385 of 389 people found the following review helpful:
An excellent lens for the budding nature photographer
Prospective buyers of a macro lens for a Canon EOS system have a great first choice in this 100mm Macro. The extra length over a 50mm macro gives much better working distance (space between lens and subject) in the field, and EOS-compatible lenses by other manufacturers match poorly with accessories and are nowhere near as sharp.
3 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
Getting use to it
I love taking macro shots. I guess the fixed distance off this lens sorta throughs me off. I have to move my body to center object. I am very green at photography no classes.
This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
Prospective buyers of a macro lens for a Canon EOS system have a great first choice in this 100mm Macro. The extra length over a 50mm macro gives much better working distance (space between lens and subject) in the field, and EOS-compatible lenses by other manufacturers match poorly with accessories and are nowhere near as sharp.
Compared with the earlier Micro Motor 100mm Macro that Canon made (which I also own), the USM lens focuses *very* fast. The USM lens also can accept Tripod Collar B (by use of a small plastic adapter)--I recommend you buy the collar with the lens, as adjusting to a vertical composition with a tripod means repositioning everything. The front element is not recessed in the USM model, which makes lens cleaning easier than with its predecessor. And build quality is improved--the earlier model was prone to its switches breaking (could fix it yourself with the ordered part, but really annoying) and eventually the Micro Motor gearing gave out (no trouble so far with the USM ring motor). The USM model will work with Canon's 2x teleconverter by interposing a 12mm extension tube, allowing 2x magnification with lots of working distance, though this is not nearly as nice a solution as the 180mm lens referenced below.
I will quibble with another reviewer--Canon does make sharper lenses, and sharpness compared with the earlier model is virtually the same. But this is still one of the sharpest lenses you can buy, and ergonomically a huge improvement over its predecessor.
Having said that, Canon now has an L-series 100mm macro that is much sharper and has better bokeh (out-of-focus highlights). A serious hobbyist might consider that lens, though it costs about 40% more on the street. I purchased the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro Lens less than a year ago, and am very impressed with its greater sharpness and working distance relative to this lens. If you work much with small critters, take a look at that lens before making a purchase.
If you are building up a set of lenses for outdoor/nature photography and you do occasional macrophotography, this might be the first or second lens to buy. If you work significantly at magnifications greater than 1:1, consider the Canon 65mm 1x-5x Macro zoom.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
This is the lens I leave on my camera for general purpose use. At non-macro focus distances, it is a very fast lens in a convenient short-telephoto length. The images are sharp out to the corners. This is one of those great Canon lenses that probably deserves an L-series rating but is available without the red stripe and exorbitant cost.
Tested in an astrophotography context (point sources on black backgrounds - excellent for revealing aberration and coma), I have found that this lens is reasonably sharp at f/4 and completely sharp by f/5.6. For daylight terrestrial photography, the tiny aberrations caused by the wide-open f/2.8 aperture are hardy noticeable and by f/4 the images are exquisitely sharp.
There is a lot of glass in this lens - it is heavy. I highly recommend buying the tripod collar as it allows you to attach the camera and lens to a tripod or ballhead with much better balance.
Also, if you plan on using the macro functionality, keep in mind that the effective f-stop of the lens goes way up when you're focusing at very close range. At 15cm from the front surface, it performs as though it were an f/9. You'll either want a lot of light or a very steady subject and a good tripod (another reason to buy the hideously overpriced tripod collar).
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
The 100 f/2.8 macro is very sharp, even for general shooting, so it works great for portraits, too. When I'm not using a zoom, this is my walkaround lens for people, relatively tight scenes and even indoor sports. Think of it as a great lens that also shoots macro than the other way around. Hard to beat that versatility at the price.
But it comes into its own at close distances. If you've never had a macro lens, you'll run around shooting everything in sight because everything looks new from a macro perspective.
Canon has several macro lenses. I prefer the 100 mm over shorter lenses because I don't have to get quite as close to that bee or wasp. The 180 mm gives you even more distance from your subject, more background blur and amazing sharpness. But it's much more expensive and in most cases you'll need a tripod, and I shoot a lot of improptu macros as I'm hiking.
