(happy music)
- Let's take a look at Canon's 100 millimeter 2.8
L series macro lens.
Even though it was originally released in 2009,
this macro deserves a closer look.
(happy music)
My name is Tom, this is the Enthusiasm Project,
and today, did you see what I did there
with macro and closer look?
Because macro lenses are, you know what it.
While this isn't a new lens, I do think that
it's often overlooked, and probably because
it has that macro label.
Which means that for people who don't do
what you would consider traditional macro work,
like closeups of flowers or bugs,
or products, or those kind of things,
they just don't really think of using a macro lens.
But it really does have a ton of usability
for both photo and video.
I've been using this lens for about two years,
and I really wanted to share what I've learned about it
in that time, to help you decide if it's something
that might be worth investing in.
So to start off with, a macro lens is specifically designed
to take high detail, closeup images of a subject
that's pretty near the front element.
This lens specifically has a 2.8 aperture,
which is one of the great things about it.
It has 100 millimeter fixed focal length,
so it is a prime lens, and it has an 11.8 inch
minimum focusing distance.
Which doesn't seem too macro when you're like,
well it's almost a foot away from the lens.
But when you remember that this is 100 millimeters,
and you can still get 11 point inches away
and have it focus clearly, that's when you start to see
the potential of this lens.
I can't do that with something like a 24 to 105.
And this lens comes with a 67 millimeter filter diameter,
and it also includes image stabilization.
Which when it was released was the first lens
that included Canon's hybrid stabilization.
Which essentially means that it's trying to compensate
for shift and shake.
And it works really well, especially at a long focal length,
like 100 millimeters.
It does make it more possible to get handheld images,
especially if you're doing photos.
But I've even found that it works with video,
especially if you add a little stabilization
in your editing software.
So I don't know if you can hear this (rattling),
but there's kind of a rattle in the lens.
And sometimes that's there, and sometimes it's not.
I haven't been able to figure out the voodoo
behind when it happens and when it doesn't.
But it is the stabilizer.
If you can see the rear element as I'm shaking it,
I can actually feel whatever the components are
inside this lens moving around.
You can feel how the inside of the lens is being stabilized,
and it does work very well.
Like this clip right here at the beginning,
you'll notice that the tree trunk is really wobbly.
This is a crazy jello effect,
but then as the camera moves past that,
it becomes smooth again.
So it seems like that stabilizer
only creates the jello effect at the beginning
of a camera move, and at the end.
So I don't really think it's an issue
because you would just cut off the beginning
and ending of a clip, and use the middle part
where everything looks good.
And obviously if you're using this lens
for still photography, it's not an issue at all
because you don't have to worry about rolling shutter.
And just for full clarity, I have been using
this lens for two years, like I mentioned,
and I didn't even notice this issue
until I started doing more specific testing for this video.
So that's how much it didn't affect me
in the time that I've been using this lens.
But it's definitely something to be aware of
if you're gonna use this for a lot of video.
If you're looking to add this lens to your lineup,
it does cost typically between seven
and eight hundred dollars.
If you look at its pricing history,
it is all over the place.
Originally being released at about $1,000,
and then jumping up above that, and then way below it.
But recently it's been pretty consistently available
between seven and eight hundred dollars.
Which is definitely worth it for a weather sealed
L series Canon lens.
It is an EF mount, but it works great with the RF adapter.
All of the sample shots and footage
that you're seeing in this video
were done on my EOS R using the EF to RF adapter.
And there were no issues with that.
The autofocus worked great, although I do find myself
using manual focus more when I am doing closeup work
of tiny subjects, just because I want to be
completely precise.
And in terms of image quality and sharpness,
and depth of field, the 2.8 aperture
is a huge benefit to this lens.
However, I've noticed that I've been getting
the sharpest results personally between f/4 and f/6.
So, I know that when I get a lens that's 2.8 or 1.4,
I pretty much just want to crank the aperture wide open
and use it like that all the time.
And this lens does deliver good results
for both photo and video at f/2.8.
And that's of course better in lower lighting environments.
But if you're able to use f/4, that's where I think
you'll be really shocked at how great
and how sharp your images are.
And fortunately, if you're looking for that background blur,
even though f/4 isn't always the most
shallow depth of field, the fact that this is
a 100 millimeter focal length means that you're gonna have
so much compression in your frame
that it's gonna be pretty easy to get
some really nice background blur, and isolate your subject.
