1. Fast Focusing - Utilizing USM (Ultrasonic Motor), the Canon 100 Macro internally focuses very fast, quietly and very accurately.
2. Non-Extending or Rotating - When focusing at 1x subject distances, the lens does not extend, and the front element does not rotate.
3. Sharp Images - the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens is sharp wide open. The tiniest details in your tiniest subjects will come to life with this lens.
4. Optical Performance - Flare is very well controlled. Color and contrast are excellent and distortion is negligible. Although vignetting is apparent at f/2.8, this rapidly disappears when the lens is stopped down.
5. Practical Minimum Working Distance (MWD) - The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens gives an optimum MWD of 150mm. At the higher MWD of the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L USM lens (240mm), insects are not really close enough. At the lower MWD of the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens (90mm), insects may scare and fly away prematurely.

1. Build quality - this USM Macro lens has a reasonable build quality although it's not quite as solid as the L-Series lenses.
2. Image Stabilization - this lens does not feature the image stabilization present with the significantly more expensive Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L IS USM Macro Lens.

The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro Lens is a very good choice for macro photography of butterflies, insects or flowers. It offers excellent optical performance and middle-of-the-road working distance, size and weight. Check out my insect stock photos and images on http://kenbillington.ch/photobank/Insects/

Sharp middle to wide open.
Pretty solid build.

Very soft when aperture is closed down. F22 shots not sharp at all.
Very dark, about 1 1/2 stops darker than other Canon lenses.

Oh how I wish I could write as glowing reviews as everyone else. Yes, it is sharp. I notice using macro it is sharp but up to around F16, strangely, as the aperture goes smaller it gets less sharp. As in if I shoot at F22 it is very soft. Yes, I've tried experimenting using different Fstops shooting the same subject (jewelry) and repeatedly found the same results. So I thought maybe it has something to do with the camera. So I tried using it on 3 cameras, an EOS 40D, EOS 1Ds II, and a 5D II - sadly the situation is the same. Sharp but gets really really soft when I go to the really small apertures as I try to achieve more depth of field.
The other thing I notice is that it is very dark. Maybe about 1 1/2 stops darker than other Canon lenses.
Still it is much much better than the Sigma equivalent.

Since most of what I shoot with it needs a lot of depth of field, the lens is not very effective for me since it gets really soft closed down.

brillant AF, seldom hunts in low light.
the sharpness it delivers is unimaginable.
lgiht, in comparison to the other macro lenses.

the hood and tripod mounts are prety expensive.
would have love to have them in the kit.

it seriously needs to classified as an L lens. god its brilliant.
brillant AF, seldom hunts in low light.
the sharpness it delivers is unimaginable.
its just a brilliant lens and the 100mm is just perfectly balanced for portraits as well as macro.
its a must have lens for any macro photographer.

Customer Service

none yet.

Similar Products Used:

sigma 70-300 APO DG with a macro adjustment from 200 to 300 mm.
could never match the canon clarity.:)

The f/stop is low, the bokeh smooth, the colors vibrant, the focusing quick. Need I go on? Ok, I will. Just plain 'ol easy to use.

The manual-override on autofocus mode is very convenient, although it is reset as soon as you re-partial-push the shutter down to get a new reading on exposure and the like.

The build quality is firm and solid. It is well designed and feels good on the camera and in the hand, although it is a little long for some people and most fanny-pack cases (moms really need to get over those anyways).

I especially like the internal focusing. No elements extend or rotate, which gives it an even more secure body. Also, the USM is Ring-type, Canon's best for their highest grade glass. It can seek in low light, but coupled with the wide aperture, it appears to be revealing whole new compositions when it jumps about. You will find yourself using manual focus quite a bit just because autofocus isn't telepathic yet, but it is nice to know that the auto is there.

They really need to offer a version with Image Stabilization installed. You never realize how nice it is until you don't have it. Because of that, I tend to suffer in low light, but I am sure I shoot more low-light than the average photographer.

I have had no problems with this lens and don't forsee any, although it is not for everyone.

I purchased this lens directly though Canon, taking advantage of their Authorized Dealer Associate Purchase Program. I chose it to be my first (and currently only) lens to go with my Canon EOS 30D.

I have taken over 3,000 pictures with it in the little time I have had it and it is still growing on me. I do recommend purchasing a filter for it and screwing it on the moment you unwrap the lens. You will not regret it.

It is a breeze to use and the minimum focusing distance works wonders. I can print a 10" long grain of rice at full photo quality, and that is macro. It also works well for non-macro photography. It makes a very nice portrait lens, although a little long for some.

