Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Fixed Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

This is a fantastic lens that can deliver some great macro shots. The build quality is solid, and the optics are very nice. That said, lacking image stabilization, you will need lots of light (a flash can help considerably) and very steady hands (a tripod would help considerably) if you want good image quality at the most magnified ends that lens can achieve. If youre working with these additional tools, I have no doubt that this lens will do amazing things for you. I primarily do hand-held shooting, so Ive had to work harder (admittedly NOT smarter) in order to achieve good results. What is nice to note, is that youll probably get better with practice like I have. Beyond the macro photography, this lens also does really well for other types of shooting. I have done some indoor sports photography and was very please with it. Being able to open up the aperture to f2.8 means that it can do better in the poor lighting gyms often afford. Like other prime lenses, I simply moved myself when I needed to be closer or farther away. I know this isnt always possible, but for that situation its the reason why I ended up using it over the Canon 55-250mm f4-5.6--more light meant fast shutter speeds and a cleaner image. Others have noted that this 100mm lens can also be used for portraits, and I agree. Working with a crop sensor camera, Im also getting the added 1.6x focal length, which can assist in the compressed look that most people want when shooting portraits. I figured I would only use the lens for macro, but Ive ended up using it for much more than that. I give the lens 4/5 stars simply because it lacks Image Stabilization. Maybe it isnt fair to judge the lens for a feature that it doesnt have, but having used longer focal lengths with IS, it is certainly one I wish this one had given my stubborn refusal to use a tripod. Outside of the macro shots, I havent missed having the IS, so if you were going to plan on using the lens for much more than macro work, you may not feel you need IS.

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I felt that this lens necessiate IS and without it, its mostly unusable due to the percentage of blurry shots you get. That is because at 100mm, you need a shutter speed of at least 1/100 for mostly blur-free shot. So i look at the IS L version of this lens but that was out of my budget. I then came across EF-S 60mm/f2.8 lens and realized it will require only a 1/60 shutter with no IS and could deliver steady shots so i purchased that lens and am much happier. The 60/2.8 actually gives you same optical quality as the 100/2.8 - it is superb both for macros and for portraits (espacially if you have an external flash). Consider getting the 60/2.8 if you have a crop-body camera over this lens. For full-frame users, if you are using a tripod then this lens definitely works over more expensive L version otherwise the f2.8L IS will be a better option over this. Though if you are serious in macro photography, the 180mm Macro is best and for portraits, you got lots of other options including the excellent 85/1.8. But if you want both a macro and a portrait lens for your FF, this is pretty good.

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