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The Canon 5D Mark IV comes with an improved set of features than its predecessors, like enhanced resolution, more dynamic range, AF precision, and AF speed. To make the most of these features, you need to choose the best lens for Canon 5D Mark IV.
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With a versatile focal range, fast autofocusing system, and top-rated optical system, i recommend the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.5-6 as the best lens for the Canon 5D Mark IV.
Below, I sift through the best lenses to enhance your 5D Mark IV and what upsides and shortcomings to expect from each lens.
The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 is a versatile zoom lens that provides you with a wide zoom range of 75-300mm, making it ideal for capturing distant subjects such as solar panels on the rooftop of the building.
The lens has a micro DC motor autofocus system, which allows you to capture moving subjects like the bees hovering over a flower in the backyard as the autofocus is quick and quiet.
One of the struggles of interior photography is removing unwanted lens flare. Like the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4, this lens features Canon's Super Spectra coating, which helps to minimize flare and ghosting from the reflective walls in the interior of the room, resulting in clear and more color accurate pictures.
The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 4.9 feet and a maximum magnification of 0.26x, allowing you to capture close-up shots of faucet handles or closet handle designs.
Unlike the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4, apart from the mount that is made of metal, the lens is made of plastic and does not have weather sealing, which makes it less sturdy and durable.
Typically, this construction limits its usability in highly humid environments. However, the lens's maximum aperture of f/5.6 at the 300mm end of the zoom range can make it difficult to achieve a shallow depth of field when capturing the interiors of a room in poor lighting.
Also, this lens does not have built-in image stabilization, so you might be forced to use a tripod or other stabilization techniques if you have shaky hands or when shooting at slower shutter speed.
The Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II is an upgrade that offers an improved picture quality with a more portable build.
Backed by a wide f/2.8 aperture throughout its zoom range, the lens lets in a lot of light. This feature makes it a practical choice for capturing dim interiors or twilight real estate photography. You also get faster shutter speeds and less wide apertures, which is ideal for shooting timelapse in real estate videos.
If you need a background out of focus, the f/2.8 aperture provides nice bokeh, so you won't have to add bokeh in Photoshop. This is something you may not achieve with the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L.
While delivering an exceptional value for your bucks, it is a professional-level unit meant to deliver significant value, especially for real estate, wedding, and press photographers.
The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4 comes equipped with a 4 stops image stabilization technology, which helps to reduce camera shake for production of sharper images when using long exposures in low light situations. When paired with the best low-light lens for Canon, this setup becomes unstoppable.
Like the Canon 35mm f/1.4, this lens has a wide maximum aperture of f/1.4, ideal for isolating the subject and creating a shallow depth of field when taking close-ups.
However, at wider apertures, the lens can produce soft focus, which can be a disadvantage if you are looking to shoot at f/1.4 in low light conditions.
The lens has an Ultrasonic Motor that provides fast and accurate autofocus, whether it's AI Focus or AI Servo. The autofocus system is also virtually silent, making it suitable for recording real estate videos of camera-shy subjects such as birds.
Unlike the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6, the lens has a dust and moisture-resistant lens mount, making it suitable for use in harsh weather conditions such as dusty backyards.
The lens features Canon's Super Spectra Coating that minimizes ghosting and flare, ensuring that images have accurate colors and high contrast. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 2.79 feet, allowing you to take close-up shots of small things like the kitchen cabinet handles.
With nine aperture blades, the circular aperture produces a pleasing background blur when taking portraits. However, this lens has a fixed focal length of 85mm, like the 50mm. If you need to zoom in or out, you'll need to physically move closer or further away from your subject.
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 is a premium lens with a 1:1 maximum magnification ratio and a minimum focusing distance of 0.98 feet, making it a perfect lens for macro photography and taking sharp images in cramped corners.
Like the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4, the lens comes with an image stabilization system that helps to reduce camera shake, resulting in sharper images when photographing handheld.