And like I said earlier, a 100 millimeter macro lens
is great for a ton of applications.
Not just super closeups.
I do love to use it for that, because I talk about
a lot of gear, and if I need to show a button
or a switch on an item, I love being able
to show that super clearly using the macro lens.
But this is great for portraits and wider shots.
You just kind of need to step back from your subject,
and you can still get some outstanding results
that are tack sharp, and all around terrific.
These lenses are also used a lot in food photography
to get those nice closeup shots.
And I don't know if you know this,
but McDonald's actually developed their own
proprietary lens specifically for food photography.
They call it the Big Macro.
(coughs)
So if you're deciding whether or not this lens
is right for you, I'll wrap up with two thoughts.
First is that lenses are a worthwhile investment.
So even though something that's seven,
eight hundred dollars, which in Canon's L series lineup
is one of the least expensive L lenses that's out there.
And I can clearly remember buying my first DSLR
back in 2007, which was the Canon XTi.
And I was so interested in the camera body.
I didn't really care about the lens at all.
Like, who cares?
I wanted all the features of the camera.
And I thought it would be crazy to be
one of those people that spends more money
on their lenses than they do on their camera.
And boy was I wrong, because as I went through
my digital photography and videography journey,
I quickly learned that your camera bodies
tend to change out every couple years
as the technology changes and developed.
But your lenses stick with you.
This lens is from 2009.
It is still the current L series 100 millimeter
macro lens from Canon.
My 24 to 105 that I use all the time,
I bought used like seven years ago,
and that lens was originally released in like the 1990s.
And it's still a terrific lens.
So once you make that investment,
your lenses stick with you, and your camera bodies
usually change out.
However, I do tend to break my lenses down into tiers.
Like A tier, B tier, and C tier.
And this really isn't related to quality,
but more practicality.
So like an A tier lens would be something
that I think everybody should have,
or at least I would consider a lens
that I can't work without.
Something like a wide fast prime,
like the 24 1.4, or a really good all around
general purpose lens, like the 24 to 105.
Then I'd have B tier lenses, which I would consider
very useful but probably not ones
you would use all the time.
Maybe something for me like a 70 to 200,
or a 50 millimeter lens.
Then I have C tier lenses, which are more specialized.
So even though they're terrific,
they're lenses you probably aren't gonna use that often.
I probably would put this, for me, in that category.
It's a wonderful lens.
Pretty much no complaints other than that I do wish
it were a little sharper, at 2.8.
But I don't use it all the time,
so if I'm looking to invest money,
and I don't have like a wide prime that's ultra fast,
I would rather put my money there first.
And then later on, invest in something like this.
I would also put like the 24 millimeter probe lens
that I reviewed in that C tier category.
It's an amazing lens, but it's so specialized,
I can't justify spending $1,500 on it
just to use it once in a while.
Which brings me to the fact that renting lenses
and renting your camera gear is a good option.
This sounds like an ad, but it's not.
There's lots of places to rent camera gear.
You can search and find your own.
I've been using lensrentals.com.
They're great.
My first order came with a water bottle that I use everyday,
and it kind of sold me on them.
But the pricing also works really well.
So you can get a lens like this
for maybe around $100 for a week or 10 days.
Use it as much as you want, and then send it back.
And you can really get a feel for your gear that way,
without having to make that huge financial investment.
And so for me I actually use this lens at work.
This isn't my own personal lens.
So I have access to it through my job.
Something like the probe lens, that's where I kind of
keep in mind different uses that I'm gonna need it for.
And once I have a nice collection of shots
that I need that lens for specifically,
then I'll rent it for about $100,
and get all those shots that I need
that'll lost a long time, and then I can send it back.
I'd love to own my own copy of it,
but it's just not financially feasible.
So I just wanted to put that out there,
because if you're looking at a macro lens
and you think, ah I'd really love to use
that for some things, but I wouldn't use it all the time.
Renting it is probably a great way
to get access to high quality stuff
when you need it, and oftentimes even before you buy it.
And really early on in my camera journey,
I did get bit by the lens bug,
but become super interested in all kinds
of different lenses.
So if you're thinking about this or a different one,
I do have an entire playlist of lens-related videos
to help you out, give you some idea
of what might work best for you.
(happy music)