Canon EF 100 2.8L MACRO IS U

I've been a Canon fan for many years having owned several of their FD range cameras and lenses back in the very dim and distant past. Amongst those was a Canon FD 100mm F2 lens which could produce some exceptional results. I was half tempted to go back to the Canon FD system when I saw a T90 outfit for sale on eBay. But there was only one FD 100mm F2 lens available (in MINT+ condition whatever the **** that is?!)and the seller wanted almost £500...er no!So I spotted an EOS-3 for sale and plumped for that, I also bagged a PG-E2 power grip and I was away. And of course I then had to have an EF 100mm F2 lens.First impressions were excellent. Substantially built,well balanced, lightning fast autofocus and great handling were all apparent on first examination. With my EOS 3 combo it also fitted very well indeed making for a stable easy to hold package. It proved to be an utter delight to use and I was very happy with it. It also has a instant manual focus option activated by turning the focussing ring irrespective of whether the camera/lens is in AF or MF.And the results?SUPERB! At least with my EOS-3 film camera. All pics were sharp and produced excellent contrast and colour rendering. I would rate the results as good as a (sadly long discontinued) Minolta 100mm f2 AF lens I owned for a short while back in 1990-and that is saying something. Sharpness is perfectly good even at F2 though it improves dramatically at about f 4 reaching a peak at F5.6/8. And another point, out of focus background or Bokeh is excellent.Any drawbacks?I would have liked to have been issued with a lenshood and case. If Sigma can supply them as standard why not Canon?This lens has been around for 20 years or so and is probably due for an update, the replacement being designed for Digital cameras and incorporating a stabiliser. These feature will also add at least £150 onto the price.Overall, I am delighted with this lens. Others might disagree with my title preferring the 85mm F1.2 L, 85mm F1.8 or the 135mm F2 L. But IMHO the 100mm is the perfect overall choice. 85mm is for me not quite there whilst 135mm is just a tad too long.Do yourselves a favour and buy this lens if you are a Canon SLR user. It produces stunning results and deserves to be more than a hidden gem in the rich tapestry of Canon EF lenses.

By golly this lens is sharp!I thought I'd seen sharp optics before, but this lens is in a different league, it's tack-sharp all the way from wide open at f/2.8 through to the point at which diffraction starts to become noticeable at around f/22. You can safely use it at any aperture and be assured of image quality which will exceed almost anything else on the market.Build-quality feels slightly plasticky for a canon L series optic, but it does have metal where it counts along with a weather-sealing rubber gasket. The hood's a little on the large size, and when reversed it completely covers the focussing-ring, distance scale, and focus/image stabilisation switches which is a pain.The IS system seems to operate very well, it's one of canon's latest hybrid systems which is supposed to compensate for both up/down/left/right and tilting movements, and it's very quiet compared to the earlier (3-stop) incarnations of the IS system. Focussing is near instantaneous and as near silent as you can get.It's a big lens for it's focal length, and the elements are large (especially the rearmost element) as it's relatively wide aperture, all of which makes it reasonably heavy but not overly so, and it's nicely weighted.It'll reproduce a 1:1 image, like most true Macro glass, but the 4-stop IS only offers a 2-stop advantage at 1:1 which isn't really a problem as the depth-of-field, even at smaller apertures, is sufficiently small that you'll want to use a tripod to steady the camera.Overall this is a great lens which I'd wholeheartedly recommend for anyone wanting a good Macro lens.

If I could only have one lens, it would be this one.The 50mm f/1.2L and 50mm Macro are my other two favourites, but this incredible lens does absolutely everything.Its macro abilities are honestly second to none - even at its widest aperture it's pin sharp. That shouldn't be possible!It's large, and it's heavy, so you'll definitely want to make sure you have a good, solid tripod, but it's worth its weight, and then some.Bokeh, sharpness... all of it. Perfect.The *only* issue with it is it tends to be slightly darker on the colours - they need brightening during editing slightly, but that's no big issue.It's quick with its autofocus, and it's super accurate. I prefer finding my own focus points manually but if you need to depend on autofocus in a pinch, you can absolutely trust it.So, aye, if I could only use one lens for the rest of my life, it would be this one.

Amazing quality, fast auto focus with some focus hunting depending if you are close to or a little out from the minimum focus distance to the subject. Other than that great feel, with helpful IS and focus limiters.

Used for taking shots of bugs, especially timid ones where I need a bit more reach on the lens without having to be a few inches away from the subject. Autofocus is blisteringly fast and made even better with the fact you can adjust the focal range with a switch on the side of the lens. Image quality - even on a cropped sensor camera is stunning. In my opinion, definitely worth the price, feels good, takes great shots and can feel the quality. Comes with a lens hood which can be turned around and stored on the lens when not in use (at the trade off with been able to use manual focus).All in all, incredibly happy with it although now after getting my first 'L' series lens - I want to upgrade all of my other lenses to 'L' too...best get saving.