The lens features an ultrasonic motor that provides fast, precise, and near-silent autofocus ideal for photographing insects in the property's backyard without scaring them.
Also, the lens features full-time manual focus, giving you complete control over your images. The lens is built with a weather sealing on the mounting area, making it a durable and reliable option for shooting in harsh conditions, especially in rainy weather.
With a maximum aperture of f/2.8 and nine aperture blades, the lens is capable of producing images with a shallow depth of field and beautiful bokeh.
Unlike the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4, the lens features a focus limiter switch that allows you to quickly switch between two focus ranges, making it easier to capture an insect that keeps moving from one flower to another in the properties backyard.
However, the lens does not have a focus preset option, which can be a drawback if you want precise control over your focus points.
Although the lens is excellent for macro
Though it’s one of the most expensive 35mm Canon lenses available, the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II has plenty of crucial attributes. I love its 35mm lenses as this focal length is quite helpful for real estate
Its top-notch performance includes the f/1.4 aperture, tying it with two other lenses on our list for the top spot. That makes it ideal for dim, indoor shooting and achieving out-of-focus backgrounds with your subject close.
Like the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4, the lens has considerable protection against dust and moisture, given its construction with a metal mount and a weather-sealed gasket. Pair it with the best camera filter, like a 72mm filter, to achieve complete weather sealing. The focus ring turns smoothly and precisely whether you are in manual mode or autofocus.
While it’s typical to see Canon lenses going for a high price, the amount you spend to get this 35mm lens is pretty ridiculous. The lens lacks image stabilization, unlike the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8, something you may not like when taking real estate videos with your 5D Mark IV held in your hand.
Even though it lacks focal flexibility, the Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 compensates for this shortcoming with features like the sturdy build quality and bright aperture.
It won’t let in as much light as the f/1.4 lenses included, like the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II. At f/1.8, though, you can still expect ample lighting for the excellent shooting of dark rooms. The same applies to shooting small spaces like bathrooms, and this is something that might challenge you when using the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L.
I love the lens’s solid build quality, yet it is still pretty light at only 0.94 pounds, making it the second lightest on my list. Its portability is a cinch compared to the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6.
My prime concern is the lack of image stabilization, unlike options like the 75-300mm f/4-5.6. This omission, together with the long focal length, makes it a bad choice for handheld videography. Thus, you'll need sliders and stabilizers for real estate videography to compensate.
Introduced to the market eight years earlier than the Canon 5D Mark IV, the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II is one of the older lenses that impressively combines with the 5D Mark IV.
On your Canon 5D Mark IV, 24mm is a vast angle. It provides slightly stretched corners while pushing your subject away from you and emphasizing the background.
While you can add light in Photoshop, this can consume some minutes of your post-processing time. Featuring its f/1.4 aperture that leads amongst the lenses on review, the rig allows in a lot of light. Excellent in low light conditions and providing intense bokeh when close to your subjects, the unit provides flexibility and superb image qualities.
The zoom and focus rings turn gently, and you can use the manual ring at any time. With the option for quiet autofocus, the lens is suitable for a house tour shoot, just as it is for real estate stills.
One of my biggest dislikes is the image stabilization absence, unlike the Canon EF 24–105mm f/4. Without this feature, taking videos is a bit trickier.
Similar to the best budget telephoto lenses for Nikon, I like the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L because it has the most extensive zoom range on my list.
I appreciate its optical stability, absent in some of the lenses on my list, like Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II. Optical stability ensures you maintain some precision as you shoot moving subjects who may be buyers of a property you are shooting.
It’s quite a beast, designed with a massive and sturdy body. The 3.61 pounds weight makes it the heaviest lens and is quite tedious to carry around, so you may still have to consider other units for your walkaround lens for Canon. It, however, may survive quite a few knocks and drops, given its premium build.
Its zoom ring is one of the smoothest I have come across in a lens with an autofocus system. You can manually focus with ease, allowing you to get the precise level of sharpness on your real estate photos.
