Copyright © 1996, Don Baccus
All images copyright © 1996, Don Baccus
The EF 100/2.8 Macro, though lacking the red ring denoting an
"L" lens, may be the sharpest lens in the Canon lineup. This
should be no surprise, as macro lenses in this range tend to
be of very high quality, even those from third-party vendors.
Indeed, I owned a Kiron 105/2.8 Macro for my old Minolta MD
system and it was sharper than any Minolta-built lens I owned.
One of the first things I noticed about this lens was that the front element is deeply recessed in the barrel. I don't know why this is true (and would love comments from anyone who does), it may be related to the barrel's need to extend greatly when focusing to 1:1. It does make the lens hard to clean.
This is my favorite length for macro work. 50 or 60 mm lenses
don't give enough working distance for many nature subjects,
while I feel 180 or 200 mm is too long for general macro work.
This lens is so sharp that it seems a pity that the Canon
1.4x telextender won't mount, until you realize that
you can cheat by first mounting a 12mm extension tube,
followed by the 1.4x extender. Viola! 140/4 Macro! While
I've not tried it with the 2x extender, it should do well,
especially when one considers the fact that macro work
is usually done with the lens stopped down considerably.
Personally, I don't find this much of a drawback because I really don't find auto-focus all that useful for the type of macro photography I do. I often pre-set focus then move the lens/body combination until the subject is in focus, particularly when using flash. Even when working on a tripod and with ambient light, I find myself needing to fiddle camera position and focus until I get the composition I want - at close range, tiny movements make a large difference.
Since I also own a 80-200/2.8L, I rarely use this macro lens for
general photography. Those who are looking to frequently use this
lens as a general-purpose short-telephoto are bound to miss
the benefits of full-time manual focus and the fast, quiet autofocus
provided by USM lenses.
| Construction: | 10 elements, 9 groups |
|---|---|
| Angle of view: | 24 degrees |
| Focus motor: | DC Micromoter |
| Closest focusing: | 0.31 meters (1 foot) |
| Filter size: | 52 mm |
| Length and diameter: | 105.3 x 75 mm |
| Weight: | 650 g (22.9 oz) |