Best Zoom Camera Lenses of 2025

Alan Eaton Avatar
Alan Eaton
Last Updated: Jan 3, 2025

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Zoom camera lenses are a popular choice for photographers who want the flexibility to capture a range of focal lengths without having to switch lenses. These lenses allow you to zoom in and out, adjusting the image size and composition with ease. Some zoom lenses have a variable aperture, meaning that the maximum aperture changes as you zoom in or out. This can affect the overall image quality, so it's important to choose a high-quality zoom lens if you want to get the best results. Zoom lenses are available for a wide range of camera types and brands, so there's sure to be one that fits your needs.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens Cover #TOP 1
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens
ftb score rating icon 9.8
Big Mike's 420-1600mm Telephoto Lens Cover #TOP 2
Big Mike's 420-1600mm Telephoto Lens
ftb score rating icon 9.7
Sony SELP1650 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens Cover #TOP 3
Sony SELP1650 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens
ftb score rating icon 9.5

Top 10 Zoom Camera Lenses

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens

6473A003AA
Black
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens Cover
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras, 6473A003 (Renewed)

The Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens is a great choice for amateur photographers looking for a budget-friendly telephoto lens. It features a DC Autofocus Motor, 4.9' Minimum Focus Distance, and 58mm Filter Thread Diameter. It has a 32- to 8-degree diagonal angle of view and improved mechanism for smoother zooming. Customers have praised its sharpness and color, as well as its auto focus capabilities. It is an excellent value for the price.

What We Like
Affordable
Versatile zoom range
Well-built and balanced

Big Mike's 420-1600mm Telephoto Lens

Big Mike's
4332060496
Big Mike's 420-1600mm Telephoto Lens Cover
High-Power 420-1600mm f/8.3 HD Manual Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS 80D, EOS 90D, Rebel T3, T3i, T5, T5i, T6i, T6s, T7, T7I, T8I, SL3, EOS 70D, EOS 5D, EOS5D IV, EOS 6D II, EOS 7D II SLR Cameras

The Big Mike's Telephoto Lens offers incredible versatility for capturing distant subjects with its impressive zoom range of 420mm to 1600mm. This lens is perfect for wildlife and sports photography, allowing you to get closer to your subjects without disturbing them. Its compatibility with various Canon cameras means you can easily attach it to your existing gear. With a sophisticated f/8.3 aperture, you can expect sharp, clear images, even at long distances. Plus, the manual focus feature gives you complete control over your shots, ensuring you capture every detail beautifully.

What We Like
High zoom capability
Compatible with many Canon models
Sharp, clear images
Manual focus control

Sony SELP1650 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens

SELP1650-cr
Black
Sony SELP1650 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens Cover
Sony SELP1650 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens (Renewed)

The Sony Power Zoom Lens is a versatile camera lens designed for Sony E-mount cameras. With its POWER ZOOM feature, users can enjoy smooth zooming with superb operability and quietness. The lens also incorporates ED glass and Aspherical lens elements, which contribute to excellent performance with reduced aberrations. In addition, the built-in image stabilization ensures sharp and steady images, even in low light conditions. This lens is perfect for capturing a wide range of subjects, from landscapes to portraits, and it offers convenience and flexibility for photographers of all levels.

What We Like
Smooth zooming
Reduced aberrations
Image stabilization
#TOP 4

Canon Telephoto Zoom Lens with 75-300mm Focal Length

75-300mm
Black
300mm
Canon Telephoto Zoom Lens with 75-300mm Focal Length Cover
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens Black

This Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens is made up of 13 elements in 9 groups with a focal length of 75-300mm 1:4-5.6. It has a front group rotating extension system with Micromotor for focus adjustment, the lens construction provides 32° 11' - 8° 15' diagonal angle of view and closest focusing distance of 1.5m/ 4.9 ft. It is a great choice for SLR camera lenses.

What We Like
Offers a wide range of focal length for telephoto zoom shots
Great lens construction with high-quality materials
Easy focus adjustment for better control over the shot

JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3-F16 Telephoto Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras

420-800mm super telephoto lens
black
JINTU 420-800mm f/8.3-F16 Telephoto Lens for Canon EOS DSLR Cameras Cover
JINTU 420-800mm f/ 8.3 Manual Telephoto Zoom Lens + T-Mount for Canon EOS Rebel SL2 SL1 T3 T3i T4i T5 T5i T6 T6i T6s T7 T7i 4000D 6D 7D 60D 70D 77D 80D 5D II/III/IV 550D 650D SLR Camera Lenses

The JINTU 420-800mm MF Super HD Telephoto lens is a lightweight, solidly built lens with a full metal body and a compact size of 10.6 x 3.5 x 3.5 inches. It offers ultra-high-definition image quality with Japan's design, multi-coated low-dispersion glass, and oxidation on the lens body for paint loss and wear resistance. This lens is compatible with Canon Digital SLR Cameras, making it perfect for wildlife or nature photography, sports, and moon shots. It comes with a 2-year warranty and is manual with no auto-focus feature.