Considering its small focal range or MM, it won’t perform as excellently as other wide-angle lenses on the list. The lens’s aperture of f/4.5 to f/5.6 means that it doesn’t let in a lot of light to your Canon 5D Mark IV sensor.
The Canon EF 24–105mm f/4 lens provides a wide range of focal lengths, making it suitable for a variety of
Its versatility is further enhanced by the presence of a 4 stops Image Stabilization technology, which minimizes camera shake and helps capture sharp, clear images handheld.
The lens features 17 elements in 12 groups, with a combination of aspherical and Ultra-Low Dispersion elements that minimize distortions and chromatic aberration that can make your real estate pictures appear unnatural.
The lens includes a new autofocus system that combines the speed of a ring-type USM motor with the smoothness and silence of an internal focusing design, making it ideal for both photo and video shooting.
The main downside is that, unlike the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4, the lens has a maximum aperture of f/4, which may not be ideal for taking pictures in low light. Although you can enhance exposure by setting up interior lighting with multiple strobes.
Unlike the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8, the lens comes with customizable focus stop buttons, allowing you to set the focus at a specific distance and quickly switch between different focal lengths without refocusing.
However, there are chances of image distortion, particularly at the wide end of the focal length range, which may require post-processing and image sharpening to correct.
The Canon EF 16-35mm f/4 offers a versatile wide-angle zoom range that makes it ideal for landscape, architectural, and even real estate interior
The lens features 16 elements in 12 groups, including three aspherical elements and two UD elements, which help to reduce distortion, aberrations, and chromatic aberration. Even though you can edit in Lightroom like a pro, this lens feature helps ensure that your real estate images do not appear bent.
However, the wide-angle focal length can cause some vignetting and distortion corners of the image, which you might need correction during the post-processing phase.
Like the Canon EF 24–105mm f/4, the lens features a 4-stop image stabilization system that helps combat camera shakes and smoothens out the shakes of hands when photographing without a tripod.
The lens features a ring-type ultrasonic motor that delivers fast and accurate autofocus when capturing fast moving subjects. If you want more control, the full-time manual focus override allows for precise manual adjustments.
The lens is designed with a dust and moisture-resistant lens mount, which allows you to use it in challenging shooting conditions without fear of damage. The lens also features a 9-blade circular aperture that delivers smooth and natural bokeh, which is ideal for portraits and close-up
However, unlike the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4, the maximum aperture of f/4 may be a drawback if you need a faster aperture for low light shooting or creative bokeh effects.
The Canon 70-300mm f/4-5.6 is a telephoto zoom lens with a wide focal range of 70-300mm, allowing you to zoom in and out when capturing fast-moving subjects without moving your setup.
Like the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4, this lens comes equipped with an image stabilization system that helps reduce the camera shake effect and produce sharper images handheld or at slower shutter speeds for long exposure or short exposure.
The lens features a ring-type ultrasonic motor that delivers a fast and noise-free autofocus experience, making it a better option when capturing camera-shy subjects such as birds.
The lens has a maximum aperture of f/4-5.6 which provides a deeper depth of field when capturing real estate exterior photos. However, unlike the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4, this aperture does not allow sufficient light in, making it difficult to shoot in low-light conditions without increasing the ISO sensitivity.
The lens employs 15 elements in 10 groups in its optical design, which includes Ultra-Low Dispersion elements that minimize chromatic aberrations for improved image sharpness.
The lens also employs a super spectra coating on its elements that helps minimize surface reflections and ghosting even when shooting in backlit conditions, resulting in high-contrast images.
The main downside of using this lens is that it lacks weather resistance sealing, which makes it vulnerable to dust and moisture when working in harsh environmental conditions.
If you want a lens that allows sufficient light when taking interior images of a room, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 might be your ideal option. The lens features a constant wide aperture of f/2.8 throughout the zoom range, making it suitable for low-light
When you combine this aperture with its 9 aperture blades, this lens offers a smooth, pleasing bokeh. Like the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8, this lens comes equipped with image stabilization technology, which helps to reduce camera shake to improve image sharpness at slower shutter speeds. However, it's still ideal to use either a carbon fiber or aluminum tripod to stabilize your shots.
