Canon EF 100mm f2.8 Macro USM review

LOVE THIS LENS!!! Beautiful pictures. Loads of FUN! This lens came recommended to me by several professional photographers. The lens lives up to their hype. Wonderful portrait lens and terrific for macro photography! This is my first Canon lens to not have IS. I was slightly concerned that I would not be happy with the performance. So far, I have not had an issue at all. The pictures are crisp and sharp.

not as smooth as an L series, but it's a great, cheaper alternative and captures photos exactly like you'd expect.

In terms of clarity and color, I'd give this lens 5 Stars. But for my use, I only give it 3 Stars. I purchased this lens because I love macro photography and I wanted a lens that would let me get closer than my Canon 28-135mm lens. And the 100mm macro lens sure does that. But what I don't like is how susceptible it is to hand shake. BUT, I do have a slight tremor in my hands, so this makes the lens more of a problem for me than it would be for most people. In terms of clarity and color, the lens is outstanding. And I think most any photographer would be very pleased with it. But for me, I need a lens with image stabilization. I'd like to get the IS version of this lens, but at twice the cost, it's not worth it to me at this time. Bottom line, this is a great lens at a decent price. (It's made by Canon, so you'd expect nothing less.) Just be aware that hand-shake, especially on the real close up photos, can ruin some good pictures. If you're shooting close up, use a tripod or some other way to stabilize the lens....unless you have a very steady hand. BTW, if you need a good way to stabilize your camera and lens, just find a short bolt that will screw in your camera's tripod mount. Tie a string from the bolt to a LARGE washer (a large fender washer works great), and make the string long enough for you to put your foot on the washer and hold the camera at normal eye level. Amazing how this simple contraction helps to stabilize your camera.

I never thought a prime lens would give me so much flexibility, I thought it'd be the opposite. The small minimum focus distance gives you all kinds of room to work in. I debated for awhile between this and a 50mm, I'm glad I went with 100mm. I don't own any L series, but I own some decent lenses... this one is a step or two above anything I've ever owned. It's ridiculously sharp, to the point where it's something you have to be cognizant about. I could see the spines of my shoot-through umbrella in the reflection on an ice cube in a photo of mine. I didn't notice it until I saw it on full screen and had to shoot it over again. Unbelievable. I can't imagine justifying the paying twice as much for the 100mm L series lens, I couldn't think of a bad thing to say about this lens.

I was saving up for this macro for a long time. I chose it over the less expensive competitor lenses almost exclusively for its USM and inner focusing. I planned to use this lens mostly for taking pictures of insects, so the inner focusing is exceedingly important. I bought a used version of this lens and was very disappointed. The lens was loud, terribly heavy, and much to my surprise, extended when it was focusing! I thought Canon was guilty of some grievously false advertising. It took some detective work from one of my friends to realize that Canon used to make a lens, also a 100mm f/2.8 macro, without USM or inner focusing. This, of course, was a very old lens, discontinued sometime in the early 1990s. So, after returning that lens and getting an actual USM version, I am very pleased. The images are very sharp. The macro is a little difficult without IS, but I wasn't willing to save up and pay twice the price for the L series of this lens. Having to shoot with a higher shutter speed and ISO doesn't degrade the quality anywhere near enough for me to justify the extra cost. I read lots of negative reviews saying it is impossible to use this lens without a tripod, and that is simply not true. Even at 1:1 magnification, I can take clear, sharp images just holding it by hand. There are only a few cons to this lens. The most obvious is how heavy it is (though not nearly as heavy as the non-USM version). On my Rebel XS, the weight difference was so great that it was difficult to hold the camera steady. On bulkier cameras, the shake is not a problem, but your hand might get tired after long periods of shooting. Also, in low light, the autofocus hunts, but it is nowhere near as bad as that on some of my cheaper lenses. Plus, this lens has full-time manual focus, so you can fine-tune the focus yourself. In conclusion, this is a great macro lens if you want wonderful quality, but don't mind lacking the IS of the L lens. Images, both macro and regular telephoto, are crisp and sharp. The addition of USM and inner focusing make it worth buying this lens compared to competitor lenses. If you are buying this lens used, make sure to contact the seller and verify that it is the USM, inner-focusing model and not the old, clunky version.