Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Name: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Brand: Canon
Rating: 9.3 (32 reviews)

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Lens Review
Specifications
Description

100mm	$521 average price

Lab Test Results

Canon 20D
Canon 5D

Blur
Chromatic Aberration
Vignetting
Geometric Distortion

Blur
Chromatic Aberration
Vignetting
Geometric Distortion

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Buy the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

SLRgear Review
November 2, 2009
by Andrew Alexander

Put to market in 2000, the Canon EF 100mm ƒ/2.8 USM is one of three standard Canon full-frame macro lenses: the 50mm ƒ/2.5, 100mm ƒ/2.8, and 180mm ƒ/3.5. Two other macro options exist, the exotic MP-E 65mm ƒ/2.8, and the APS-C compatible EF-S 60mm ƒ/2.8.

The 100mm ƒ/2.8 macro was one of the first lenses we reviewed here at SLRgear, and in reviewing the updated version of this lens, we noted some inconsistencies in our data for this lens. Accordingly, we sent the old lens back to the test bench, which conveniently gives us an excellent basis for comparison for the new lens.

The EF 100mm ƒ/2.8 Macro USM was designed to cover a 35mm film frame, making it compatible with both APS-C subframe and full-frame digital camera bodies. When mounted to the former, the effective field of view is 160mm.

While an upgraded version of the 100mm ƒ/2.8 macro has been launched, this version continues to fill store shelves, with an approximate price of $600. The lens takes 58mm filters. The compatible lens hood, the ET-67, is a circular-shaped hood that does not ship with the lens, available separately for $55.

Sharpness
Mounted on the Canon 20D, the lens is very sharp, even wide open at ƒ/2.8. At this aperture setting there is a generous sweet spot of sharpness, showing at less than 1.5 blur units, with corners approaching but not reaching 2 blur units. Stopping down only improves these results, reaching absolute tack-sharpness at ƒ/5.6. The lens continues to be sharp all the way to ƒ/16, where diffraction limiting has set in, though even here we note sharpness results of 1.5 blur units across the frame. At ƒ/22 it's a bit more obvious - 2.5 blur units across the frame - and fully stopped down at ƒ/32, things are quite soft, 4 blur units across the frame.

On the full-frame 5D, performance is equally good, though we see a bit more of the corners of the lens that aren't exposed on the sub-frame sensor of the 20D. Wide open at ƒ/2.8, we still see the sharp sweet spot, but the area of sharpness isn't as generous, covering only about the central third of the frame at 1.5 blur units. Corner sharpness at ƒ/2.8 is around 2 blur units, still quite good. Stopping down to ƒ/4 improves these results, and again by ƒ/5.6, it's as good as the lens can deliver, but not quite tack-sharp across the frame. The central area of the frame is sharp, easily 1 blur unit, but the corners don't fall below 1.5 blur units. This is me being extremely picky - 1.5 blur units is still extremely sharp.

Diffraction limiting sets in at ƒ/11, where we not approximately 1.5 blur units across the frame, and performance degrades only very slightly from there. It's about the same at ƒ/16, not showing any real loss of sharpness until ƒ/22, where results are just over 2 blur units. Again, fully-stopped down we note significant softness - just shy of 4 blur units across the frame.

In summary, excellent results for sharpness, provided you stick to between ƒ/5.6 and ƒ/11 for maximum performance. Even ƒ/16 and ƒ/22 are very good, but I'd avoid ƒ/32.

Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is well-controlled with this lens, at every aperture setting, on either the 20D or the 5D. If you're peeping very closely, you'll see a slight increase in CA at the smaller end of the aperture spectrum (ƒ/32) but it's only very slight.

Shading (''Vignetting'')
Corner shading is minimal on the 20D, the only noteworthy result found with the lens set to ƒ/2.8. In this case, the corners are a quarter-stop darker than the center; or, not very much.

On the 5D, it's a little different. At ƒ/2.8, the corners are over three-quarters of a stop darker than the center. Light falloff improves as the lens is stopped down; a third of a stop at ƒ/4, and less than a quarter-stop at ƒ/5.6 and smaller.

Distortion
Distortion is negligible when the lens is mounted on the sub-frame 20D. On the full-frame 5D, it's only slightly more significant, showing +0.2% barrel distortion in the corners. This distortion is easily correctable in post-processing software, if your straight lines must be absolutely straight.

