Customer Reviews

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM 1-to-1 Macro Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love Canon. Although there were times when I shot with Nikons (D700, D300) and were pretty impressed with the result, I always came back to Canon.
This is the first is macro lens for Canon and they got it right. I have used the 60mm, 100mm, & 180mm macro before and by far this is the best!
Now, if you already own a 100mm macro you should try it before upgrading because the IQ of the lens are identical. I usually use this lens for portraits (yes, I know the 85mm & 135mm is a better portrait lens.) of my daughter and the IS is awesome. Hand holding 1/40 I can still get a sharp picture.

The thing that I really hated about the non-IS 100mm macro was the distribution of weight - it was the most awkward thing to shoot with. This lens feels lighter because of the even distribution of weight and size (gradual taper) and it includes a deep hood.

I know $1K is a hefty sum of cash, but considering what you get and how long it can last you - I don't know why you would settle for the non-IS.

--- Edit ---

I found that for portrait, the bokeh on this thing is incredibly smooth. Instead of the angular blurs (lights, flowers, etc), you get a smooth circular blurs due to its spherical diaphragm. But I guess that's in the eye of the beholder...

I hardly ever write reviews but I felt that I really needed to write a quick note about how amazing this macro lens is. I used to be a Nikon gal until I sold my D300 for the Canon 7D. I also gave up my beloved 105mm Nikkor macro lens at that time, with much trepidation. Would I ever find a lens as sharp with as good IQ? Well, I have no more fears -- the 100mm IS macro fits that bill and more! It is simply amazing. I have the 24-70mmL and 70-200mmL lenses and this macro blows both lenses out of the water as far as IQ and sharpness. I cannot describe the beauty of the colors of my macro flowers! I posted a couple pix with this review... It is also a sharper lens than my 70-200L IS f/4, which I think is a superb lens on it's own. The bokah with this lens is also smoother than the 70-200. Again, a pleasant surprise since I also love that lens. I cannot ever imagine anyone being disappointed with this macro. Just buy it with a credit card that gives you cash back or miles because the price tag is steep.

I wasn't certain this lens would be a good value or choice for an APS-C camera. Having recently purchased a 7D, I felt the focal length might be too long, but didn't want the EF-S 60mm macro, when I expect to purchase a body with a full-frame sensor in a couple years. For anyone considering a 100mm Macro, I'm 6x6" tall, and was able to squeeze in an 8x11" sheet of paper on the floor, while standing with my 20D.

I evaluated the EF 100mm Macro and this lens side-by-side. The older 100mm Macro has a great reputation. From the specifications, you'll see that the new lens is slightly longer, and weighs more. The build quality is excellent and consistent with an L lens. Optics are precise. Color and Bokeh are outstanding, as review samples attest.

Auto focus and manual focus are smooth and deliberate. As with other Macros, the focus is precise, but moves slower than a standard telephoto lens of the same focal length. It takes approximately 2.5 seconds to focus from infinity to .3m. It takes approximately 3.0 seconds to focus from .3m to infinity, as the mechanism delays .5 seconds when autofocus is initiated.

The focusing limiter selector switch functions well, eliminating the time to focus, if you know your subject will be between .3m to .5m, or .5m to infinity. The ranges offer a good compromise between focusing element travel and practical subject distances. .3m to .5m represents a 180 degree turn of the focusing ring, and .5m to infinity represents about a 150 degree turn of the focusing ring.

I purchased this lens over the older 100mm Macro for the image stabilization. The image stabilization allows the hand held use of the lens under brighter lighting conditions. The image stabilization certainly behaves differently from other L lenses at 100mm. Telephoto IS may allow you to pan, this lens does not. Better shots will be obtained with IS on while tracking a moving subject; however, IS on this lens is no substitute for a telephoto with panning IS ability. The new IS technology does seem better suited for macro shots than earlier IS techonlogy. The subject seems to "stick" on this lens, as compared with images that seem to "float" with other IS lenses.

IS compensates for movement quite well, but I will shoot low-light subjects on a tripod. With IS on and and shooting at 2.8, the depth of field is extremely shallow. Any movement toward or away from the subject will result in an out-of-focus image. My 1.6 sensor certainly exacerbates the problem. If you need to obtain a more adequate depth of field, you must shoot at 8.0 or above, which will require longer shutter times under low lighting.

