Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

[grandadraymond]

Ive only been in photography for 15 months, and to be honest im rubbish, but if id to say what i really wanted to do id say Macro and close up Flowers, will this lens improve my ambition given im 66 and find it hard keep all the info in my head:oops:

[engsetr1]

Macro can be fun, it takes some getting used to.Not the easiest lens to use. A tripod really helps!

[grandadraymond]

Macro can be fun, it takes some getting used to.Not the easiest lens to use. A tripod really helps!Thank you friend

[Bill Pham]

just need to go out and practice when ever is possible. don't give up on it you not too old. the 100 is a fantastic lense for macro and flower shot. i use it all the time.

Bill

this was shot two day ago using the 30D and 100

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t210/Billphotos_2007/Billphotos_2008/yellowrose.jpg

[JasonSigs]

I really love this lens. Image quality is top notch, good as an L in my book, and even makes for a good 100mm prime for general, non-macro shots. I'd highly recommend it if you're interested in macro at all. I found it fairly easy to use, and it's reasonably priced. It will give you a good feel for macro photography in general, and I doubt you'll regret it.

[StealthLude]

100mm Macro is a awsome lens; I owned it for quite some time before I sold it. I never shot as much macro as I thought I would, but If I got back into macro for the 2nd time I would pick a different lens like the MPE65

[grandadraymond]

just need to go out and practice when ever is possible. don't give up on it you not too old. the 100 is a fantastic lense for macro and flower shot. i use it all the time.

Bill

this was shot two day ago using the 30D and 100

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t210/Billphotos_2007/Billphotos_2008/yellowrose.jpgCould i ask has the background been photoshopped thank you

[ben_r_]

The Canon 100 macro is a really nice lens. Its an excellent way to break into macro and will continue on with you as you grow and get better. Combine that with the fact that its also a 100mm prime, and that you get a wonderfully sharp 100mm portrait lens and you will find that you cant lose by buying one.

[Bill Pham]

no photoshop cause i can't do it yet. there was just a few rays of sunlight coming through and the bg is a bunch of purple and red flower behind it. caught the ray just barely hitting the rose. and shot wide open helps :D.


Bill

[Odd Socks]

I love the lens because I enjoy doing the whole macro thing. Buy it, have fun!

[macroshot]

Absolutely great lens and a lot of fun to play with. The best part is you can buy it now for about $455 (w/ instant rebate) and if it isn't your thing, you can sell it and take a minimal loss. I've had mine for about a month. I really enjoy it!! A tripod will help, but this was handheld:

279528

[Canon Soldier]

my grandpa's name is raymond too, no joke.

[macroshot]

I like this shot Bill! Do you shoot a lot at Como? I plan on going soon for the Conservatory and the new butterfly display.

just need to go out and practice when ever is possible. don't give up on it you not too old. the 100 is a fantastic lense for macro and flower shot. i use it all the time.

Bill

this was shot two day ago using the 30D and 100

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t210/Billphotos_2007/Billphotos_2008/yellowrose.jpg

[Ook]

I can't recommend the 100mm f/2.8 enough, it's a stellar performer. Wonderfully sharp, great build, good working distance in case you find you want to shoot the odd bug or (maybe) butterfly, though it might be a bit short for that.

Check the macro forum for great flower samples with this lens - it's a really popular lens with that forum.

will this lens improve my ambition given im 66 and find it hard keep all the info in my head:oops:

I wouldn't worry about keeping a lot of info in your head with macro - there's very little fiddling with shutter speed because we generally shoot with flash, and there's so little DOF that we usually just stick it at f/11 and worry about composition instead.

Mind you, it's more physically technical because you have to keep quite steady to get the focus where you want it if you aren't using a tripod (and you don't have to), but I'm certain that you won't be short on ambition with this lens. It's the only lens I own, and I haven't gotten tired of it yet :p

[horaceh]

I can't imagine getting consistently sharp shots AND dramatically OOF backgrounds without some sort of camera support. DOF is so thin at 2.8 that minimal body movement will result in loss of sharpness at the desired focal point. I own, and love, the 100 macro 2.8 lens but I never shoot a macro image without a tripod. In fact, I frequently use focusing rails for precise composition. Maybe my 60 year old body has just lost too much stability!

