Canon 100mm Macro Lenses Compared
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May 2021 Better Pictures Canon Reviews Mirrorless RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Reviews
All 100mm f/2.8 macro lenses ever made are ultra sharp. This is because it's easy to design a sharp lens when it's fixed focal length, or a moderate aperture, or has a normal to short telephoto focal length, or it's expensive. When you put all four of these together in every macro lens ever made, they're all ultra sharp.
Macro lenses like these all add complex optics which optimize the lens' design dynamically to the focussed distance, so performance is out of the park with these and every other current 100mm f/2.8 macro lens introduced since about 1980.
Not only are all these as sharp as each other, but when you realize that diffraction is the biggest limitation to sharpness when shot at the small apertures typically used for greater depth of field in macro shooting, trying to compare these based on sharpness is a waste of time. If you compare this to another 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and one of them isn't as sharp as the others, either the soft one is broken, or you're doing something wrong.
What really matters is if you need instant manual focus override or Image Stabilization, or how precise you prefer manual focus, and what sort of camera you have.
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| Anni | 2021 April ~ Today |
2009 October ~ Today |
2000 March ~ 2021 |
1990 April ~ 2000 |
1991 ~ 2019 |
| Works on mirrorless | Yes |
Yes** |
Yes** |
Yes** |
Yes** |
| Works on DSLR & 35mm | No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Image Stabilization? | Yes |
Yes |
no |
no |
no |
| Instant Manual-Focus Override? | No, have to program menus to enable part-time override |
Yes |
Yes |
no, have to move switch |
Yes |
| Best for | |||||
| Manual Focus Ring rotation, ∞ to 1:1 | 135º Fast, not precise |
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420º Precise |
n/a |
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| Maximum Aperture | f/2.8 |
f/2.8 |
f/2.8 |
f/2.8 |
f/2 |
| Maximum Magnification | 1.4 × |
1.0 × |
1.0 × |
1.0 × |
0.14 × |
| Close Focus | 0.86' / 0.26m |
1' / 0.3m |
1.02' / 0.31m |
1.007' / 0.307m |
3' / 0.9m |
| Working Distance* | 3.62" / 92mm |
5.2" / 133mm |
5.82" / 148mm |
4.375" / 111mm |
30.8" / 782mm |
| Length changes as focussed? | No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Works with in-camera stabilization | Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Diaphragm | 9 blades |
8 blades |
8 blades |
8 blades |
8 blades |
| Sharpness | Superb |
Superb |
Superb |
Superb |
Superb |
| MTF |  |
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| Outer Barrel | Plastic |
Plastic |
Metal |
Metal and plastic |
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| Filter Size | |||||
| Filter Threads | Plastic |
Plastic |
Plastic |
Metal |
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| Diameter | 3.21" / 81.5mm |
3.08" / 77.7mm |
3.09" / 78.6mm |
2.95" / 75mm |
3.0" / 75mm |
| Length (extension from flange) | 5.83" / 148mm |
4.84" / 123.0mm |
4.655" / 118.25mm |
4.15" / 105.3mm |
2.89" / 73.5mm |
| Weight | 25.7 oz. 730g |
22.0 oz. 623g |
20.6 oz. 584g |
20.6 oz. 585g |
14.7 oz. 417g |
| Price, 4/2021 | |||||
| Price, 5/2021 |
* Distance from front of lens to subject at close-focus distance.
** With EF to RF adapter.
*** If you know How to Win at eBay.
Discussion
RF 100/2.8L IS USM (2021-today) top
Only works on mirrorless, not DSLR & 35mm cameras.
Image Stabilization makes it a great general-purpose handheld telephoto. The SA CONTROL is nice for optimizing bokeh, while the EF 100/2.8 always has great bokeh, no control needed.
Its 1.4× magnification makes it unusually good for slide copying.
EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro (2009-today) top
Image Stabilization makes it a great general-purpose handheld telephoto, but you're paying a premium for Image Stabilization compared to the half-price EF 100/2.8 USM with equally sharp optics. "L" doesn't mean anything; it's no sharper than the older lenses.
Manual-focus isn't as precise as the oldest EF 100/2.8 for careful work.
EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro (2000-2021) top
For half the price of either of the two newer lenses, this is at least as good for dedicated macro shots made with studio strobes or flash, which freeze motion so you don't need Image Stabilization.
It's less good for hand-held general use because it lacks stabilization.
EF 100/2.8 Macro (1990-2000) top
The most precise manual focus, outstanding bokeh, the longest working distance and the lowest price with equally sharp optics make this the best lens for studio shots with strobes or flash, which freeze motion so you don't need Image Stabilization.
It's less good for hand-held general use because it lacks stabilization and because it lacks instant manual-focus override; you have to move a switch to go between auto and manual focus, but for about $225 with superb optics, you can't go wrong with this superb lens.
EF 100mm f/2 USM (1991-2019) top
Not a macro lens, but great if you need its faster f/2 speed at a bargain price with superb optics and instant manual-focus override in a smaller, lighter package than any of the others.
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