With one fluorite and five ultra-low Dispersion elements, this lens helps to minimize chromatic aberration and ensure sharp, clear images. Additionally, the lens features a fluorine coating on the front and rear elements, which significantly reduces smears and fingerprints that cause blur.
Unlike the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6, the lens is built to withstand weather elements, making it ideal for outdoor
The lens also features a minimum focusing distance of 3.9 feet and a maximum magnification of 0.21x, making it suitable for close-up work as well as portraiture
However, with a weight of 3.18 pounds, this lens is relatively large and heavy, which can make it cumbersome to carry around for extended periods of time.
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 is one of the most versatile lenses you can pair with the Canon 5D Mark IV, thanks to the 50mm focal length that can take both portraits and landscapes.Â
Keeping in mind that the Mark IV has a full-frame sensor, the focal length remains the same when paired with this camera, giving you a natural field of view like that of the human eye.
This allows you to take close-ups, portraits, and exterior photos of a real estate property without noticeable distortions or curving of the wall angles.
Like the Canon 24mm, this lens has a maximum aperture of f/1.4. This is wide enough to allow you to shoot bright photos in dimly lit interiors without cranking up the ISO.
Even if this lens doesn't have an image stabilization system like the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4, the wide aperture allows you to take photos with faster shutter speeds, minimizing the chances of image blur.
This lens has eight aperture blades, which renders a pleasing autofocus effect when shooting close-ups and portraits using selective focus techniques. If you are moving from property to property, taking photos handheld, or shooting in places where you can't set up a tripod, you will love the lightweight design of this lens.
Typically, this lens weighs 0.64 pounds, giving your setup an overall weight of 2.6 pounds when shooting without accessories and flashes attached.
However, you might have challenges with this lens if you are shooting interior photos in smaller rooms, such as bathrooms and kitchens, as the focal length might be too long to feature the room in a single shot.
The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 combines the main features you need in real estate
With a minimum focal length of 18mm, you can take interior photos in smaller rooms like bathrooms, where lenses such as the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 might not work.
The zoom capability allows you to vary the angle of view and capture details such as the gypsum design without having to go up a ladder to get nearer to the ceiling.
Unlike the other zoom lenses on our list, this lens comes with a maximum wide aperture of f/1.8. This allows the lens to capture sharp photos with minimal aberration, just like high-end prime lenses.
Furthermore, the f/1.8 aperture is constant throughout the entire zoom range, allowing a shallow depth of field across all focal lengths. Although this is a wide-angle zoom lens, it has relatively low distortion, which allows you to capture realistic exterior photos without the walls appearing curved.
Even if this is a third-party lens, it's compatible with Sigma's USB Dock, which allows you to update the firmware and fine-tune the focus performance. The lens is equipped with Sigma's Hyper Sonic Motor, which provides quick and reasonably quiet autofocus.
This allows you to track and capture sharp photos of moving subjects, as well as shoot videos with great audio quality, even without an external microphone. However, the lens has a hefty weight of 1.79 pounds.
If you are covering multiple properties in a day or large properties with numerous rooms and angles, the overall weight, when paired with the 5D Mark IV, can lead to fatigue over extended periods.
The Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 is a versatile zoom lens with a minimum focal length, giving you an ultra-wide-angle perspective.
This makes the lens ideal for capturing tighter spaces like bathrooms, small bedrooms, or compact kitchens where you might need to use wide-angle distortions to make the room appear spacious and open.
The wide angle of view is also great for capturing the exterior of a property in a single frame, especially when there isn't much space to step back, like in urban settings. A single property can include large open areas, tiny bathrooms, expansive exteriors, and tight hallways.