For extreme closeups with larger-than-life images, there's the MP-E 65. It goes up to 5X, compared to the 100mm's 1X, but you lose autofocus with this lens. In fact, you set your magnification and then move the camera until the object is in focus! As you get beyond about 2X, the viewfinder gets fairly dark. If you're doing still life macro work, it's amazing. I'll probably get one someday for shooting my mineral colletion.
One thing to keep in mind with any macro is that because of the close distances, you're often in lower light conditions. Althought it's fairly pricey, I'm using the MT-24 EX, which lets you adjust the direction of the twin flashes. The MR-14EX ring light is a couple hundred dollars cheaper but will produce a slightly flatter image. And you can always use one of the standard flashes, though the closeness of your subject may cause some odd shadows.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
This is hands down the sharpest and most used lens that I own. The combination of macro capability, relatively fast 2.8 aperature, and prime sharpness keeps it on my camera more than anything else. I shoot a variety of subjects from macro nature work to indoor sports, and this lens never lets me down.
One of the major compliments I have for this lens is its versatility (I disagree with many of the reviews here.) I continually find 100mm to be an ideal focal length with my 1.6 APS-c sensor XT for shooting indoor swimming and diving competitions. This length allows for beautifully tight framing, slightly compressed depth of field, and shallow focus to get amazing portrait shots while eliminating distracting background. The speed of the lens allows me to catch swimmers in the air without using a disturbing flash. This is imperative because flash photography is prohibited at the start of a race. Apart from sports events, the lens allows for very intimate portraits without having to be in the subjects face. This performance along with macro capability truly make this a multi-purpose lens.
I usually hand hold for sports photography with good results (the accessory battery grip on my XT is invaluable for this), and usually use a tripod for nature and still-life situations. If I've had one too many cups of coffee I'll use a monopod during sports events. I do wish the lens came with the accessory tripod collar, because it is undeniably a fairly heavy piece of glass, but it is not so important that I have shelled out for one yet. I have no complaints with the AF, and I find that the switch to limit the AF range away from the extreme macro is very helpful. Once you use Canon's USM lenses, you will never buy anything else. The large and easy to use manual focus ring is a luxury. It allows for quick manual override and great control when switching to manual focus. In many situations that I don't want to carry my large bag with me, the 100mm and my 17-40mm L usually cover just about everything I need. (I know that my idea if traveling light is not taking the kitchen sink however.)
This is not an L lens for reasons of the lack of some weather resistance and L level coatings, but don't let that dissuade you. It easily outperforms both my L zooms in sharpness and I find it to be comparable in contrast and color. The level of performance and a price that is a fraction of many L lenses makes this an unbeatable value.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
I wanted to get a macro lens and everyone told me this was the one to get... I'm so glad I did. With the smaller sensor on my 30D, the 100mm is more like 150mm or so, so it's a nice , wide-open telephoto/portrait lens as well. I've uploaded a few photos I've taken w/ this lens to show what it's capable of in macro and telephoto. I thought the 17mm-85mm IS USM lens that came e/ my camera was sharp - but compared to this lens, the kit lens might as well be from a DIY pinhole camera.
My less than perfect rating is that there is no image stabilization available for the macro lenses. When I'm trying to hone in on bees pollenating a flower, there is a lot of shake. I can't practically use a tripod when the insects are bouncing from bud to bud, so I have to take 100 shots to get one that's not shake blur - and I miss some really cool shots.
In addition to the lack of image stabilization, I am frustrated w/ the sometimes unpredictable focusing that will happen as the lens is trying to decide whether it should be focusing at telephoto or macro. I wish there was a switch on the lens to make it macro only or telephoto only, so it wouldn't be bouncing from one focal length to the other all the time.
I've taken far more successful telephoto shots than macro. The telephoto focal length is a bit long (for those of us who cannot afford a full-frame sensor camera) for most casual photography. I recently used this lens to shoot some promo shots of some massage therapists in a small eatery. I practically had to set up in the restaurant's bathroom to get the photos I wanted, but opted for this lens because it's much faster (2.8) and I wanted to use natural light over flash.
The lens is long and heavy for its range. With the addition of the battery pack grip, this lens added on is very weighty, so I may not take it w/ me in my kit bag on every shoot. Once I add another short fixed focal length lens and a moderate telephoto to my kit, my guess is that this lens will be pulled out for only special occasions.
