Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Lens

I am a somewhat versed, but definitely not professional, hobbyist photographer. As such it is my lot in life to improve my equipment--my lenses, my camera, my flash, etc. This is a never-ending job. One that exists for all photographers with SLR equipment regardless of level of talent or dedication. A year or so back, it became obvious that I would need something better than my point-and-click. I find a perfectly serviceable used Canon SLR (a base level digital Rebel). In buying this camera I knew I could sample the waters and buy accessories. The accessories would then be very much functional on an upgrade to a 20D or 30D. Needless to say I've enjoyed my journey thus far and have purchased two lenses, a flash, and other various doo-dads.

My skill is improving in part due to my glass. "Glass" by the way is photographer lingo for lenses. There is something to be said for good glass. It makes photos look amazing. I can't very well afford Canon's almighty L-glass, but I wanted my first purchase to be a macro lens. In addition to taking pictures of my son I enjoy taking pictures of nature--flowers, bugs, leaves, you name it. Unfortunately macro lenses are pretty pricey and I wasn't sure how I would scrape up that many pennies.

It was a cool June day when I walked into a photography shop in Mid-Michigan just to look around. Sitting, gleaming on their shelf was the lens I wanted--a 100mm f/2.8 USM by Canon. I knew the price new was at the very top of my budget. It retails for around $600 (sometimes more sometimes less) and is known in digital photography circles to be an outstanding choice--so good in fact that some people wonder if it should have the fancy red stripe that denotes Canon L-glass. What I learned that day is that appearances can be deceiving. It was my lens, but it was also very lightly used. Maybe once. Accidentally. I ended up getting it for a mere $350 and it has become my favorite (by far) lens in my fairly small arsenal.

What you need to know most about this glass is that it takes sharp, crystal clear pictures very quickly. In addition, it is fixed which means there is no zoom function with this lens or while using it on your Canon camera. Finally if you're hoping to take clean closeup (macro) photographs, there is no better lens out there for your money. Your flower (or widget) pics will turn out perfectly every time (assuming you are also using a flash and tripod).

Upon physically hefting the lens you'll notice it is by no means a lightweight. It is the kind of thing that allows you to actually feel in addition to see the quality of manufacture. The lens itself is black and clearly adorned with the requisite marks--100mm, f/2.8, "macro," and USM (ultrasonic which basically means "fast" and "smooth" as far as auto focus goes). There are also switches toward the base of the lens that allow the hobbyist to choose automatic or manual focus. The camera can focus smoothly anywhere from life size to "infinity."

With those techno details out of the way, I wanted to concentrate a little on why I love my 100mm Canon f/2.8 so much. It is the lens I always have fixed to my camera--I don't use my kit lens or my zoom much at all especially in comparison to this gem. It is widely recognized as one of Canon's sharpest lenses, if not THE sharpest lens in the company's illustrious lineup. I couldn't agree more. I've seen pictures of my son turn out flawlessly. Photos of landscapes look rich and textured. Photos of flowers are full of detail and colorful. It is a brilliant all-purpose piece of equipment. My only complaints are that in low-light situations the auto focus sometimes has times zeroing in on your subject (manually focusing, which can be done on this model while in AF mode, remedies this situation) and for f/2.8 the depth of field is a little narrow. Finally I wish Canon would have included a hood with the lens, but with the money you save on your purchase you can go out and buy your own hunk of plastic.

Canon markets this as a dual purpose macro and portrait lens. It definitely serves me in both these capacities, though even more impressive is that it serves me in pretty much every capacity. It makes my other lenses look like junk (then again, I don't have any L-glass), but from what I read this is a rather common occurrence when it comes to the 100mm f/2.8 USM. If you have a Canon, be it a Rebel or a 5D or anything in between, you too deserve this glass. It is outstanding, sharp, reliable, reasonably priced, well made, has great macro capabilities, and is an all-around star.

You can see some basic examples of my recent work with this lens here, for reference:

Old Dog, New Tricks?
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/143/336604438_012a9561a3_b.jpg

Candles & Christmas
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/336595630_56b4ac2b17_b.jpg

Bells
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/125/336591082_88a34634ef_b.jpg

Zack Man
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/336564256_0d31ffc11c_b.jpg

Crawling Into You
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/330945457_2fd60cfde6_b.jpg