Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens

The technical details behind this lens

Crafted for macro photography, this lens from Canon is known for its impressive features, impeccable lens design and stunning image output. The Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens is also well-suited for portraiture or other mid-range subjects. Alongside its close-up shooting features, the lens also stars an excellent image stabilisation system, which offers the much-required stability for macro photography.

This short telephoto prime lens is designed for full-frame Canon EF-mount DSLRs and is also compatible with APS-C models where it offers a 160mm equivalent focal length range. The features of this lens enable it to be well-suited for different photography genres, making it a value-addition to your photography kit.

Top three reasons we think you will love this lens

• The lens offers a life-size, 1:1 maximum magnification along with a minimum focusing distance of 11.8”. The lens is apt for working with close-up subjects and delivers crystal-clear, sharp and perfect macro shots .
• This macro lens also features an excellent optical image stabilisation system, which minimises the appearance of camera shake throughout the zoom range. This makes it easier to work in low-light conditions and with slow shutter speeds.
• As part of Canon’s popular L-series range of lenses, this lens is dust and moisture resistant. With its weather-resistant feature, you can easily carry the lens along for your outdoor adventure expeditions.

Sharp and True Imaging

The optical design of the lens features 15 elements in 12 groups. This includes one ultra-low dispersion element that works to counter chromatic aberrations and colour fringing, delivering improved clarity and colour accuracy. Additionally, every element of the lens has the Super Spectra coating, which further contributes to enhancing imagery by minimising ghosting and lens flare. Thanks to this feature, the lens delivers consistent results even when working in strong lighting conditions.

With a focal length of 100mm, this macro lens has an aperture range spanning from f/2.8 to f/32. You can comfortably use the lens for different photographic applications, apart from macro photography. The rounded nine-blade diaphragm contributes to a pleasing out of focus image quality, benefitting the use of shallow depth of field and selective focus techniques.

Fast Autofocus

In-built with the ring-type USM (Ultrasonic Motor) and excellent internal focusing design, the lens has a quick, accurate and quiet autofocusing system. It also offers a full-time manual override, along with a focus limiter switch. With this switch, you can easily constrain the focusing to three different ranges for faster, effective focusing performance.

Adding to the superquick autofocusing system, the camera also has an impressive stabilisation mechanism that compensates for up to two stops at 1:1 magnification, three stops at 1:2 magnification and four stops at lower magnification.

Our experts opinion

Canon is known for crafting perfect lenses, and this lens is no exception. It delivers what it promises, courtesy of its well-thought-of features. This lens is undoubtedly a great addition to your photography kit. With its weather-resistant build, you can take it along for your nature trails and capture close-ups of bugs, bees and butterflies, without worrying about any damage to your lens. Despite all the features it offers, the lens is light in weight, compact, and comes at a completely budget-friendly cost.