Aryan
01-20-2009, 10:14 AM
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens Review/ Ownership Experience
http://i39.tinypic.com/w1d7kn.jpg
If you are really keen on starting out with macro photography, then there is no other lens that would be better suited for the purpose than the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Lens. There are other alternatives available ofcourse. If you are looking for a longer focal length, then you can look at the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM Lens. But, the glass is heavy and expensive. There is also the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens but according to many, it does not focus as quickly or as precisely as perhaps one would like. There is also the Canon MP-E 65mm (1x-5x) macro lens available. But, it is an extreme macro lens which is unlike any other macro glass available. This lens starts where other macro lenses end!
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens is one awesome piece of glass. Some also go on to say that it is perhaps Canon's most value for money lens. I don't really know how far that is true as I haven't really used many lenses from Canon, but whatever time I've spent with the 100mm, it reiterates the fact that this lens is one of the most sharpest lenses available in the Canon line-up. Moreover, anyone who wants to start with macro photography, this is the perfect lens to get your hands "dirty" (quite literally!).
One positive thing about this lens is that it does not extend while focusing, meaning the length of this lens remains the same throughout the focusing range from infinity right upto 1:1 ratio. Also, because it has got Ultra Sonic Motor (USM), the focusing time is cut down drastically. It is really fast, really silent and really very usable. I am saying this with my personal experience. I also frequently use the Canon 50mm f1.8-II and believe me the auto-focus of that lens leaves a lot to be desired. And the sound that the 50 mil makes while focusing makes me feel something will break down inside the lens, each time it focuses!
Let's get down to the switches present on the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. First off, one can see the regular AF/MF switch which is quite obviously used to switch the lens between auto-focus and manual-focus. Mounted on a panel right next to the AF/MF swtich on the left of the lens barrel is the focus limiter. I find the build quality of the lens pretty good, but perhaps not upto the mark of the "L" series of lenses. However, I would've really appreciated if Canon would've bundled a lens hood with this, but as things stand, the hood is an added extra.
It is a true macro lens, meaning it can shoot upto a magnification ratio of 1:1. It will deliver a subject to the digital sensor at the same size as it is in real life. The minimum working distance of this lens (according to the manual) is 6" from the end of the lens. One can also use extension tubes to further magnify the subject, but I, for one, have never been quite excited about using 'accessories'.
As for the image quality, this lens is really sharp. Colour and contrast is also really good. The 100mm and an aperture of f/2.8 really gives a nice bokeh (background blur). However, one thing which I would really like Canon to provide in the lens is an IS (Image Stabilizer). I know and understand that most macro work involves the usage of flash and hence IS is not really required, but I seriously believe that this lens can greatly benefit from IS - both in macro as well as in general purpose usage. Ofcourse, the price of the lens will increase substantially, but even then this would remain a tremendous value for money! Yes, it is THAT good.
Apart from that criticism (which is really forced), I really could not find any more gripes with this lens. The build quality of this lens is really good (leaps and bounds better than the other two lenses that I use), the image quality is tremendous (sharpness, colour, contrast - everything is really good), and the performance is also something that will really please you. The auto-focus is fast and quiet, the lens does not extend while focusing, and there is just one work for it's macro capabilities - tremendous!
Life With the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens at 1:1
I have been fortunate enough to get this lens for my personal use. Shifting from a "close-up" distance (of the Canon Powershot S3 IS digital camera), straight to 1:1 macro territory was, at first, a daunting task. I could not get the focus right, there was scarcity of light throughout the aperture range, and there were other problems like weight and the lack of a image stabilizer ( as a result of which images were really blurry). But, with time and patience, I have got the hang of this lens. It was frustrating at first, but then slowly as I started to use it, I am beginning to like it more and more.
Because macro photography demands that you close down the aperture to as narrow as f22 or perhaps even f32 (though at those apertures, diffraction would affect the quality of the image seriously), a flash is not a luxury, but a requirement (a necessity). I have been shooting all the macro photographs uptil now with the on-board flash. Although the on-board flash (when correctly set) can produce some good pictures, but it has it's limitations as well. If I get a little too close to the subject, which is the case if you want to get a 1:1 shot and fire the flash, it casts a really harsh shadow over the subject not to mention on the background which just kills the image. For specific macro photography purposes, Canon makes ring-lite and twin-lite flashes which solves this problem.
One more thing I have learnt while using this lens is how hard true macro photography is. It might not be apparent from the final images that I post or show to you all, but getting that ONE image right is where all the hard work is. You cannot just throw the lens into AF mode, focus and go clicking! No, that is NOT the way to do it. Auto-focus will not really get you the desired result, trust me. This is how I (and many others who shoot 1:1) do it:
1. Manual Focus Is The Key: You do it by flipping the small switch on the lens barrel to the MF sign.
2. Point and shoot: Errr...Not really. You see, now that the lens is on manual focus, you need to ofcourse point towards the subject. But, you cannot really start shooting. Instead, you start to focus. How? Well, looking through the viewfinder (which is really dark at 1:1 magnification), you start to move the camera back and forth slowly, less than an inch at a time. This requires REALLY steady hands, body, muscles and what not! Slowly but surely, you would see the image come into focus. Stop there, look at the composition, look at the subject (whether the part you want to be in focus is in focus or not), then release the shutter! The flash would fire, and the image would be recorded.
