Lens review

Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 Macro USM

11. Summary

Pros:

• excellent image quality in the frame centre and at the frame edge at all apertures,
• negligible chromatic aberration,
• distortion at practically zero level,
• very low coma,
• moderate astigmatism,
• silent and relatively quick autofocus,
• good build quality.

Cons:

• autofocus could have been more accurate.

I like testing such lenses very much. The test procedures and the results analysis go smoothly and efficiently. I don’t have to think what went wrong and why, describe all slip-ups in detail, find arguments why a lens is overpriced. Here everything went almost perfectly. For the sum of about 640 $ we get a well-made instrument with excellent optical and mechanical properties which is ideal for macro photography and portraits as well.

It didn’t break any records like the Tamron 2.8/90 Macro but it fared much better by f/2.8 and f/4.0 and had a significantly lower chromatic aberration than that lens. The Tamron is cheaper but it has neither inner focusing nor an USM motor. The Sigma 2.8/105 Macro is a similar case. It is not equipped with an ultrasonic autofocus and it changes its dimensions on focusing, its image quality is very good and the chromatic aberration – low. It is also cheaper than the Canon. As you see, in the 90-105 mm macro class the choice is wide – each and every of these three lenses can make even a demanding user satisfied with the results. Which lens you decide to buy is only a matter of your personal tastes and your pocket.

Sample Shots:

Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 800 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.9 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.7 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/200 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.2 MB
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/400 sec., ISO 200 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.5 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/160 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.7 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/200 sec., ISO 800 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.9 MB
Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/200 sec., ISO 400 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.6 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/160 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB	Camera: Canon 20D Parameters: 100 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/40 sec., ISO 100 File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB