Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

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Date Created :
Nov 07, 2010 22:30:08

L1) CANON 100MM F/2.8 MACRO USM EF

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There are plenty of rave reviews about this lens. I'd like to add something from my experience using it for 2+ years. Sharp is right, but more important - little or no distortion. And great color resolution. Photographing artwork, this is critical. This lens is nearly perfect. If you don't know what this means, take a photograph of a piece of graph paper. On most lenses (and yes even L series) you'll see the outer lines converging in or out. If this is a painting - a rectangle, guess what, outer areas are distorted and lose sharpness. Sure you can correct in Photoshop, but any stretching - and I mean any stretching loses sharpness. Have I made my point?

Here is a surprise that I learned on this lens, smaller aperture is not always sharper. What? Didn't they tell us in photo class the bigger the number the sharper the photo? Not true. There is light distortion at small openings. Here's the sweet spot in my experience: f5.6 to f7 (1/3 less than 8). Higher, you get greater depth of field which you sometimes MUST have, but sharpness drops gradually until somewhere past f11, then way down. I'm using strobes, so not really an issue (plenty of light).

Focus - sometimes tough as others have mentioned. You have to be patient and have good eyesight. I don't even bother with the autofocus on this lens. A breath will take you out of focus. And I'm working on a tripod. At the beginning of every project, I just kind of accept that I shoot a photo, run into the the office, put the card into the computer and check it on Photoshop before I continue. Bummer, but that's the deal with this lens.

Distance from the art. If you photograph large work, as I do sometimes, you'll need some room. A six foot painting will put you back about 16 feet. An eight foot painting will put you about 25 feet. That's a big studio (remember you still have to get your body behind the camera). I've got a 50mm sigma macro for the big ones that does an excellent job, but I always miss this one.

Bottom line - GREAT lens for photographing flat artwork. AMAZING lens for photographing small products like jewelry (you swear you're looking at the molecules sometimes). Take your time and use the lens the way it was meant, and you will never be sorry. Oh yeah - you have to own the lens hood, it should have come with it, it's so important.

Ps. Macro photography is just fun. Every once in awhile you have to take a picture of something very small to marvel at it blown up to king sized proportions.

• Canon ET67 Lens Hood for Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens
• Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
• Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter
• GSI Super Quality Lens Hood for CANON EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, and EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lenses - Functions Exactly as the Canon ET-67, Provides Protection from Light and Impact
• Canon Uv Filter 58MM -dell

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