A five star lens. (Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens)

Member Name: beolens

Product:	Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
Date:	24/06/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brilliant focus speed, great image quality

Disadvantages: A bit pricey

When I first bought my digital SLR, it came with a free lens, and I was happy to use this for the snapshots I was taking, I had a decent zoom (100-400 f4.5-5.6 L) which I used most of the time so wasn't too bothered about much else. But as I started to take different styles of photos I realised my kit lens was really limited, couldn't get the close ups I wanted, and the sharpness was lacking. So I took the plunge and bought a really good prime lens (as opposed to a zoom) the canon 100 mm f/2.8 USM macro lens, and I am so glad I did.

First the technical stuff, weighing in at 21.1 ounces you get a nice sturdy feel that is still handholdable (real word?) with ease. 3.1 inches in diameter, and 4.7 inches long (without the hood) with a 58mm filter thread. The lens is made of 12 elements in 8 groups and has a close focusing distance one foot. The Ultra-sonic monitor (USM) provides great, fast auto focus without the lens being noisy. With a minimum aperture of f/2.8 and a max of f/32.

The macro facility lets me get 1:1 (lifesize) ratios with ease, with the ideal distance for this being 15cm, and the low f-stop of 2.4 means you can be very selective of what is in focus and what is not, this also makes it a quick lens in low light. But it is not just a great macro lens. I use this lens most often for portraits where I get pin sharp head and shoulder shots with ease, again the low f-stop means you can have a very shallow depth of field without losing sharpness, but stopped up to f.4 and above you really hit the sweet spot where focusing is tack sharp.

With a 58mm filter thread there are plenty of filter options out there that are not too expensive and the (optional) lens hood can really help to avoid glare. It is possible to buy a tripod mount for this lens but canons own is quite pricey.

The lens is NOT cheap though, retailing at over £400 there are cheaper alternatives but as they say, you get what you pay for, and this lens is as close to an L (canons top class lenses) as you can get, but at a far lower price.

Summary: Well worth the money, you would be hard pressed to find better at a higher cost.

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