What We Like
Lightweight and compact
Ultra-high-definition image quality
Compatible with Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 IIR Black

OM SYSTEM
V314050BU000
Black
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 IIR Black Cover
Olympus M.14-42MM F3.5-5.6 2R Zuiko Camera Zoom Lens Black

The Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 IIR Black, also known as the Olympus 14-42mm Lens, is a versatile camera lens designed for the Micro Four Thirds System. This compact lens offers a 3x zoom range, allowing you to capture everything from wide landscapes to detailed portraits. With its collapsible design, it is easy to carry around and perfect for travel photography. The lens features 7 aperture blades, which create a circular aperture diaphragm for natural background blurring, resulting in beautiful bokeh effects. It also boasts a nearly silent auto focus system, making it suitable for both still photography and movie shooting. Additionally, the lens has a close focusing distance of just 9.84 inches, allowing you to capture stunning close-up shots. With its impressive features and excellent performance, the Olympus 14-42mm Lens is a great choice for photographers of all levels.

What We Like
3x zoom range
Collapsible design
Nearly silent auto focus
#TOP 7

Lightdow 420-800mm Telephoto Lens

420-800mm
White
Lightdow 420-800mm Telephoto Lens Cover
Lightdow Telephoto Lens 420-800mm F/8.3 for Canon EF Manual Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon EOS Rebel T8i T7 T7i T6 T6s T6i T5 T5i T4i T3i T3 T2i T1i 250D 750D 760D 1200D 1300D 2000D DSLR Cameras

The Lightdow Telephoto Lens offers a focal range of 420-800mm, allowing you to capture distant subjects like wildlife, the moon, and landscapes in stunning detail. This fully manual lens provides you with complete control over focus, enabling you to create unique images tailored to your vision. While it requires manual adjustments for optimal settings, this feature enhances your photography skills. Additionally, it is compatible with various Canon EOS Rebel models, making it a versatile choice for Canon users looking to elevate their photography experience.

What We Like
High focal length range
Full manual control
Compatible with many Canon models
Ideal for wildlife photography

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens

CR-75-300-101617
Bkack
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens Cover
Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens with UV Filter (Renewed)

Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens is a renewed lens with a f/4-5.6 maximum aperture, compatible with Canon DSLR Cameras, and comes with a 58mm UV filter for lens protection. The improved mechanism makes zooming smoother. It works well with Canon Rebel and EOS models, as well as full-frame cameras.

What We Like
Smooth zooming due to improved mechanism
Compatible with a wide range of Canon DSLR and full-frame cameras
Comes with a 58mm UV filter for lens protection
#TOP 9

Lightdow 420-800mm f/8.3 Manual Zoom Super Telephoto Lens

KD-420800-T-N
For Canon EF (DSLR)
Lightdow 420-800mm f/8.3 Manual Zoom Super Telephoto Lens Cover
EF/EF-S 420-800mm F/8.3 Telephoto Zoom Lens - Manual DSLR Cameras Lenses+ T-Mount for Canon EOS Rebel T8i/T7i/T7/T6s/T6i/T6/T5i/T5/T4i/T3i/T3/T2i/T1i/250D/750D/760D/1200D/1300D/2000D/4000D/6D/5D

The Lightdow 420-800mm f/8.3 Manual Zoom Super Telephoto Lens is a great choice for those looking for a budget-friendly telephoto lens. It features multi-coated low-dispersion glass, anti-reflection coating, and manual focus telephoto zoom lens for DSLR SLR cameras. It is compatible with Canon EF and EF-S mountings and comes with a T-mount adapter for easy installation. Customers have praised the lens for its impressive image quality, solid construction, and affordability.

What We Like
Multi-coated low-dispersion glass and anti-reflection coating
Compatible with Canon EF and EF-S mountings
Solid full metal construction
Affordable price
Impressive image quality

Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens - Black

SEL55210/B
Black
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens - Black Cover
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens for Sony E-Mount Cameras (Black)

The Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Lens offers a wide zoom range of 82-315mm (35mm equivalent). It features internal focusing for quiet operation, direct manual focus for precise adjustments, and Optical Steady Shot image stabilization for stable video capture and low light performance. With a minimum focus distance of 3.28 ft and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.23x, it is ideal for sports and nature photography. The lens also accepts 49mm filters.

What We Like
Great performance
Versatile telephoto range
Affordable price
Buying Guide Image

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is a zoom lens good for?

A zoom lens is a type of camera lens that offers the photographer a useful range of different focal lengths in a single lens. This is in comparison to a prime lens, which only offers a single focal length. A zoom lens allows for quick and easy re-framing of a scene while staying in the same physical position.

2. What is a zoom camera lens?

A zoom lens is an SLR or DSLR lens that offers a different focal length for the photographer to select from. A zoom lens can be manually adjusted by a user to create focused images throughout a wide range of distances from one's photographic subject, from very close-up to very far away.

3. Is a zoom lens worth it?

Zooms are highly versatile The biggest advantage of a zoom lens is that it allows you to change focal lengths without changing your lens. That way, you can use dozens of focal lengths without needing to swap lenses, which will save time and may ensure you get shots you'd have otherwise missed.

Editor's Notes

During our zoom camera lense research, we found 16 zoom camera lense products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 25,413 customer reviews through our big data system to write the zoom camera lenses list. We found that most customers choose zoom camera lenses with an average price of $116.76.

The zoom camera lenses are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of zoom camera lenses, including Canon, Big Mike's, Sony, JINTU, OM SYSTEM. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 319 consumers with an average rating of 4.9.

Written by
Alan Eaton Avatar

Alan Eaton is a seasoned writer whose expertise is in anything related to electronics, such as headphones, monitoring equipment, computer, and so on, built over a 15-year career in the technology industry. Working in the trade during his youth, he accumulated a great deal of knowledge about machinery.