[Ook]

I can't imagine getting consistently sharp shots AND dramatically OOF backgrounds without some sort of camera support. DOF is so thin at 2.8 that minimal body movement will result in loss of sharpness at the desired focal point. I own, and love, the 100 macro 2.8 lens but I never shoot a macro image without a tripod. In fact, I frequently use focusing rails for precise composition. Maybe my 60 year old body has just lost too much stability!

I admire your patience - certainly, a tripod and focusing rail are the order of the day for really bang-on compositions and focus (I actually used my tripod yesterday to nail the focus on my 2-day old monarch caterpillar). If your subjects tend to fly to a new spot every few seconds however, I've found that I miss more shots due my tripod not being set up in time than I have due to the lower keeper rate of handheld images.

I agree with you that getting consistently sharp shots handheld is tricky at best with macro - even the macro forum's best shooters admit to relatively low keeper rates - but shooting handheld has its advantages. Mobility and weight come to mind. Perhaps the OP's stated interest in flowers in particular mean that he will be able to use a proper tripod setup without too much fuss, though.

[grandadraymond]

Is a flash a must for your shots

[Ook]

Is a flash a must for your shots

No, flash isn't absolutely necessary for flower shots. Bare sunlight is quite harsh however, and other types of natural light might come off as flat, so for a lot of your shooting you'll probably want to do something about the light - whether that's using a flash (in my mind the easiest solution), or just carrying around some nylons stretched over a coat hanger to diffuse the natural sunlight

Shooting with flash will also expand the hours of the day when you can take pictures.

[macroshot]

Natural light from a few hours ago at the Como Park Conservatory (new butterfly exhibit) in St. Paul, MN. Shot @ 1/125 sec, f/7.1. This lens is awsome...met up with Bill Pham to shoot.

279657

[gallixx]

great lens, as everybody mention. also macro shooting is a very fun activity no matter how old are you. I own one 100 2.8 paired with Canon Xti.

here´s an example, shot in my tiny backyard.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2159/2034454917_7609295def.jpg

[rebecca12]

You could always hire one for a few days and see if it is for you.

[tonylong]

Raymond,

Some thoughts about what to bear in mind for macro shooting:

First, to get full macro performance, in which the 100 yields "full size" images, your working distance will be only a few inches. A built-in flash will not work well at close distances, so you will want to use an external flash. Having the flash mounted on the hot shoe will also likely give less-than-satisfactory results without pointing it to some kind of reflector so you aren't stuck with a harsh direct light pointing down on the subject. I often hand-hold a flash (using an extension cable). There are special flash units made for macro (and portrait) shooting as well, but they are spendy.

At macro distances shooters typically manually focus because most AF systems don't do so well at close distances. You also will, when at the minimum focusing distance, want to get used to moving your camera/tripod or your subject to get precise focusing. This means that you have to have a good viewfinder that is properly adjusted to your eyesight (a consideration for those of us above 50). If your viewfinder is not large enough, you might consider an add-on -- you can get right-angle extenders that include magnifiers that can be pretty nifty for macro work. The newest Canon models also have Live View, which can be a help in manual focusing.

Tripod use, and techniques like Mirror Lockup, are also important. At macro levels, the slightest amount of camera shake can wreck an image, since you're dealing with very tiny details.

Hope all this helps a bit!

[grandadraymond]

Raymond,

Some thoughts about what to bear in mind for macro shooting:

First, to get full macro performance, in which the 100 yields "full size" images, your working distance will be only a few images. A built-in flash will not work well at close distances, so you will want to use an external flash. Having the flash mounted on the hot shoe will also likely give less-than-satisfactory results without pointing it to some kind of reflector so you aren't stuck with a harsh direct light pointing down on the subject. I often hand-hold a flash (using an extension cable). There are special flash units made for macro (and portrait) shooting as well, but they are spendy.

