canon 100mm macro what do you think of it?

looking at buying the canon 100mm usm 2.8 macro(not the hybrid)and have heard good reports so far, am looking at attaching a woody diopter and canon diopters for the smaller stuff at a later date what do the owners of this lens think of it ?

IMHO, as long as you have the 60mm macro first, then the 100mm certainly has its applications. Quite a bit harder to use though I find.

It is my favorite lens, partly because it is a good lens and partly because my greatest interest is small fish. I have never tried the 60mm macro and heard it is easier to use but unless light is very poor I've never really had a beef in using the 100mm which is why I have never been motivated to try out the 60mm lens.

i tried the 60 in hopes of faster autofocus but couldn't see a difference and found it not to be as long as i'd like for nudibranchs and small fish - sold the 60 and used the 100 a log

recently upgraded to the 100IS which does autofocus (a bit) faster but is no sharper at f11 than the "old" 100

I like it when I can use it - which isn't often in my usual low light, poor vis conditions. Minimum focus distance is 31cm which seems like a mile in bad vis. But when the conditions are right, it's a good piece of glass. I don't have the 60mm so can't compare. Autofocus struggles in low light.

I got the 60mm first and love it. Super fast focus, great in low light. I have the 100mm as well and used it exclusively on my last trip. As was said, harder to use, doesn't focus as fast, my autofocus tends to hunt esp. in low light (better with a focus light, but still frustrating). Same magnification as the 60mm, just double the working distance, so it's better for skittish fish and critters. For this reason, a good lens in the kit, esp. if you want to try your hand at super macro.

my 2 cents...

Phil

Interesting to hear, Phil. I've been toying with getting the 60mm for the distance issue. You may have persuaded me!

It is a superb lens at infinity or 1:1. If you want a 100 macro and don't need IS then I highly recommend it! I have both landscapes and underwater macro (1:1) shots printed at A2 from this lens and both show just how good a lens it is. Whether you need a 100 depends on format and application though and is another question entirely.

looking at buying the canon 100mm usm 2.8 macro(not the hybrid)and have heard good reports so far, am looking at attaching a woody diopter and canon diopters for the smaller stuff at a later date what do the owners of this lens think of it ?

does anyone out there us the 100mm with a woody diopter or the canon diopter and which canon diopter?

I use it with a woody and like it, but find chromatic aberration is more of an issue. With an Ikelite housing the canon diopter is a bit wide and you need the next port up from the standard one if you want it to fit safely, so Ive never used it with that lens underwater.

You can also use with a Subsee adapter if you really want to do super macro. Im waiting on a new viewfinder as I found it very hard to use with the standard eye piece, just moving your head a bit to look around can put it out of focus.

Otara

does anyone out there us the 100mm with a woody diopter or the canon diopter and which canon diopter?

Hi,

I use the 100mm with the Canon 500D diopter. Works extremely well in a very specific range. You must be careful using it with your ports. The outside ring on the 500D is cut with very small teeth which will do a number on your port if your not careful. I posted dome pics of the testing in this thread.

Cheers,

Steve

i have been sold on the 100mm i have the canon 50d ikelite housing i will be getting the woody for the 100mm to start with but would like to use the canon 500d diopter in the future is there a standard auto only flat port that i can get that will work with and without the 500d diopter would rather not go down the modular path as it is a bit to expensive for what you get ,thankyou everyone for your your help

steve:-)

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/2port_standard.html

This has the lengths, just look up the 100mm size on the lens page and get the next size up.

Otara

http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/2port_standard.html

 

This has the lengths, just look up the 100mm size on the lens page and get the next size up.

 

Otara

thanks otara and everyone ,you all have been a wealth of infomation