Autofocus Operation
With Canon's USM specification, the lens autofocuses quickly and quietly, taking about 1.25 seconds to focus from infinity to closest-focus. It's not as fast as some of Canon's L-class lenses, but then, that's one of the things that makes them more expensive. Autofocus results can be overridden by simply turning the focus ring, and the front element doesn't rotate while focusing.

Macro
Offering a full 1:1 (100%) macro reproduction is the chief function of this lens. With a minimum close-focusing distance of 31cm (just over one foot), there's much less risk of shadowing the subject with the camera or your body, and if bugs are your game, you're a bit less likely to scare them off.

Build Quality and Handling
While the lens is not part of Canon's L-series, it's still built very well, weighing in at 600 grams (just over 1.3 pounds). The lens shows a textured matte black finish, with plenty of room allocated to the focus ring and a distance scale. While the lens uses a fair bit of plastic construction the mount is metal, and it's heavy enough to suggest that the structure of the lens is metal as well. The aperture is made up of eight aperture blades.

The distance scale is windowed and recessed, offering distance information in feet and meters, as well as the magnification rating offered at a given range. Beside the distance scale is a switch to enable or disable autofocus. No depth-of-field scale is offered, and neither is there an infrared index. Finally, there is a focus range limiter which improves focusing speed by physically limiting the range the lens can focus through: in this case, there are two settings: the complete range, from 0.31m to infinity, and a less-macro range, from 0.48m to infinity.

The focusing ring on the lens is considerable, a rubber ring with a texture of segmented raised ribs. The ring offers excellent manual focus control, with just the right amount of tension, but a smooth turning operation. The lens will focus slightly past infinity. The internal focusing operation means the lens doesn't extend while focusing, and the front element doesn't turn either.

The lens hood is an optional accessory for this lens, as is a tripod mounting ring. For even greater magnification, 12mm and 25mm extension tubes are available, however when these are used the lens will no longer focus at infinity. Canon also notes that teleconverters are not compatible with this lens.

Alternatives

Canon EF-S 60mm ƒ/2.8 Macro USM ~$450
For the APS-C camera uses in the Canon lineup, the EF-S 60mm offers an equivalent field of view of 96mm, or essentially similar to the EF 100mm. In our tests it's on par or even better than the 100mm, but by ƒ/5.6, both lenses are exquisitely sharp. CA and corner shading are only marginally less optimal with the 60mm, and distortion is essentially zero. If you never plan on going full-frame, the 60mm ƒ/2.8 macro is an excellent alternative.

Canon EF 100mm ƒ/2.8L Macro IS USM ~$1,000
The newest version of the 100mm ƒ/2.8 macro has been refined, offering L-class quality and improvements in sharpness and light falloff. CA performance was already excellent in the non-IS version, and both have very little distortion to speak of. The real story is the addition of image stabilization, which means you might be able to leave your tripod at home. The new lens is a bit more expensive, and takes new filters: 67mm, instead of 58mm.

Sigma 105mm ƒ/2.8 EX DG Macro ~$450
The Sigma 105mm macro offers very similar performance for a bit less price: results for sharpness are almost the same, and CA performance is even better than the Canon. There's also near-zero distortion and light falloff. If it matters to you, the Sigma stops down to ƒ/45, though it is very soft at that aperture. It's a bit lighter, and also takes 58mm filters. The lens doesn't offer USM-style focusing, so the focus experience will be a bit noisier.

Tamron 90mm ƒ/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 SP AF ~$430
The Tamron 90mm macro is also an excellent macro lens, offering extremely sharp results - we only note a slightly better sharpness result from the Canon at ƒ/2.8. After that, it's essentially equal between the two lenses, though the Tamron shows less corner shading on full-frame. The Tamron takes smaller 55mm filters and weighs a little less as well, though it doesn't offer USM-style focusing, so the focus experience will be a bit noisier.

Conclusion
I'll stick with Dave's original assessment of the lens to wrap this one up: Without a doubt, the Canon EF 100mm ƒ/2.8 Macro is a superb lens. It's in a good focal length range for use as a portrait lens, but you may actually want to knock its sharpness down a bit after the fact in Photoshop(tm) to be kinder to your subjects. It may not be for everyone, but if you're looking for a maximally sharp, high-quality lens in this focal length range, this is about as good as it gets. If you're into macro photography, this is a superb tool, with the added benefit of a comfortable working range, thanks to its 100mm focal length.