At macro distances shooters typically manually focus because most AF systems don't do so well at close distances. You also will, when at the minimum focusing distance, want to get used to moving your camera/tripod or your subject to get precise focusing. This means that you have to have a good viewfinder that is properly adjusted to your eyesight (a consideration for those of us above 50). If your viewfinder is not large enough, you might consider an add-on -- you can get right-angle extenders that include magnifiers that can be pretty nifty for macro work. The newest Canon models also have Live View, which can be a help in manual focusing.

Tripod use, and techniques like Mirror Lockup, are also important. At macro levels, the slightest amount of camera shake can wreck an image, since you're dealing with very tiny details.

Hope all this helps a bit!Thank you Tony i will bear all that in mind:)

[Bill Pham]

have you look in the macro forum and see the sticky show us your rigs yet. pretty much show what people are using for flash bracket.


Bill

and here is another from today. Hank and I was shooting together.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t210/Billphotos_2007/BUTTERFLIES/IMG_0038resize.jpg

[jgogums]

Macro was my first dip into photography back in Jan. 07 and the 100 2.8 was my first lens. Just an awesome lens!
All advice here has been great the only thing I would add...if it hasn't been mentioned, is you can improve your stability (thus keeper rate) a lot by holding a bamboo stick (or other thin stiff stick found at any home and gardening store) in one hand and gently sway back and forth. This, of course is with the lens in manual focus.
With stick braced against ground and sandwiched between your hand and the side of your camera simply sway in-and-out of the plane of focus till you can anticipate when to release the shutter at the moment you have achieved the best focus.

Basically an inexpensive monopod that you can adjust very quickly!

Of course not as stable as a tripod but it is less expensive and easier to move around to different subjects in a park or garden.

[Ook]

to get full macro performance, in which the 100 yields "full size" images, your working distance will be only a few inches.

Just to clarify, the 1:1 focusing distance of the 100mm is 31cm, or just over a foot. Still quite close, but "a few inches" is strictly MP-E territory :p

[jgogums]

Just to clarify, the 1:1 focusing distance of the 100mm is 31cm, or just over a foot. Still quite close, but "a few inches" is strictly MP-E territory :p

MFocusD and MWorkingD are different. I think Tony was referring to working distance...front of lens (no hood) to subject, which is 5.9 inches.
Min. focus distance is 1 foot.
Any way you slice it, you can get close with this lens...add extension tubes and you can get even closer.:cool:

[grandadraymond]

Do you guys use a hood

[jgogums]

I haven't used a hood. But I do use a UV filter for front element protection. I haven't noticed any problems with flare. Plus when I use a flash, it is usually a macro flash that mounts to the front of the lens. A hood wouldn't work in this case.

[equetefue]

I use the hood all the time. Sometimes it's a little long but if you use a flash bracket you should be fine.

Very sharp lens with the advantage that front does not rotate or extends, and FTM.

Not the best example but you get the picture

http://s152588970.onlinehome.us/PiCs/Birding/Viera%20+%20Tracey%20June%202008/LP1Y0055.JPG

[Hazey]

My daughter has a brand new 100mm 2.8 macro. She has saved for months for it and paid with her own money (she's 15.)

We have spent the weekend trying to get some decent shots with it without much success...I'm hoping someone can help.:lol:

She is using a tripod and trying to photgraphs of flowers and bugs. The weather has been heavily overcast and depending on the clouds at any given time, she is achieving shutter speeds of anything between 1/60 and 1/400 second. She has been experimenting with apertures between 2.8 and 8.
She can't get crispy photos...they seem grainy. But the main issue is getting focus in the first place. When she has the end of the lense at the minimum focusing distance of 6inches, the focus just hunts like mad and won't lock.
Also....at the MFD of 6inches...her bugs don't look anywhere near as big as others I have seen on this forum using this lens...so would they be cropped?

I am wondering if the problem is as written above in that we need a flash?