It's tack-sharp, but it can be frustrating at times.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
I bought this lens a little over a year ago for macro shooting. I quickly found out, however, that to shoot Macro-only with this lens is a crime. It is a very versitile lens. Its fast f/2.8 aperture makes for good shooting in low light. I pretty much use this outdoors as the 100mm with the 1.6x crop factor of my Rebel XT eliminates most indoor oppurtunities.
I frequently use this lens for family portraits, the resultant photo is so crisp and clear and the bokeh really helps add snap to the primary subject.
As others have stated, this is a heavy lens. It doesn't have Image Stabilization (IS) so a tripod or monopod is a great accessory to get the best images. I use a beefy monopod for my best shots, although I have a lot of handheld gems...
If you are tight for cash, this isn't the "one lens" that does it all. If you are looking for a versitile lens that can do outstanding macros and portraits, THIS is that lens.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
This is a review for beginners by some one who's still learning. If you're an experienced photographer, just consider the 5 stars and read other reviews.
The quality of this lens is great. As many reviewers have pointed out, the image quality is sharp and the colors excellent. This should come as no surprise, macro lenses are usually some of the best lenses made. And of course it focuses all the way to infinity as well, so that you can use it as a "general purpose" lens.
Depending on what you use the camera for, this is probably not a carry around lens. The 100mm focal length (equivalent to 160mm on APS-C sensor cameras such as 20D) makes it difficult to use it - I find myself having to move back and reposition myself very often, and may result in a missed opportunity.
A few other accessories will come in really useful to get consistently good macro photos.
- A stable tripod
- A remote release cable
- External flash
- Books about photography, if you don't have them already
I have the first, just bought the second, and thinking about the third. Amphoto has some very good books on photography. I find "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson to be very well written and easy to read.
A remote cord will prevent camera shake when pressing the shutter. I've tried using timer mode to compensate for the lack of a remote cable release. The problem with that is that when the timer goes off, the breeze that died down may have picked up again, and my carefully framed flower is now halfway out of the photo, and is blurry as well. I never realized how windy it is in my backyard until I tried taking macro photos of plants.
Why a tripod? To achieve maximum depth of field (more areas in sharp focus), you need a small aperture. A small aperture means a slower shutter speed to get a correct exposure. Boosting the ISO too far will result in noise. That means that unless there is a blinding amount of light (this is where the flash comes in) you're unlikely to be able to hold the camera still enough to prevent blurring. The only thing worse about a macro photo with only a small area in sharp focus is a blurred macro photo. And remember, stable is the key word. A cheap shaky tripod may not be much better than no tripod.
Speaking of light, try not to take outdoor macro photos (or any outdoor photos) under strong direct sunlight if you can avoid it. You'll find the color washed out compared to an overcast day, or early morning / evening. Or you can use a light diffuser, but that's yet another accessory to carry around.
As an alternative to a remote release, you can use a laptop, USB cable and software. It is rather more difficult to carry around, and you can get a 3rd party remote release for around 1/3 the price of the Canon original.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
This lens is great. I will never buy an imitation. Canon is the way to go... The key to using this lens is light. Be aware, If you are planning on taking pictures of tulips in the bright sun, fine. But if you plan to take pictures indoors, I suggest going to for a 50mm or getting the flash ring. And don't consider a tube without it. You lose so much light that your depth is cut down to about ½ of a mm! The flash makes all the difference. This lens sat for a good while until i got the flash. And a standard flash does not work either.
However, the lens does it's job wonderfully. Everything is remarkably crisp and HUGE! You just need the light to focus and get a decent shot.
And BTW - For more controlled environments, the flash ring also has a lamp to focus and setup with. It's extrememly handy with a decent tripod for those indoor shots.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
This lens without a doubt deserves the "L" label that Canon only puts on their 'best' lenses. Not only are the pictures *incredibly* sharp, but the focusing is fast (includes a USM motor with overridable manual focus), quiet, and the lens is constructed like a tank. It's my favorite lens and I highly recommend it.
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This review is from: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras (Electronics)
Ive had this lens for quite a while and used it in several EOS cameras without one single complaint. I was excited when Canon rolled out the Digital Rebel, since it would allow me to use this fine lens in a digital setting. The results are quite good, with fast focusing and excellent image definition. Using it with the Rebel requires some work in Photoshop (unsharp mask) to obtain superlative results. Overall it is one of the finest macros (if not the finest) that I have ever used.
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