You are paying a premium for the close focusing distance, so if you don't need it, buy a different lens. Otherwise, buy it and use it and love it.

Customer Service

No problems so far.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM and Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6. My mom has both and I have used the 70-300 quite extensively. Both are slow and optically, well, not L, but both are usable. If it wasn't for the 70-300's 4.9 foot minimum focusing distance, I wouldn't mind using it as my walk-around lens.

Fast USM focus motor Incredibly sharp picture Verstaile as portrait or macro lens

At 100mm, it's great for the macros but it takes some getting used to as a portrait lens. You really have to be a bit further back than you might like.

I'm surprised this lens doesn't have the red ring around the front of it. This really should be classed as one of the "L" series lenses. Pictures are so sharp and the DOF is so precise that I've even had to use Photoshop to soften the picture a bit so my closeups don't look like they're popping off the page as much. Portraits are gorgeous with a nice soft background.

Similar Products Used:

28-135mm USM IS

Macro 1:1 capability Very versatile for Portraits. Sharpness. Contrast

None.

This Lens is very sharp for macro and perfect for portrait. Excellent performance with the fast silent USM autofocus. I used to have a Nikon 105mm macro lens, it seems a little soft for portrait or landscape photography.

Customer Service

So far so go! No needed.

Similar Products Used:

Canon EF 70-200mm f4 L USM Canon FE 17-40mm Nikon 105mm macro Nikon 60mm macro

* Sharp * USM Ring for silent operation

none

Good build quality of the lens. When i hold for the 1st time, very well balance to my EOS 3 body. The AF performance is the best among 90 - 105 mm range macro lenses (Tamron, Tokina, Sigma). The pics are amazing. Very very sharp even @ wide open aperture. Usable for portraiture beside macro capability.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

EF 135 mm f/2L

This lens is stunning to say the least !! I took 4 rolls of film at the botanic gardens on a sunny day, using the Canon lens hood (that i feel is a big need for stray light) At let me say that nearly all of the flower shots came out so stunning, i cannot believe the photographer this lens turns you into!! it screams at you and says your now a PRO !!

not really a weekness, but something i think needs to be considered: It is very hard to keep it steady at a close macro range and holding focus without a tripod, very hard which i saw the effect in my photos, but with a steady hand and a quick responce speed to pressing the shutter you should be right. Also i feel the lens hood helps, not only does it look freakin awsome on the lens, but it lets you physically touch you subject, so that you know you are as close as you can get to the mcaro range without being out of focus.

When i first bought this lens 2nd hand off a private person, i looked at it and thought wow its damm solid, heavier than you would have expected, and for some strange reason the glass inside rattles, you can actually hear the glass inside move when you shake the lens slightly, DONT WORRRY !! this is only because of the floating lens elements this marvel of a lens has, which switchs automatically between macro and telephoto modes, (upon flicking the infinity switch)

Customer Service

Canon pro service is amazing ALWAYS know there stuff...ALWAYS

Similar Products Used:

Also, make sure when using this you switch between the .31, and the .48 macro modes as the .48 mode will focus fast for telephoto shots.

Sharpness Colors Price

AF kinda slow Mine seems to hunt a little

This is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever seen. It is not too bad on the weight considering the quality of the optics. For the price, it is a steal. The AF is not as quick as some other lenses I've seen and mine seems to hunt a bit on occasion. It take wonderful macro shots and color reproduction is great. Most of my favorite pictures have been taken with this lens.

Customer Service

Never had to use them, but I have heard that the turnaround time is 4-6 weeks. That sucks.

Similar Products Used:

28mm-135mm IS 300mm f/4.0L

OPTICS, AF, 1 to 1 ratio (even 1.3 to 1 in digital)

None for the price- but it would be even better with a L sealing

This lens does offer nearly everything you can expect. Extremly sharp (at 2.8 its incredibly sharp!!), very well color reproduction. 1to 1 ratio. Quiet and extemly fast AF (I even sometimes use it for sports), lightwight. For me it is a woundeful combnation with the 16-35 (or 17-40). With only these to lenses you can cover everithing from ultrawide to portrait and macro with 1kg of weight.

Customer Service

after several drops and hits a had to send the lens to cps switzerland, from which it came back repared withhin 5 day for free!!!

Similar Products Used:

a lot of Canon and Nikon lenses (The 2.8 105 Nikon has as well a good optic, but a very very poor and noisy AF)