Unlike the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4, the versatile zoom in this lens allows you to adjust the framing to best fit the space without physically moving back and forth, which might not be possible in confined spaces.
The lens comes with weather sealing, which allows you to shoot the exterior parts of a property, such as gardens and patios, with minimal risks of damage from moisture and dust.
The weather sealing also helps to prevent condensation and moisture ingress when switching back and forth from taking photos in cold exteriors and warmer interiors.
Aside from that, this lens comes with a built-in lens hood. This helps to block extraneous light and reduce lens flare when photographing interiors with windows open, lights on, or exteriors under harsh sunlight.
However, the lens hood makes it impossible to attach standard screw-on filters without additional adapters. Also, this lens doesn't have built-in image stabilization, which can result in image blur if you're shooting handheld using high ISO and slower shutter speeds.
The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 lens has the most versatile zoom on our list, ranging from telephoto to super telephoto perspectives.
The long focal length allows you to capture close-up detail shots from a distance, highlighting specific architectural and design elements of a property, such as the roof and chimney design, without physically being close.
The telephoto perspective also creates a compression effect, making distant objects appear closer together. You can use this allusion to creatively emphasize certain elements of a property's surroundings or make background features appear more prominent relative to the property.
Suppose a property has a unique distant view, such as a city skyline, mountain range, or landmark. This telephoto lens can capture it in detail, emphasizing the view as a selling point.
Note that using such a long focal length indoors means you would need a significant distance to capture wide shots of rooms to showcase their size, layout, and design.
However, the focal range is quite challenging to use for interior
Apart from the long focal length, the maximum aperture of f/5 at the 150mm end and f/6.3 at the 600mm end is not wide enough to capture bright photos indoors.
On the good side, this lens tends to introduce less perspective distortion compared to wide-angle lenses such as the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8. This makes the exterior angles of the property straighter with less exaggerated proportions.
The Canon 5D Mark IV is a professional-quality camera that can take sharp and bright photos in a wide range of conditions. The following features can help you choose a similarly versatile and flexible lens that can work in both poor lighting and extreme weather conditions.
In addition, the table below gives you tips on the most vital features you should look out for when getting the lens.
| Lens | Maximum Aperture | Image Stabilization | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EF 75-300mm | f/4 | No | 1.05 pounds |
| Canon EF 24-70mm | f/2.8 | No | 1.78 pounds |
| Canon EF 85mm | f/1.4 | Yes | 0.13 pounds |
| Canon EF 100mm | f/2.8 | Yes | 0.09 pounds |
| Canon EF 35mm | f/1.4 | No | 1.68 pounds |
| Canon EF 85mm | f/1.8 | No | 0.94 pounds |
| Canon EF 24mm | f/1.4 | No | 1.21 pounds |
| Canon EF 100-400mm | f/4.5 | Yes | 3.61 pounds |
| Canon EF 24–105mm | f/4 | Yes | 1.48 pounds |
| Canon EF 16-35mm | f/4 | Yes | 0.08 pounds |
| Canon EF 70-300mm | f/4 | Yes | 1.56 pounds |
| Canon 70-200mm | f/2.8 | Yes | 3.18 pounds |
| Canon EF 50mm | f/1.4 | No | 0.64 pounds |
| Sigma 18-35mm | f/1.8 | No | 1.79 pounds |
| Sigma 14-24mm | f/2.8 | No | 2.5 pounds |
| Sigma 150-600mm | f/5-6.3 | Yes | 4.25 pounds |
Although you might enjoy the quality of the pictures your lens takes when new, the quality can rapidly degrade, and the entire lens be partially or completely ruined when used in moist or dusty environments. In most cases, dust makes its way into the lens through the mounts, where the lens is connected to the camera body. However, these lenses are generally safe to use when shooting real estate photos on a cloudy day.
Keeping in mind that you will be taking exterior photos of both commercial and residential properties, dust and high humidity is almost unavoidable. A workaround that can help you shoot in these conditions is to get a lens with weather sealing, such as the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4.