Outdoors, this lens will provide unique opportunities in allowing one to complete hand-held shots of bright-lit subjects, especially if you have a full-frame sensor.

I bought this lens as a macro lens, for close up work. Wow, what a lens. My 11-year-old daughter picked it up the next day while I was at work and took some spectacular photos of her bearded dragon lizard. She got right up to it, 1:1, and got amazing shots of the lizard's scales. Please note that I did not give her any training on the lens. She just picked it up and started shooting in manual focus, image stabilization on. We've been wandering around the house and yard taking closeups of everything we can think of.

What I was not expecting was the value this lens provides for portraits. It is so amazingly sharp, it gives amazing results. This is a benefit I was note expecting, but wow. I've effectively gotten two lenses for the price of one. You'll want good lighting, as with all portrait shooting.

My sole complaint, which almost feels petty, is the weight. We have a Canon EOS Rebel T1i, an EOS small-body SLR. Strap on this lens and a Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash, and you have a lot of weight on a smallish SLR body. Please note that my hands are large, while my daughter's hands are small. She loves the feel of the camera and doesn't feel the lens is to heavy. Big performance in a lens means its going to be heavy, so no points off for this.

I am an occasional macro shooter who mostly does portraits at this focal length of 100mm. So why did I get this lens instead of the non-image stabilized 100mm macro for $600 instead and use other dedicated lenses like the 85 f/1.8 or 70-200 f/2.8L? There are a number of reasons:

1. The image stabilization is of the latest generation and compensates for nearly 4-stops in which angular movement or pitch is compensated for. The effect of this is that it is incredibly sharp for portraits wide open at f/2.8 in comparison to the standard macro 100mm f/2.8 or a heavier lens like the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. The files coming from a 5DMkII are absolutely amazing in sharpness.
2. Contrast and bokeh are excelleny and pleasing to the eye. The background blur is superior to the 100 f/2.8 non image stabilized macro.
3. Relatively light weight at 625g makes it easy to carry and balance. It beats carrying the 70-200 when you don't need it. It is also lighter than the Nikon 105mm f/2.8VR and has a better MTF performance.
4. The AF is somewhat faster than the standard 100mm macro and very quiet.
5. The build quality is worthy of an "L" lens. Although its made of engineering plastic, Canon made the right decision to keep its weight low.

The only drawback I can see with this lens is price. If you wait around, sometimes Amazon has had it for $1000, but I think its more appropriately priced at $850-$900. At the end of the day, this is fun lens which is hard to put down. If you can get this lens for $1000, then just do it, and you won't regret it for a second. As I said before, the files coming from this lens are absolutely beautiful and makes me look like a better photographer than I actually am.

To start off, this lens deserves 5 stars on outstanding picture quality alone. I currently own the 70-200 F/2.8 IS, the 50mm 1.4 and now the 100mm L Macro. I was always weary of reviewers that say primes are the only way to go....but after 3 different 70-200mm lens's, I am learning why. The zooms have a niche, but PQ is alway better on my primes. That being said...

I really really like this lens. It re-inspires me to get out and take pictures; it is fun all over again. The color contrast is just the way you like it. The bokeh, as others have mentioned, is very smooth in transition (see my sample pictures). The lens is made of a newer plastic barrel, but it is far from the cheaper non L variety. It is very acceptable for its size.

I hear the IS isn't very useful up close and personal. It is my opinion that it is VERY useful for everyday real world applications. I was shooting baby pictures in very low light from 7 inches away, and most my pictures were keepers (of course I positioned myself to be stable). The IS is very quiet and smooth. I think it is worth the money.

There is a reason I gave it 4 stars. I have noticed on several occasions that the auto focus travels and doesn't lock. This only seems to happen in low light and on objects that aren't dynamic, for example baby pictures (smooth skin, no hard lines). However, for this price, it shouldn't happen as much as it has.

I have had this lens for about a month and I think it is my favorite, no wait, it IS MY FAVORITE. I will update my review as I get the opportunity to judge it on true macro work, bugs, plants etc.

I cannot compare it to the former 100mm, but so far, I don't think I would go without the IS. I just find that I need it more often than I don't.

