EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

[Rebel]

I know nothing of macro photography, but am very keen to learn. I shoot cars mainly. Not specifically motorsports, but for a car magazine. We have control of the speeds and the distance, so focal range is not an issue. We also do car to car action shots where we actually need the shorter focal range.

Would the 100mm macro lens be a good piece of glass to add to the camera bag? I also need to shoot details like emblems and wheel nuts or other interesting features a car may have.

Last question, if I shoot a picture of the whole car on macro mode, would that have any benefit at all?

Thanks in advance

[Adam Hicks]

you'd only use macro for very fine details, and your depth of field is going to be very shallow. The lens does a great job as a 100mm prime IMO, and it really does shine as a reasonably priced / dual purpose macro. I bought mine on eBay absolutely untouched mint for under $400 USD and have really enjoyed it. For solo shots, the bokeh it produces is really nice vs. zooms I've used. I'm always amazed at how well it makes the backgound melt away at 2.8.

It's a reasonable size as well, with a common 58mm filter size. If you get it pay attention to the focus distance switch. If you have it on the wrong setting for the wrong application the lens will hunt around for focus. If you have it set right, all is perfect!

Adam

[nosquare2003]

Would the 100mm macro lens be a good piece of glass to add to the camera bag? I also need to shoot details like emblems and wheel nuts or other interesting features a car may have.

Last question, if I shoot a picture of the whole car on macro mode, would that have any benefit at all?



100mm macro is one of the best non L lens. You won't regret it to use it for shooting small car parts...

There is no macro mode on this lens -- because it is already a macro lens.

However, it is not suitable for action for its relatively slow autofocus speed IMHO. (All macro lens tends to have slow focus).

[steven]

It does not sound like you are wanting to do macro photography.

Usually macro photography you are trying to fill the entire picture with something only an inch or two in size.

The 100mm macro lens has a magnification factor of 1.0 which means that it is ideal for recording images on the negative the same size as they are in real life. That means a 1 inch part will be 1 inch on the image capture device.

This is great if you want to fill your entire picture with something small. But if you are wanting to take pictures of whole cars then macro is not the correct lens.

[Adam Hicks]

well this lens certainly does not have to be restricted to use as a macro lens only. I've been very pleased with it as a 100mm prime for non macro shots. Rebel PM or e-mail me and I can send you some shots I took this week with the lens that are non macro. I think I have some from a motorsports event as well, but as mentioned before, not panned shots. I use it for it's bokeh and nice portrait type shots, but it's focus is a bit too slow for AI or fast moving objects.

Adam

[Adam Hicks]

As I mentioned before, I've been happy with this lens in a variety of situations... attached are some non macro shots I took this week (nothing spectacular but you get the idea... the dear is pretty crisp for a macro lens) and a few basic macro shots.

Adam

http://www.golilm.com/DSLR/lions_100mmMacro.jpg

http://www.golilm.com/DSLR/deer_100mmMacro.jpg

This one's here to show you that bokeh I was talking about...
http://www.golilm.com/DSLR/birds_100mmMacro.jpg

Moth in Macro mode... ugly critter but again, I love the blur and sharpness for a multi-use prime
http://www.golilm.com/DSLR/moth.jpg

Gratuitous flower shot to again show background blur and DOF
http://www.golilm.com/DSLR/yellowflower2.jpg

last one...
http://www.golilm.com/Jacksboro/ft_worth_bee_May_03.jpg

Hope those give you an idea of what the lens can do (it'll do better in the hands of a better photographer, but we all gotta learn somewhere!)

Adam

[Rebel]

Well, as they say, a picture says a thousand words. Thanks for the images, it answers my question perfectly. Now I have to just look for something to pawn...

[Jesper]

If you don't want to seriously go into macro photography and you just want something to make close-ups of small things occasionally, there are cheaper alternatives to a macro lens, such as the Canon 250D and 500D close-up filters (they work kind of like a magnifying glass in front of your lens) or extension tubes. See this Macro Photography Primer (http://www.photo.net/learn/macro/).

But the EF 100mm f/2.8 is a GREAT lens. I recently bought mine. It's very sharp, at least as sharp as the EF 50mm II f/1.8 and certainly sharper than my zoom lenses (EF 17-40L, EF 28-135 and EF 70-300 DO). Like someone else already said, it doesn't have a special macro mode, so "if I shoot a picture of the whole car on macro mode" isn't a relevant question.

[FrenchAmateur]

One of the best lens from Canon...
I have it and am fully satisfied. It's true that the AF is not "supersonic"... but it's very silent... Very good at 2,8, excellent after... and slightly less from 16...decreasing after.
The best macro lens at 100 with the Nikon and the Sigma (which is noisy, slow, and no internal focusing... dont know about the new model of Sigma...).
I had the Sigma, and changed for the Canon not for optical quality but for the quality of the AF, and the fact that you can direcly put the MR 14 EX ring flash without adaptator ring.
No risk in buying this excellent lens.

[SKR1]

Canon 100 mm macro 1/1 USM is very a good lens.
pratical for macro and portait.

the most pratical focal for macrophotography.

A+
SKR