Reviewed: Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L Macro IS USM

Verdict: Though this lens is expensive, it has a lot to offer. It has weather-sealing, image stabilisation and near-silent auto-focus. However, if you don’t own a Canon camera, this lens isn’t going to fit.

Canon’s premium 100mm L-series macro offers 123mm of sturdy plastic design, but with a respectable weight of 625g. The standout feature is the Hybrid optical IS, helping negate rotational and linear camera shake and giving back 4 stops, though less at 1x magnification.

While not the cheapest in test, you do get a lot for your money, with weather-sealing and an Ultra-low Dispersion lens (UD) element to combat chromatic aberration. We found the UD to work well, practically eliminating any trace of fringing.

Vignetting is only noticeable at apertures wider than f/5.6. The sharpness falls off slightly in the corners at wider apertures, but once you hit the f/8 sweet spot, the whole frame displays exceptional sharpness. The quiet Ultra Sonic Motor (USM) means you can shoot close-up without scaring your subjects and the limit switch will narrow down the autofocus range to give you quicker focusing.

Want to see more? We've rounded up the best Canon lenses.

Spec

Minimum aperture: f/32

Elements: 15/12

Filter size: 67mm

Minimum focus distance: 30cm

DxH: 78x123mm

Weight: 625g

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Kirk Schwarz is a tech-addicted photographer with over a decade's experience; Kirk’s used to putting new gear through extreme field testing. He's previously written for Practical Photography.