This is unlike any other field of photography. At times, I have personally shot well over 70 pictures of just one small subject. That tiny LCD screen behind your camera cannot really tell the difference between an in-focus or out-of-focus area, specially when the image is just about, say, 1 inch (or less) in diameter! So, you need to shoot a LOT of photographs of the same subject - from the same angle, from different angles, from every possible angle that you could possibly manage.
Note:
I always keep the UV filter mounted on the front of the lens, so that it would not get damaged if it bumps into anything during the shoot. I go into bushes or inside shrubs if I find anything interesting (a bug, a spider, an insect, a flower; anything!). So, the front of the lens does take a little punishment. That is precisely where the UV filter helps.
However, I plan to get the Canon ring-lite flashes soon, and it cannot be mounted with the UV filter (or any filter) in place. This really gets me worried, as I would hate to keep the front of the glass exposed. I will need to be more careful with the handling of the lens once I do get the flashes.
Using the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Lens As a Short-Telephoto Lens
For the first few weeks after getting this lens, I had only been shooting macro photographs with it, forgetting totally that I can perhaps also use it as a telephoto lens!
One fine day, however, I came to senses and picked myself up from the ground (literally! :D) and took the lens out for some general purpose photography. The result? I was absolutely BLOWN away! This lens can surely be used for general photography, like, shooting landscape (although the 100mm focal length leaves a little to be desired when capturing landscape but still...), portraits as well as some candid shots.
The 100mm focal length, which effectively turns to 160mm when mounted on Canon APS-C sensor cameras makes it a nice fixed focal short telephoto lens. Open up the aperture to f/2.8 and click away. I always knew that this lens is sharp when used for macro photography but I never really knew that the quality would be just as good (if not better) when used as a general purpose lens.
Before getting this piece of glass, I have always been using the 50mm f1.8 lens for general shoots like portraits, etc. but after using the 100mm for the same purpose, I don't really see myself going back to the 50mm! This is really saying something! Ofcourse the 50mm is a better proposition when the light is really low, but nevertheless the 100mm f/2.8 is really a very good and a really capable lens for everything - portraits, short telephoto shots (candid photography), and ofcourse MACROS!
I sincerely hope that this review and the small ownership experience that I have provided of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens has been helpful. If you have any queries regarding the same, please let me know and I would be more than happy to share whatever little knowledge I have gained about this lens & macro photography.
Thanks,
-Aryan
http://i39.tinypic.com/w1d7kn.jpg
If you are really keen on starting out with macro photography, then there is no other lens that would be better suited for the purpose than the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Lens. There are other alternatives available ofcourse. If you are looking for a longer focal length, then you can look at the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM Lens. But, the glass is heavy and expensive. There is also the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens but according to many, it does not focus as quickly or as precisely as perhaps one would like. There is also the Canon MP-E 65mm (1x-5x) macro lens available. But, it is an extreme macro lens which is unlike any other macro glass available. This lens starts where other macro lenses end!
The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens is one awesome piece of glass. Some also go on to say that it is perhaps Canon's most value for money lens. I don't really know how far that is true as I haven't really used many lenses from Canon, but whatever time I've spent with the 100mm, it reiterates the fact that this lens is one of the most sharpest lenses available in the Canon line-up. Moreover, anyone who wants to start with macro photography, this is the perfect lens to get your hands "dirty" (quite literally!).
One positive thing about this lens is that it does not extend while focusing, meaning the length of this lens remains the same throughout the focusing range from infinity right upto 1:1 ratio. Also, because it has got Ultra Sonic Motor (USM), the focusing time is cut down drastically. It is really fast, really silent and really very usable. I am saying this with my personal experience. I also frequently use the Canon 50mm f1.8-II and believe me the auto-focus of that lens leaves a lot to be desired. And the sound that the 50 mil makes while focusing makes me feel something will break down inside the lens, each time it focuses!
Let's get down to the switches present on the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. First off, one can see the regular AF/MF switch which is quite obviously used to switch the lens between auto-focus and manual-focus. Mounted on a panel right next to the AF/MF swtich on the left of the lens barrel is the focus limiter. I find the build quality of the lens pretty good, but perhaps not upto the mark of the "L" series of lenses. However, I would've really appreciated if Canon would've bundled a lens hood with this, but as things stand, the hood is an added extra.
It is a true macro lens, meaning it can shoot upto a magnification ratio of 1:1. It will deliver a subject to the digital sensor at the same size as it is in real life. The minimum working distance of this lens (according to the manual) is 6" from the end of the lens. One can also use extension tubes to further magnify the subject, but I, for one, have never been quite excited about using 'accessories'.
As for the image quality, this lens is really sharp. Colour and contrast is also really good. The 100mm and an aperture of f/2.8 really gives a nice bokeh (background blur). However, one thing which I would really like Canon to provide in the lens is an IS (Image Stabilizer). I know and understand that most macro work involves the usage of flash and hence IS is not really required, but I seriously believe that this lens can greatly benefit from IS - both in macro as well as in general purpose usage. Ofcourse, the price of the lens will increase substantially, but even then this would remain a tremendous value for money! Yes, it is THAT good.