The gasket at the mounting helps to prevent dust and moisture from penetrating into the lens. Note that this design aims at protecting the lens from dust and moisture up to a certain extent, and it doesn’t mean the lens is waterproof and can be submerged in water or used in heavy rains.
If you are taking pictures of a subject in motion, it means you need to continuously adjust the focus ring to keep the main subject sharp and the background and foreground out of focus, especially when using selective focus techniques.
This task can be exhausting even for experienced photographers who can do it with ease. Focusing can even be more challenging when the lighting is poor. Luckily, you can avoid this hassle by getting a lens with a good autofocus system, such as the Canon EF 16-35mm f/1.4. The bright aperture of such a lens makes the autofocus system perform excellently, even in bad lighting.
This system can lock the focus on the subject, and you only need to tilt and pan your camera to follow the subject. As a bonus, use either a ball head or a pan head for tripods.
Focal length is the distance between the center of a lens and the image sensor. It determines the angle of view and magnification of an image captured by the lens. That means the focal length determines how much of the scene can be captured in the frame and how large the objects will appear in the image.
A shorter focal length results in a wider angle of view, while a longer focal length results in larger image magnification. Lenses can have fixed or variable focal lengths. Fixed focal length lenses such as the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 typically have wider apertures, are sharper, and have less distortion compared to zoom lenses.
Variable focal length lenses have a range of focal lengths, such as the Canon EF 16-35mm f/4. These lenses are more versatile, allowing you to zoom in or out and adjust the framing of the image without having to physically move closer or further away from the subject.
The aperture, also referred to as the diaphragm, is the opening in a camera lens through which light enters. In most cameras, you can adjust the size of the aperture to control the depth of field and exposure.
The aperture size is measured in f-stops like f/1.8 and f/4. The lower the f-stop number, the larger the aperture and the more light captured, resulting in a blurred background.
Typically, this makes wide aperture lenses such as the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4 preferable for low-light shooting or when using a faster shutter speed.
When holding a camera in your hand, small movements or tremors can cause camera shakes. Even the slightest movement of your body, such as breathing or shifting weight, can cause the camera to move, which can cause blurry or out-of-focus images. However, there are ways to fix out-of-focus pictures in Lightroom.
Generally, long lenses magnify the small movements, making it harder to keep the camera steady. In the same way, slower shutter speed means the more time the camera sensor is exposed to light, increasing the chances of shakes.
Image stabilization refers to a system in lenses such as the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 that helps to reduce blur caused by these movements when shooting handheld using slower shutter speeds.
In camera lenses, compatibility is mainly about the physical attachment of the lens to the camera body as well as the communication between the camera and lens.
Different camera manufacturers have unique lens mounts and communication protocols, which makes certain lenses incompatible with certain cameras. For instance, it might not be possible to use a Nikon lens on a Canon 5D Mark IV.
Since the Canon 5D Mark IV is a full-frame DSLR camera from Canon, consider getting a Canon DSLR lens designed for the full-frame EF mount, such as the Canon EF 24–105mm f/4.
One of the best all-purpose photography lenses for Canon 5D Mark IV is the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 lens. It comes with a 75mm minimum focal length which you can use in indoor photography and a 300mm focal length for shooting faraway subjects. However, the f/4-5.6 aperture might not be suitable in low light photography.
An ideal lens for low-light photography is one that has a larger aperture size, such as the Canon EF 24mm, which comes with an f/1.4 aperture. Normally, when the aperture size of a lens is larger, it allows more light to get to the camera sensor, even in low light conditions.
Yes, the Canon 5D Mark IV is a professional full-frame camera. When you pair it with a quality lens like the Canon EF 75-300mm or the Canon EF 24-70mm, it becomes one of the best cameras for real estate photography.
After going through the comprehensive researched best lens for Canon 5D Mark IV review, you should be more informed on what to pick. My lens comparisons make it less challenging to pick your best lens and get into the action.
