Sigma has the holiest trinity

The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | S is our overall winner

Our overall winner is the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports. It’s a phenomenal lens that works brilliantly well for sport, action, wildlife and event photography, and even for portraiture. It feels right at home on full-frame DSLRs, and works equally well on APS-C bodies, where it gives more generous ‘effective’ telephoto reach. Sigma’s 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art and Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art lenses make up the perfect trinity for both Canon and Nikon DSLRs, with fabulous performance and great value across the board.

As a low-budget no-brainer, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is the latest edition in a classic line of acclaimed standard primes, and the best. It’s simply a must-have lens whether you shoot with an APS-C or full-frame Canon DSLR. Specifically for APS-C format DSLRs, the Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II VC HLD is a superb ultra-wide-angle zoom.

For a compact, budget telephoto zoom, the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM and Nikkor AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR are both highly capable, but the Nikkor lens edges ahead for performance – and adds weatherseals. The Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports wins out if you want to really supersize your telephoto reach.