||
Warranty Period (months) | 12 months | 12 months | 0 months | 12 months | — | — | 12 months | 36 months | 24 months | — | 24 months | — | 12 months | — |
Physical(3) | ||||||||||||||
Weight (g) | 119 g | 159 g | 200 g | 179.9 g | 590 g | 816 g | 430 g | 560 g | 380 g | 420 g | 490 g | 162 g | 758 g | 1000 g |
Length (mm) | 83 mm | 111.3 mm | 70 mm | 59 mm | 154 mm | 122.1 mm | 110 mm | 89 mm | 45.0 mm | 154 mm | 101.6 mm | — | 240 mm | 289.6 mm |
Filter Thread Diameter (mm) | 52 mm | 49 mm | 58 mm | 52 mm | — | 77 mm | 72 mm | 82 mm | 58 mm | 67 mm | 55 mm | 58 mm | 62 mm | — |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praise the Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 for its fast aperture, solid bokeh, and surprisingly good autofocus on mirrorless mounts, noting minor distortion and the absence of weather sealing.
Everyday users highlight sharpness and value, calling it a perfect entry-level prime, with complaints about loud AF and plastic build.
“The autofocus doesn't get quite as sharp as the original Canon… and the motor is very loud.”
“For portraits, the image quality is pretty great… but for video, I would highly recommend against it.”
“Game-changer for portraits and low light.”
Professional reviewers rate the lens highly for its performance-to-price ratio, praising its sharpness, compactness, quiet STM autofocus and smooth bokeh, while noting the plasticky feel and lack of a hood as drawbacks.
Everyday users love the affordability, sharpness and video-friendly autofocus, but complain about the cheap plastic build, missing hood and the quirky focus-by-wire behavior.
Professional reviewers consider the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II a solid, no-frills upgrade over its non-IS predecessors, noting effective stabilization but only acceptable optical quality.
Everyday users rate the lens highly for its portability, low price, and helpful image stabilization, while criticizing the noisy, slower autofocus and plastic construction.
Professional reviewers acknowledge the YN35mm F2 as a surprisingly capable lens for its price, praising its optical performance, fast aperture, and sturdy metal mount, while noting that its autofocus speed and overall build fall short of native premium lenses and that it lacks stabilization.
Everyday users love the lens for its portability, low-light capability, and affordability, but complain about slow or hunting autofocus in dim conditions and a fragile filter thread.
Professional reviewers at B&H praise the Meike 8 mm as a creative, low-cost fisheye that delivers a distinct rectangular look, thanks to its durable all-metal build and effective nano coating, while noting manual focus and lack of electronic contacts as the main drawbacks.
Everyday users love the solid metal feel, sharp central performance and fun extreme perspective, but complain about manual focus difficulty, edge softness and the absence of a filter thread or electronic contacts.
Professional reviewers award the lens 4.5/5, highlighting its faultless optics, low chromatic aberration and beautiful bokeh, while noting the manual-focus only design and absence of stabilization as drawbacks.
Everyday users rate the lens around 4.8/5, praising its razor-sharp resolution, creamy bokeh and value, but complain about its weight, lack of tripod foot, and the learning curve of manual focus.
Professional reviewers note that the Lightdow 85mm f/1.8 delivers impressive bokeh and contrast thanks to its UMC coating, and its price makes it an attractive entry-level portrait lens, but the lack of autofocus and limited editorial coverage keep it a niche choice.
Everyday users appreciate the lens's sharpness, beautiful bokeh, and low price, often citing it as a solid learning tool for manual photography, while recurring complaints focus on the stiff focus ring and absence of autofocus.
Professional reviewers commend the lens for outstanding sharpness, low distortion and a fast constant f/2.8 aperture, but criticize the slow, noisy autofocus and the absence of weather sealing and image stabilization.
Everyday users praise the corner-to-corner sharpness and bright aperture, while common complaints focus on the loud AF, lack of weather sealing and the lens's bulk.
Professional reviewers commend the Planar 50mm for its superb build, classic optical heritage and T* coating, while noting softness at f/1.4, noticeable chromatic aberration and the lack of autofocus and weather sealing.
Everyday users love the solid metal construction and cinematic bokeh, but complain about purple fringing, inaccurate focus confirmation and the high price relative to its simple optical formula.
Professional reviewers acknowledge the Meike 85mm f/1.8 delivers surprisingly good center sharpness and pleasing bokeh for its sub-$200 price, but criticize the noisy, sluggish autofocus and severe axial chromatic aberration.
Everyday users rate the lens around 4.8-4.9/5, praising its low cost, sharpness at f/4-f/5.6, and smooth bokeh, while complaining about loud AF, purple fringing, and cheap-feel plastic.
Professional reviewers praise the JINTU 85mm f/1.8 for its sharp, low-light capable optics, attractive bokeh and solid metal construction, noting it delivers near-premium image quality at a low price. However, they point out the absence of autofocus and stabilization, which reduces its flexibility for fast-moving or handheld low-light work.
Everyday users consistently highlight the lens's impressive sharpness, beautiful bokeh and sturdy build, especially given its price. Common complaints revolve around the manual-focus workflow, lack of autofocus, no stabilization, and the lens's weight.
Professional reviewers praise the YN50mm F1.8 II for delivering sharp, affordable optics that rival more expensive lenses, especially when stopped down, while noting the slower, noisier AF and mild softness at the widest aperture.
Everyday users overwhelmingly commend the lens for its price-to-performance ratio, lightweight feel, and pleasing bokeh, though they note the noisy, slower autofocus and occasional softness at f/1.8.
Professional reviewers acknowledge decent optical performance and manual focus control for the price, but caution that it cannot replace Canon's L-series telephotos and suffers noticeable softness at the longest focal length.
Everyday users appreciate the affordable extreme reach and solid build, especially for moon and static bird photography, while many criticize the difficulty of manual focusing and softness at 800 mm.
Professional reviewers view the JINTU as a curiosity for hobbyists: its ultra-long reach is impressive for the price, but the lack of autofocus, stabilization, and the noticeable softness at the extreme end keep it out of the professional arena.
Everyday users are split; many praise the lens for delivering moon and bird capability on a shoestring budget, while a large portion complain about manual focusing difficulty and soft images at 1600 mm.
