Autofocus lens for macro photography up to life-size (1x) magnification. Inner focusing affords a long working distance of 5.9in. (149mm) at 1x. A 3-group floating system results in excellent delineation at all focusing distances. Ring USM for silent and high-speed AF, and full-time manual focusing also provided.
Pros: extremely sharp, no abberations, incredible construction
Cons: none come to mind
The images that are produced with the lens are incredible. Unbelievably sharp. Not only is it an incredible macro lens but a wonderful portrait lens as well. (its so sharp, you may want to kick it back a bit in post production for the portraits.) some people complain about the slow autofocus, that is a normal characteristic of a macro lens. As for image stabilization,, when shooting macro its a non issue, put this lens on a tripod and you have all the stabilization you could ever need. I just picked up an extra one of these lenses as I am scared that the new IS 100mm 2.8 will replace this incrdible lens. You can check any review site around and they will all tell you that this is one of the best lenses around PERIOD.....
I've always loved macro photography but didn't really have any dedicated macro lenses. I used telephoto lenses with extension tubes for the most part. My wife recently bought me an EF F/2.8 100mm Macro lens and what a difference. Like others have said, it is razor sharp; however, taking macro photos really does require a tripod and all your camera body has (such as mirror lockup and remote shutter release). When you do these, the 100mm macro delivers! You might also want to consider a ring light as your normal flash is useless.
When taking macro shots, auto focus does hunt or doesn't work at all which isn't surprising IF you're taking handheld shots. If you're using a tripod then all works well unless the subject is in motion. When that happens I simply switch to manual focus and all is well with the world.
The 100mm macro is my sharpest lens with greatest sharpness throughout the frame occurring at F/8.
Does it matter that it doesn't have image stabilization? No. All manufacturers recommend turning IS off if you're using a tripod as the IS can, itself, add vibrations. Thus, that's paying for a feature in macro photography that won't be used much. Tests also show that while you might get 3-4 stops IS when not doing macro photography, you'll likely only get 1, maybe 2, stops off tripod for macro work. So is it really worth it? Not in my opinion.
Pros: super sharp, accurate focus, great color, good contrast, beautiful bokeh, lightweight
Cons: focus hunts, no image stabilization
I use the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro on a 7D body, making its effective focal length 160mm.
Not only does this lens take wonderful macro shots, it's a fantastic performer anywhere its focal length suits you, with action shots as its only exception.
Macro lenses just aren't fast-focusing, so you can't really fault its tendency to hunt. But once it finds its focus point, it's highly accurate and tack-sharp. I'm pretty sure this is the sharpest lens I've ever used. At the same time, that makes sense to me; when some of the things you can focus on are just a few hundred molecules wide, it HAS to be sharp to resolve them properly.
If you're shooting macros handheld with this lens, use a single focus point on the 'AI' focus setting for best results, but the magic happens on a tripod with manual focus at f/32. (Don't forget to Enable Mirror Lockup to eliminate the vibration of the mirror slap.)
The 100mm Macro has beautiful color and contrast, along with an almost complete absence of chromatic aberration and very little distortion: it's one impressive piece of glass, worthy of a red strip to be sure. Wide open, the 100mm Macro has a beautiful background blur, and a flawless, super-smooth bokeh. It's comparable to the 50mm f/1.2L in my opinion, pure butter.
Grab this lens while there are still copies to be had. It's been replaced by the EF 100mm f/2.8L IS (haven't used that one yet, but I'd bet it's impressive!) The thing is, you can get this lens for a fraction of the cost of the L ...you'd be hard-pressed to find a better value...a MUST have Canon lens.
Pros: super sharp, accurate focus, beautiful color, excellent contrast, buttery bokeh, versatile, super value
Cons: autofocus hunts, no image stabilization, not weather sealed
I use the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro on a 7D body, making its effective focal length 160mm. Not only does this lens take wonderful macro shots, it's a fantastic performer anywhere its focal length suits you, with action shots as its only exception.
Macro lenses just aren't fast-focusing, so you can't really fault its tendency to hunt. But once it finds its focus point, it's highly accurate and tack-sharp. I'm pretty sure this is the sharpest lens I've ever used. At the same time, that makes sense to me; when some of the things you can focus on are just a few hundred molecules wide, it HAS to be sharp to resolve them properly.
If you're shooting macros handheld with this lens, use a single focus point on the 'AI' focus setting for best results, but the magic happens on a tripod with manual focus at f/32. (Don't forget to Enable Mirror Lockup to eliminate the vibration of the mirror slap.)
The 100mm Macro has beautiful color and contrast, along with an almost complete absence of chromatic aberration and very little distortion: it's one impressive piece of glass, worthy of a red strip to be sure. Wide open, the 100mm Macro has a beautiful background blur, and a flawless, super-smooth bokeh. It's comparable to the 50mm f/1.2L in my opinion, pure butter.
Grab this lens while there's still copies to be had. It's been replaced by the EF 100mm f/2.8L IS (haven't used that one yet, but I'd bet it's impressive!) The thing is, you can get this lens for a fraction of the cost of the L: if you evaluate it fully, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better value...a MUST have Canon lens.
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