Jun 26
Canon 100mm f2.8L IS macro
I was fortunate enough to get to borrow the new Canon 100mm f2.8 IS macro lens this weekend. I’ve always wanted a macro lens with IS and a few years ago I had the 100mm macro without IS, which I then traded for the 150mm macro. I’ve never regretted getting the longer focal length, but using a long and heavy macro lens requires good support, so the tripod or the beanbag has to go wherever the lens goes. Shooting with this setup is very rewarding, but there’s something to be said for spontaneity as well – enter image stabilisation.
So now I’ve been out with this lens, sans tripod, and I must say it really works. I won’t be reviewing the lens because there’s nothing to review, I mean it’s tack sharp (anything else would be shocking) and issues like vignetting or barrel distortion are never a problem with macro (I doubt this lens has either anyway). So the only thing that’s interesting for me is what I can do with 100mm and image stabilisation and that’s what I set out to find out.
Having had the 150mm lens for a few years now, I had my doubts about the depth of field of the 100mm lens. I like using diffused foregrounds when possible and I also like completely feature-less backgrounds. I struggled to get both when using the 100mm lens in the past, but now that I had it again, I started wondering if part of the problem back then was that I was just not very experienced as a macro photographer. Either I’m better at choosing my subjects now or I am handling the situation in a different way, but background control wasn’t nearly as difficult as I remember it was. But having the lens for such a short period, it’s not possible to test it in all situations and I reckon the background would come into play when shooting in tight spaces where the background is closer to the subject than in the above picture.
The IS of the lens is great. It’s the new generation IS which is so quiet that I had to check a couple of times that IS really was on because I’m used to the sounds of my 300mm and 24-105mm lenses. The picture of the moth was taken with a 1/40 shutter speed, it’s marginally soft but completely acceptable. It would’ve been impossible without a tripod using a non-IS 100mm or 150mm lens (impossible for me anyway, I know some people are better at hand holding the camera than I am). So if I want to take a similar picture with a non-IS lens, I would have to start setting up the tripod and hope that the moth is still there when I’m ready to take the shot. 
Shooting without a support setup is very liberating, the threshold of taking a picture is lower because sometimes I just simply think if a subject is worth setting up the tripod, instead of thinking if a picture is worth taking at all.
It’s been nice trying out this lens, but when I give it back I won’t miss it. It’s a great lens for the macro photographer on the move, but I’ve developed such a good relationship with my Sigma 150mm f2.8 macro that I can’t see myself ever parting with it. Yes I still definitely want a macro lens with IS, but I’m fairly sure that in the long run I would miss those additional 50mm if I traded the Sigma 150mm for the Canon 100mm IS. So now I’m just waiting for a long macro lens with stabilisation!
3 comments
It’s nice to play with new toys, ain’t it
If you remember, I had the Nikkor 105 with VR (Nikon’s IS is called VR), but I never liked it too much. At that time, the lens produced all too much CA for me, and I hate it. Then, Nikon made Capture NX2 with new tools, and *bang*, old pictures lost the CA all suddenly 8-| I was shocked what they did with the software! The ongoing development seems to be, that they correct the optical faults with software, and I really don’t blame them for that. Well, that was a sidetrack to say, that under these circumstances today, I might have a different opinion about that Nikkor VR lens.
Of course it is very liberating not to be forced to carry a tripod, but it has its downsides. At least I shoot lot more crap without my good ole Gitzo
Afterwards I often blame myself for the lost shooting opportunities. “Did you really think the branch in the back suits the flower?!?” etc. Liberty causes problems which could’ve been avoided by better planning.
All pictures are ok in terms of technical quality, but they are not as good as your planned shootings
They lack the message.
It’s a bit problematic when I only have the lens for a few days, there’s pressure to take pictures with it and I’m never good at taking pictures on command. So I’m happy to find anything at all to point it at! I was counting on the lesser butterfly orchids to bloom this weekend to do some “serious” photography but they’re taking a long time to open. Maybe tomorrow.
I was cycling today and had the 100mm lens with me. I found a subject and got my pictures (I haven’t downloaded them yet so no idea how they came out). Wouldn’t have been possible with the 150mm, because if I’d taken it with me I would’ve somehow also needed to strap the tripod on the bike. So I can only repeat what I said before, an IS macro is a great lens for the macro photographer on the move.
But since I won’t invest in such a lens now, the next best thing is the 24-105mm IS zoom with an extension ring. Or then I just don’t bike anywhere interesting with picture potential. 
Tripod is not an issue with bike
Attaching the tripod could be 