Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras – Customer Reviews

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.

10/22/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:

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.

9/24/2006 12:00 AM | Rating:

This is a fantastic lens not only for Macro shots but for portraits too. Having the extra distance allows for far more flexibility when out and about.
Having tried both the 50, 60 and 100mm - I'm glad I went with the 100mm.

8/26/2006 12:00 AM | Rating: