5 Must-Have Canon Lens for Wedding Photography (2022)

This Canon macro lens was the first to feature hybrid image stabilization, ideal for close-up shooting. As such, it compensates for movements in the horizontal and vertical planes, as well as for the more usual angular vibrations or wobble. Hybrid stabilization has since been adopted in other Canon lenses but, even so, 4-stop effectiveness in general shooting shrinks to 3 stops at 0.5x magnification and 2 stops at full 1.0x macro shooting.

Overall construction is typically robust for an L-series lens and features weather seals. Ring-type ultrasonic autofocus is rapid and whisper-quiet, while manual focusing is smooth and precise. Optional accessories include a Macrolite Adapter for use with Canon’s external Macro Twin or Ring Lite flash systems and a tripod mount ring. Perfect for macro shooting, sharpness remains excellent at narrow apertures.

When launched four years ago, the Mark II edition of this lens for wedding photography was the first to feature Canon’s BR (Blue Spectrum Refractive) optics. Engineered at a molecular level, it’s based on an organic material that’s integrated into a compound element within the lens.

The aim is to refract blue light and significantly reduce chromatic aberration, enabling greater sharpness and contrast in images. The Mark II is also noticeably bigger and heavier than the original lens, with a tougher construction that adds weather seals and fluorine coatings on the front and rear elements. Centre-sharpness is excellent, even when shooting wide-open at f/1.4, although corner-sharpness drops off a little more than in the competing Sigma and Tamron lenses.

More than just a minor upgrade over the previous version of this lens, the Mark III edition of Canon’s 16-35mm f/2.8L is extensively redesigned. The new optical path gains a large double-surface GMO (Glass Moulded) aspherical element at the front, adding to two UD (Ultra-low Dispersion) elements and a ground aspherical element at the rear.

High-tech coatings include both SWC (SubWavelength Coating) and ASC (Air Sphere Coating) for greater resistance to ghosting and flare, and fluorine coatings are added to the front and rear elements. Image quality is excellent with a noticeable improvement in sharpness from previous editions of the lens, particularly towards the edges and corners of the frame – especially useful when capturing venues and interiors.

Canon’s heavyweight RF 28-70mm f/2L USM tips the scales at 1,430g and lacks image stabilization, so we think this 24-70mm zoom is a better fit for wedding and event photography. It has a wider maximum viewing angle, adds highly effective 5-stop stabilization, and is less than two-thirds the weight. Even so, it still feels pretty hefty on a slim-line EOS mirrorless body.

Build quality is up to Canon’s usual L-series standards, complete with comprehensive weather seals. The optical lineup includes three molded aspherical elements and three UD elements, plus Air Sphere Coating. Autofocus is courtesy of a super-fast and practically silent Nano USM system. Image quality is fabulous in all respects, with particularly impressive sharpness throughout the entire zoom range.

In the end, this is the best canon zoom lens for wedding photography.

At little, more than half the weight of the Sigma 70-200mm DSLR lens above, this RF-mount zoom for EOS R-series cameras is relatively lightweight that suits the more compact Canon EOS R camera bodies. It’s also much smaller than most 70-200mm lenses, due to having a telescoping rather than fixed physical length.

As such, the inner barrel extends at longer zoom settings, which adds the risk of dust being sucked into the lens. The autofocus system is driven by dual Nano USM motors, for blazingly fast yet virtually silent operation. The image stabilizer is similarly impressive with three operating modes and up to 5-stop effectiveness. All in all, it’s the ideal telephoto zoom for R-series cameras, but it comes with a weighty price tag.