Apart from that criticism (which is really forced), I really could not find any more gripes with this lens. The build quality of this lens is really good (leaps and bounds better than the other two lenses that I use), the image quality is tremendous (sharpness, colour, contrast - everything is really good), and the performance is also something that will really please you. The auto-focus is fast and quiet, the lens does not extend while focusing, and there is just one work for it's macro capabilities - tremendous!
Life With the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens at 1:1
I have been fortunate enough to get this lens for my personal use. Shifting from a "close-up" distance (of the Canon Powershot S3 IS digital camera), straight to 1:1 macro territory was, at first, a daunting task. I could not get the focus right, there was scarcity of light throughout the aperture range, and there were other problems like weight and the lack of a image stabilizer ( as a result of which images were really blurry). But, with time and patience, I have got the hang of this lens. It was frustrating at first, but then slowly as I started to use it, I am beginning to like it more and more.
Because macro photography demands that you close down the aperture to as narrow as f22 or perhaps even f32 (though at those apertures, diffraction would affect the quality of the image seriously), a flash is not a luxury, but a requirement (a necessity). I have been shooting all the macro photographs uptil now with the on-board flash. Although the on-board flash (when correctly set) can produce some good pictures, but it has it's limitations as well. If I get a little too close to the subject, which is the case if you want to get a 1:1 shot and fire the flash, it casts a really harsh shadow over the subject not to mention on the background which just kills the image. For specific macro photography purposes, Canon makes ring-lite and twin-lite flashes which solves this problem.
One more thing I have learnt while using this lens is how hard true macro photography is. It might not be apparent from the final images that I post or show to you all, but getting that ONE image right is where all the hard work is. You cannot just throw the lens into AF mode, focus and go clicking! No, that is NOT the way to do it. Auto-focus will not really get you the desired result, trust me. This is how I (and many others who shoot 1:1) do it:
1. Manual Focus Is The Key: You do it by flipping the small switch on the lens barrel to the MF sign.
2. Point and shoot: Errr...Not really. You see, now that the lens is on manual focus, you need to ofcourse point towards the subject. But, you cannot really start shooting. Instead, you start to focus. How? Well, looking through the viewfinder (which is really dark at 1:1 magnification), you start to move the camera back and forth slowly, less than an inch at a time. This requires REALLY steady hands, body, muscles and what not! Slowly but surely, you would see the image come into focus. Stop there, look at the composition, look at the subject (whether the part you want to be in focus is in focus or not), then release the shutter! The flash would fire, and the image would be recorded.
This is unlike any other field of photography. At times, I have personally shot well over 70 pictures of just one small subject. That tiny LCD screen behind your camera cannot really tell the difference between an in-focus or out-of-focus area, specially when the image is just about, say, 1 inch (or less) in diameter! So, you need to shoot a LOT of photographs of the same subject - from the same angle, from different angles, from every possible angle that you could possibly manage.
Note:
I always keep the UV filter mounted on the front of the lens, so that it would not get damaged if it bumps into anything during the shoot. I go into bushes or inside shrubs if I find anything interesting (a bug, a spider, an insect, a flower; anything!). So, the front of the lens does take a little punishment. That is precisely where the UV filter helps.
However, I plan to get the Canon ring-lite flashes soon, and it cannot be mounted with the UV filter (or any filter) in place. This really gets me worried, as I would hate to keep the front of the glass exposed. I will need to be more careful with the handling of the lens once I do get the flashes.
Using the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Lens As a Short-Telephoto Lens
For the first few weeks after getting this lens, I had only been shooting macro photographs with it, forgetting totally that I can perhaps also use it as a telephoto lens!
One fine day, however, I came to senses and picked myself up from the ground (literally! :D) and took the lens out for some general purpose photography. The result? I was absolutely BLOWN away! This lens can surely be used for general photography, like, shooting landscape (although the 100mm focal length leaves a little to be desired when capturing landscape but still...), portraits as well as some candid shots.
The 100mm focal length, which effectively turns to 160mm when mounted on Canon APS-C sensor cameras makes it a nice fixed focal short telephoto lens. Open up the aperture to f/2.8 and click away. I always knew that this lens is sharp when used for macro photography but I never really knew that the quality would be just as good (if not better) when used as a general purpose lens.
Before getting this piece of glass, I have always been using the 50mm f1.8 lens for general shoots like portraits, etc. but after using the 100mm for the same purpose, I don't really see myself going back to the 50mm! This is really saying something! Ofcourse the 50mm is a better proposition when the light is really low, but nevertheless the 100mm f/2.8 is really a very good and a really capable lens for everything - portraits, short telephoto shots (candid photography), and ofcourse MACROS!
I sincerely hope that this review and the small ownership experience that I have provided of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens has been helpful. If you have any queries regarding the same, please let me know and I would be more than happy to share whatever little knowledge I have gained about this lens & macro photography.
Thanks,
-Aryan