From the Manufacturer
Another option in high-speed moderate telephotos, this compact lens is ideal for portraits and low-light work. Compared to the 85mm f/1.8 USM lens, it provides that little bit extra of telephoto power sometimes necessary outdoors or for candid shooting. Like the 85mm, it?s super-sharp (even wide-open), and has fast USM autofocus along with full-time manual focusing. A medium telephoto lens with a large aperture brings the subject closer, creates excellen…
Buy Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM Telephoto Lens for Canon SLR Cameras at Amazon
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this lens. I’d previously tried a friend’s and was quite impressed with the sharpness from f2.2/2.5 onward, and the bokeh around f2.8/3.2. Upon purchasing the lens, I was overjoyed to discover both better sharpness (impressive wide open and just great by 2.2/2.5 in most circumstances) and smoother bokeh. I’ve also done some comparing of my lens with an 85mm f/1.8 that I used to own and I’m quite a bit more impressed with the CA performance at wide apertures with the 100mm than with the 85mm: at f/2, CA is present in high contrast situations, but not nearly as bad as with my 85mm; by f/2.5-2.8, the CA is already greatly reduced; and, by f/3.2-4, it’s nearly absent. For a non-L, the contrast and color are great, as well. For the cost, size, and capability, I have yet to use a more impressive prime!
I originally bought this lens for use with an Elan II film SLR back in 2003. It was extraordinary. The bokeh, focal length, and extreme background blur made it my favorite lens.
Fast forward to 2005. I bought a Canon Digital Rebel. Now my 100/2 was a 160/2. That’s too long for indoor portraits and too short to be a real telephoto. It also had a lot more depth of field, and thus noticeably less background blur. Slowly, I noticed that I wasn’t using it as often, or really at all. So I sold it and bought a 50/1.4.
That’s the unfortunate thing with this lens. As an optic, it’s excellent. Fairly sharp from f/2, good contrast, fast and silent AF, and only moderate color fringing. But the focal length is just *so* inconvenient. This 100/2 feels cramped for space indoors, but too short to get up close and personal outdoors. The optical design is also optimized for close distances, so if you try to use it for distant objects at larger apertures like a real telephoto, fine detail disappears. It’s also incompatible with Canon teleconverters, though you wouldn’t really want to attach one anyway.
What I used this lens for on my Elan II was flattering women. It’s extremely good at that. My 50/1.4 serves a similar purpose now, but at an 80mm equivalent, it’s a bit on the short side. The best option would be a 70/1.4, but alas, that doesn’t exist.
If you’re considering this lens for a body with a 1.6X cropped sensor (all Rebels and the 20D-50D), consider the 85/1.8 instead. They’re similar designs, but the 135mm equivalent is just inside the standard portrait range, and you may like it better.
I love this lens. I bought it basically because it is the longest focal length with a really large aperture under $500 ($925 for the 135 f2 and $4800 for the 200 f2). It focuses quick and is razor sharp, even wide open (I find I shoot with it 95% of the time at f2.0). On my crop sensor 40D it acts as a short telephoto and allows me to capture great action and tight portraits with perfectly blurred backgrounds.
My one and only complaint is the lens hood attachment is not the best design. Definitely not large enough an issue to deduct a star.