Best Canon T6 Lenses for Wildlife, Sports, Birds and Action Photography

Best telephoto budget zoom -> Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

If there’s one thing where Canon shines at, it’s definitely telephoto lenses. Even their cheapest Canon EF-S 55-250mm has good quality at 250mm, and also features an IS system to help you when shooting with slower shutter speeds. Because of T6’s crop factor, its field of view is equivalent to an 88-400mm lens, and this 1.6x multiplier applies to every lens you put on (good for birds and animal photography).

One thing we should mention is that you should never buy the Canon EF 75-300mm, despite how attractive the low price may seem. It’s way too soft and just not something you’d want to use on the Canon T6 or any high megapixel DSLR.

Also, you have to understand that your Canon T6 isn’t that good for extreme sports so we don’t recommend you to buy anything over $1,000, as you won’t be able to fully use the lens’ AF speed and performance. This is why you should stick to more affordable lenses that were made with the Rebel series in mind, such as the 55-250mm. The camera has 3fps and 9AF points, none of that screams wildlife photography. While you can obviously shoot action and get wonderful results, do remember that there are limitations.

What to look for in a telephoto lens? Anything over f/4 means you can only shoot indoors/in dark conditions if you raise the ISO speed or turn on the IS, but that’s assuming your subject is standing still. For indoors, any f/2.8 zoom will be expensive but an enormous advantage but they are pricey. Other than that, the more you spend the better the auto focus is at tracking and focusing on a moving target, but all of our choices are good in this department.

We’ve only listed the one lens we truly feel is the best companion for the Rebel T6.

Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

Affordable, Quality Sports Lens

The Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM continues exactly where the 18-55mm stops. By owning both you completely cover the wide, standard and telephoto distances.

It’s really cheap considering it’s a Canon lens that can go up to 250mm and still delivers solid sharp results at 250mm. The longer the zoom, the more chances you have of your shots being blurry, which is where the IS comes in handy and helps you up to 4 stops (so instead of 1/250, you can now use 1/15). This unfortunately applies only to non-moving subjects, and is the same for all lenses with IS out there.

There’s the STM that we’re used to seeing in EF-S lenses now. Aperture wise, it’s ideal for outdoor photography but can also be used indoors assuming it’s not cave-like darkness, and you bump up the ISO to ~1,600-3,200.

You can buy it at Amazon or see more reviews here.

Best Canon T6 Lenses for Macro, Product and Bugs Photography

Best EF-S macro -> Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM
Best 1macro -> Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 IS USM
Best third-party macro -> Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD

Macro lenses are some of the sharpest lenses available so there’s one less thing to worry about, even when buying from third-party brands such as Tamron, Tokina or Sigma. There’s also no auto focusing issues on the T6 or any other Canon DSLR.

A true macro lens has 1:1 ratio (or 1x magnification), meaning the subject you’re shooting appears as big as it is in real life. You might see the term “macro” get thrown around in many zooms but just remember that if the ratio is not 1:1 it’s not macro.

For bugs and live creatures, longer focal lengths are preferred so you don’t scare them away (or them scaring you away for getting too close). Luckily, the 1.6x crop factor makes even the 60mm macro good here, but 100mm+ is always recommended. For products and similar items, you’ll want to stay below 100mm.

Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM – Affordable and shortest Canon macro lens. Good for product photography.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM – The best combination of price and quality. Tack sharp and also good for bugs

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM – Get this only if you need improved build quality and Hybrid IS (useful if you shoot without a tripod). 99% similar quality to the non-L macro.

Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di VC – Cheaper than Canon, features Image Stabilization and is a solid performer.

Canon EOS Rebel T6 Lens Prices

I’ve Seen All Lenses, But Which One To Pick?

Okay so let’s say you have found a couple of lenses in our guide that you would love to own, but can’t decide which ones to pick first.

While we could complicate this, it all comes down to whether your current gear allows you to photograph what you want.

Chances are you like different styles of photography and want to shoot pretty much everything that exists. If your budget allows you and you have at least a little bit of skills at DSLR photography then absolutely go for whatever you like on this list.

These 4 factors are what it boils down to before we all buy a new lens:

• Better quality
• Better low light performance
• Wider or longer focal length
• Price

For example, if you’ve been using the Rebel T6 18-55mm kit lens for a few months, you’re probably wanting both better quality and improved low light performance. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is hands down the best option here, and it fits nicely in the affordable price range.

You should get a lens when you want better performance at what you’re already shooting (sharpness, length, zoom, aperture etc.), or to start taking pictures that excite you but are hard to get with current equipment.

If you are interested in learning more about camera lenses we have a complete guide to understanding lenses types.

Need more than just the lens?

Unsure of what SD card the Canon EOS Rebel T6 uses? While the right lens is the most important thing to complement your camera, remember that the speed of your memory card is also extremely important. There are a lot of memory card brands out there so it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out which one is compatible with your camera.

We’ve also written guides for other gear you might need for your T6. Check out our recommendations for accessories and memory cards.

If you need some help finding other gear check out our selection of the best photography accessories.

Don’t Have The Canon T6 Yet?

Since the Canon Rebel T6 doesn’t come with a memory card or a lens if you only buy the body, you can buy a kit that includes these and other items. Plus you usually can get a better overall deal. Just make sure you are getting quality accessories in the kit. Not just filler junk.  We recommend these 2 options:

Amazon has a couple of great bundles, our favorite is the Canon T6 +18-55mm + Accessories which has some better gear than some other kits do.

Here’s a useful link if you’re really interested in Canon lenses and technology behind them: