The best Canon lenses for wedding photography

Félicia Sisco and Fabio Mirulla, Canon Ambassadors and award-winning photographers with a string of clients around the world, reveal the best lenses for shooting weddings.
A bride in a long, flowing white dress stands on a rocky coastline, with her back to the camera, as the sun sets over the ocean.

Wedding and bridal fashion photographer Félicia Sisco says if she had to choose just one lens to take with her on a wedding shoot, it would be the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM. "For me, everything is perfect in this shot," she says. "The f/1.2 aperture is incredible for picking out detail and the background is beautifully smooth." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM lens at 1/8000 sec, f/1.2 and ISO400. © Félicia Sisco

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Whether you're photographing an intimate elopement, a micro wedding, a quirky alternative wedding or a traditional big wedding reception, the right kit is key. So which are the best Canon lenses for wedding photography? What are the essential features to look for in a Canon wedding lens? And which lenses will be both reliable and fast to focus, enabling you to deliver results time and time again?

We spoke to internationally renowned wedding and bridal fashion photographer Félicia Sisco, based in Paris and Corsica, and Fabio Mirulla, from near Florence in Italy, who was the grand winner at the International Wedding Photographer of the Year awards in 2021. Here, these wedding specialists open their kitbags and reveal their favourite Canon lenses for capturing a couple's special day. In addition, Mike Burnhill, Senior Product Specialist at Canon Europe, explains how the technology behind these lenses makes them so well-suited to the genre.

A bride and groom emerge from a doorway onto the street, surrounded by people cheering and throwing confetti.

Félicia likes to get in close and be part of the action. "With the RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM, I can be right in the scene and shoot wide-angle, but without any distortion," she says. Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens at 15mm, 1/320 sec, f/4.5 and ISO500. © Félicia Sisco

1. Best wide-angle lens for immersive portraits: Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

"Nothing beats this lens for group shots in tight spaces, both indoors and when the wedding party is coming out of the church," says Félicia, who shoots with a Canon EOS R5 and EOS R6. "It's also ideal when you need to get in close but still want a wide view, like when the couple are cutting the cake. And if the wedding is at a beautiful location, this lens gives me the freedom to include the surroundings as a backdrop."

From a technical standpoint, Mike says: "This is a great multi-purpose lens and the fast aperture means you can shoot indoors at the reception and on the dancefloor. The wide-angle zoom range is ideal for interiors of churches and other wedding venues and the optical image stabilisation works in conjunction with the IBIS in newer EOS R System cameras to give super-stable handheld shooting for both stills and video."

The Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM lens.

Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8L IS USM

The wide-angle zoom range and fast aperture make this lens ideal for wedding portraits and group shots both indoors and outside, as well as for capturing beautiful surroundings.
A black and white portrait of a bride in side profile, reflected in a mirror, applying make-up to her eyebrows.

"The RF 85mm F1.2 is like my 'desert island' lens," says Félicia. "I couldn't bear to be without it. I don't just use it for individual portraits – it's also great for small groups and capturing all sorts of other detail." Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens at 1/100 sec, f/2.8 and ISO500. © Félicia Sisco

A couple embrace on a hillside as the sun sets behind them, a bottle of champagne and two glasses at their feet.

Fabio, who also uses the EOS R5 and EOS R6, loves the way he can capture detail with the RF 85mm F1.2L USM, blurring the background yet retaining rich colours and tones. Taken on a Canon EOS R6 with a Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens at 1/250 sec, f/2 and ISO125. © Fabio Mirulla

2. Best lens for capturing details: Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM

"For me, one of the most important times during a wedding is when the bride is getting ready," says Félicia. "Of course, the groom is important too, but when the bride puts on her wedding dress and her hair and make-up are just done, it's a magical moment. I feel that capturing portraits of the bride is the most important part of my work, and no lens does this better than the Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM. The focal length and aperture let me focus all the attention on key details, like the bride's eyes, and soften everything else with exquisite bokeh. Nothing makes a bride look more beautiful than this lens. But it's also very versatile. I use this lens and the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM more than any other during the actual ceremony."

The Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM lens.

Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM

This lens gives you great sharpness where you need it, along with flattering skin tones and stunningly beautiful bokeh for defocused areas.

Fabio, who also uses the RF 85mm F1.2L USM, recently shot an entire wedding using only prime lenses. "Prime lenses stop you being lazy. You're forced to move, to find the right position at the right moment. And when I'm moving around, other great shooting possibilities will catch my eye. For picking out details, the precision of this lens with the autofocus systems of my EOS R5 and EOS R6 cameras is unbelievable. At beautiful locations, especially in the countryside, you can focus on the detail you want and make it stand out by blurring the background, while keeping all its wonderful colours."

"The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM is one of Canon's legendary lenses but the latest RF edition produces stunning portraits," adds Mike. "You can get incredible sharpness in the eyes but the roll-off is very flattering for skin, making it look smooth and beautiful without picking out every hair and whisker. It's renowned for its beautiful bokeh. The Defocus Smoothing edition (Canon RF 85mm F1.2L USM DS) further enhances bokeh. Two layers of coatings are applied to smooth the edges of 'bokeh discs', typically created by the likes of defocused fairy lights and candles."

A close-up shot of a laughing couple, their faces bent together so their noses and foreheads are touching.

At f/1.2, the Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM comes into its own for isolating the subject, in this case focusing all the attention on the eyes. Taken on a Canon EOS R5 with a Canon RF 50mm F1.2L USM lens at 1/8000 sec, f/1.2 and ISO250. © Fabio Mirulla