Hope this helps. If you can afford it, this will be one of your favorites too.

I bought this lense recently on Amazon and immediately in love with it. The build quality & its "look&feel" is good enough for a L-series lense. According to Canon, this is the first L lense that made of "engineer plastics" instead of traditional aluminum metal. But I see no difference in the build quality. In fact, this is even better in term of weight (this one is one of low weight L-series lense).

For quality, it really significant & invaluable to have the IS on a macro lense. I did test two lense (the original 100mm f/2.8 Macro and this new 100mm f/2.8L IS lense). The IS made the difference:
- At the same aperture (let say 3.2); the new 100mm 2.8L IS produced nicer bokeh and better contrast, color.
- At low speed (below 1/60) - the new 100mm 2.8L IS obviously defeat the non-IS. A picture at 1/20s with IS enable is sharper than 1/100s of the old lense (without IS).

In my opinion, this lense is also usable for many other purposes (other than macro) for example: portraiture - this will be in between the 85mm and 135mm lenses, with the IS feature and nice bokeh & sharpness, this lense is also very nice for portraits, especially for kid portraits (if you already had three 85mm 1.2L-II, 100mm 2.8L, and 135mm 2L lenses - I have nothing to say; but if you can have only one of them, then 100mm can be a good choice since it can fill a lot of jobs!)

I wish Canon will release 135mm f/2L with IS enable soon. Otherwise, this one will be my first lense in the three lenses: 85mm 1.2L, 100mm 2.8L IS, 135mm 2L.

Very nice lens. Solid, like all canon L glass. Not noticeably bulkier or heavier than the non-IS 100mm f/2.8 macro.

$200-$250 for the tripod ring is insane. I've found that the non-IS lens mounts fine without it. I got a cheap China-made knockoff ring for a 100-400 and it kinda sucked, so I think I just won't have a ring on it.

It's worth noting that this lens ships with the correct lens hood and the gray Canon leather lens bag. Don't buy either as one of the "suggested" accessories.

This part of the review won't matter much in a few weeks, but it's worth noting that the price of this lens has fluctuated daily on Amazon between $1,004 at the low end and $1,053 on the high end. if you don't like the price today, check back tomorrow.

I upgraded to this lens from the EF 100mm 2.8 non-IS Macro. As others have stated, the IS with this lens is not a cure-all. Extreme macros (especially with extension tubes) will still have to be done on a tripod. I have been able to get keeper shots hand held with anything over about 2 ft. Others may have more luck closer as I am pretty shaky.

I've used it a couple of times for portraits, and I have to say it's beautiful. The bokeh is velvety smooth and the sharpness, color and contrast are just outstanding! Much better even than some of my other "L" lenses and well worth the upgrade from the non-IS version.

My main reason for buying this lens is nature/flower/insect macros. I own mostly zooms and I've heard about prime lenses being sharper, and this one delivers.

UPDATE 2/23/10 - Ran into trouble when I wanted to attach my Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite for Canon Digital SLR Cameras. Turns out the different size of the objective end of the lens needs a Canon Macrolite Adapter 67. It's pricy but a must have item, so be prepared for that extra surprise if you own that flash. I am still thrilled with the IQ and IS and consider this only a minor pain.

When I bought my 40D last Feb., I bought the Canon 100mm USM f2.8 macro lens, but even at that time, I wished for a L-series IS macro. I love macro photography, but usually find myself in situations where I don't want to mess with a tripod. I couldn't understand the arguments against having an IS macro lens. When I am hiking or in a botanical garden with many people and space restrictions, I want to take the pictures free-hand. The 100mm USM f2.8 macro produced some nice pictures, and is perfect for those who use a tripod (so if you don't want to spend the extra money, certainly consider that lens).

I was in heaven when Canon announced the new L-series macro, and after about 1 1/2 months waiting, it finally arrived on Friday, and I took it out for a drive immediately. The pictures are awesome! Great focus and beautiful bokeh. The weight and length of the lens makes it very portable. The only "down side" is the speed of the focusing system. I guess in macro photography this isn't something you really have to worry about, but I did miss 2 opportunities to capture crisp pictures of some birds because by the time the lens focused, they had moved.

Overall though, this is a great lens!