Stupid question but doesn't the flash blind your 'subjects? Lol!

Does a ring flash not wash the colour out at such close distances?

My problem is that it's my daughter that is into the macro and I am saving for a speedlite 580 flash....is she not going to get any love from her new 100 2.8 without a ring flash? Or can she use the speedlite for macro as long as it's used with a diffuser?
Sorry for all the questions...just hate my daughter being disappointed when she waited so long for her new lens. She has taken some lovely portraits of our dog with the lens....and they are very sharp indeed!

[tmonatr]

My daughter has a brand new 100mm 2.8 macro. She has saved for months for it and paid with her own money (she's 15.)

We have spent the weekend trying to get some decent shots with it without much success...I'm hoping someone can help.:lol:

She is using a tripod and trying to photgraphs of flowers and bugs. The weather has been heavily overcast and depending on the clouds at any given time, she is achieving shutter speeds of anything between 1/60 and 1/400 second. She has been experimenting with apertures between 2.8 and 8.
She can't get crispy photos...they seem grainy. But the main issue is getting focus in the first place. When she has the end of the lense at the minimum focusing distance of 6inches, the focus just hunts like mad and won't lock.
Also....at the MFD of 6inches...her bugs don't look anywhere near as big as others I have seen on this forum using this lens...so would they be cropped?

I am wondering if the problem is as written above in that we need a flash?

Stupid question but doesn't the flash blind your 'subjects? Lol!

Does a ring flash not wash the colour out at such close distances?

My problem is that it's my daughter that is into the macro and I am saving for a speedlite 580 flash....is she not going to get any love from her new 100 2.8 without a ring flash? Or can she use the speedlite for macro as long as it's used with a diffuser?
Sorry for all the questions...just hate my daughter being disappointed when she waited so long for her new lens. She has taken some lovely portraits of our dog with the lens....and they are very sharp indeed!
Your daughter should turn off the autofocus and manually focus doing macro work. The depth of field when MFD is very shallow, so use smaller apertures (f10-f16) and focus carefully. Many simply set at MFD and move the camera slowly until focus is acheived.
Many also make DIY flash diffusers for their speedlights: http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=502861&highlight=diffuser
Tell your daughter not give up, just keep firing away and asking questions.

[Hazey]

Thanks Tim...will try manual focusing.:D

[JimAskew]

... Maybe my 60 year old body has just lost too much stability!
I hear you :) I use my monopod to stabalize my 100MM Macro shots.

OP - the 100MM f/2.8 Macro is the best. I use it at weddings for ring shots and also portraits. And, of course flowers and bugs on occasion.

[Ook]

I am saving for a speedlite 580 flash....is she not going to get any love from her new 100 2.8 without a ring flash? Or can she use the speedlite for macro as long as it's used with a diffuser?

Yes, no need for a ring flash, especially not at the beginning - the 430 works fine with a diffuser, so the 580 will be great. Don't bother spending bucks on a small softbox or anything, just bang together a diffuser. Fun craft project, and you'll get great results.

If she's using a tripod, then live view (if you have) is a good tool if the viewfinder is too dark. You can set the live view to maximum zoom and obtain absolutely perfect focus.

[AeroSmith]

Sooooooo, am I the only one who finds an acceptable magnification range and uses AF handheld with this lens?

I mean, in the end, you can always crop yourself to 1:1.

By the way....the MT-24EX rocks on the end of this lens. Here's proof....

http://AeroSmith.smugmug.com/photos/71690258_EPxio-L.jpg

[tonylong]

Sooooooo, am I the only one who finds an acceptable magnification range and uses AF handheld with this lens?

I mean, in the end, you can always crop yourself to 1:1.

By the way....the MT-24EX rocks on the end of this lens. Here's proof....

Hey, you can use this lens any way you want:)! It is a nice sharp lens that's good for many "normal" uses! "Normal" lenses won't give you the 1:1 capability, though. But, hey, yesterday I got some nice close flower pics with my 50 1.4, so it's all good and fun!