60mm vs 100mm Macro

zbo2408 · Nov 28, 2011

I have a Rebel XSi and I am ready to get my first lens upgrade from the kit 18-55 & 55-250. I want to get a macro lens and I have narrowed it down to these 2

Canon EF-s 60mm f/2.8 USM macro
vs
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM macro

I had convinced myself the 60mm was the way to go with the thought that it would be a solid portrait lens as well. BUT on more thought if I want to upgrade to a full frame sensor camera in a few years the 100mm will work where as the 60mm is crop sensor only. And the benefit of the 100mm and being further away the subject.

Just looking for any thoughts or suggestions from more experienced camera people.

Thanks

:thumbup:

oldmacman · Nov 28, 2011

I have tried to use the 100mm macro as a portrait lens in the past and it is a very slow focuser. It's not bad if you are adept at manual focusing.

Derrel · Nov 28, 2011

I have owned the Canon 100mm EF-USM macro for about five years now. It's a good lens. AF is a bit fiddly at portrait distances...and by that I mean the AF action is sooooooo rapid at 5,6,7,8,9,10,12,15,20 feet that is is critical to aim the AF brackets PRECISELY....this lens is NOT really a good "field or sports" type of 100mm lens, like some other designs that are meant to be used at longer camera to subject distances, like in portraiture or sports or outdoor use in general. This issue is one that is sort of common with many macro lenses, from many manufacturers. I own a Nikon 60mm f/2.8 AF macro also, and I use it mostly for documents...to me, the 60mm macro length on 1.5x is a "document/artwork/plant" lens...it is far too short for butterflies or other skittish creatures. I find a lot of use for a 100mm macro, but not that much use for the 60mm.

I would NOT buy a new, expensive, crop-lens macro design....just would not do it. I advocate buying macro lenses used.

Big Mike · Nov 28, 2011

The one benefit of the 60mm (besides maybe price) is that it's nice and small....which can be great for a lens that might not use very often, but want to have in your bag, just in case. For example, a wedding photograph usually has to pack their bag carefully and consider the size (and sometimes weight) of what goes in and what stays home. The 60mm doesn't take up much room compared to the 100mm.

But other than that (and maybe price) I'd go with the 100mm all the way. And yes, as these typically don't get a lot of hard use, buying used can be a great way to save a lot of money on a lens is good condition.

jake337 · Nov 28, 2011

Have you considered third party used. Tokina, sigma, and tamron make great macro lens as well. I own the tokina atx pro d 100mm f2.8 macro and it's one of my favorite lens. If you want to use it for portraits as well, check out the number of diaphragm blades and style of blades(straight, rounded) it has, as this may give you a hint of the lens bokeh. Also search flickr and pixel peeper tom see examples from each, possibly from the same camera your using.

ashleykaryl · Nov 29, 2011

The principal benefits of the 100mm macro is that it will be a good portrait lens if you move to a full frame camera in the future plus it will allow you stay further away from the subject, so that there is less risk of covering the light source with your body and throwing the scene into shadow. This is particularly important with macro images where you need to get in close by default.

zbo2408 · Nov 30, 2011

Appreciating the input!

I have pretty much decided on getting the 100mm canon. The working distance provided by the 100vs60 and full frame compatibility being the 2 main deciding factors.

I did not consider used OR third party. I am sure there are great used lenses and great 3rd party lenses. But this is something I will have indefinitely and I would just prefer to spend the little extra money to have it new. And without being able to explain why (lets chock it up to marketing) I would just like to stick with the canon products at this point in time.

ashleykaryl · Nov 30, 2011

zbo2408 said:
Appreciating the input!

I have pretty much decided on getting the 100mm canon. The working distance provided by the 100vs60 and full frame compatibility being the 2 main deciding factors.

I did not consider used OR third party. I am sure there are great used lenses and great 3rd party lenses. But this is something I will have indefinitely and I would just prefer to spend the little extra money to have it new. And without being able to explain why (lets chock it up to marketing) I would just like to stick with the canon products at this point in time.

I can't really fault the logic of anything you have said. The 100mm macro is definitely one of those lenses you want to keep forever and isn't something that goes in or out of fashion. I bought mine many years ago but it is still the sharpest lens I own and the consistency across the aperture range is exceptional. These days I use the 24-105L most of the time but I still view the 100mm macro as an indispensable option that stays in my camera bag.

I believe the Tamron 90mm macro is supposed to be a good lens but having tried a few Tamrons and Sigmas over the years I've come to the conclusion that Canon is simply a better a choice. That has nothing to do with marketing but is based on real world professional experience.

jake337 · Dec 1, 2011

ashleykaryl said:
zbo2408 said:

Appreciating the input!

I have pretty much decided on getting the 100mm canon. The working distance provided by the 100vs60 and full frame compatibility being the 2 main deciding factors.

I did not consider used OR third party. I am sure there are great used lenses and great 3rd party lenses. But this is something I will have indefinitely and I would just prefer to spend the little extra money to have it new. And without being able to explain why (lets chock it up to marketing) I would just like to stick with the canon products at this point in time.

Click to expand...

I can't really fault the logic of anything you have said. The 100mm macro is definitely one of those lenses you want to keep forever and isn't something that goes in or out of fashion. I bought mine many years ago but it is still the sharpest lens I own and the consistency across the aperture range is exceptional. These days I use the 24-105L most of the time but I still view the 100mm macro as an indispensable option that stays in my camera bag.

I believe the Tamron 90mm macro is supposed to be a good lens but having tried a few Tamrons and Sigmas over the years I've come to the conclusion that Canon is simply a better a choice. That has nothing to do with marketing but is based on real world professional experience.

I still wouldn't leave the tokina out of the running. It scores higher in most of the test areas compared to the canon and is built like a tank. In fact, regarding sharpness, it scores higher center to border at every aperture besides f32(diffractionville!).

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Dec 1, 2011

I would go with the 100mm if you do not need it to do double duty. I have the Tamron 60mm f/2 which I use more for portraits than Macro so it has earned a spot in my bag for now. It is small and light though, so its nice for a walk around macro lens. However, for the 1:1 shots, I have found that 100mm will be a much better focal distance. In fact even less than 1:1 I find myself using my 70-200 and extension tubes more often than that 60mm.

ashleykaryl · Dec 1, 2011

I don't think any of the manufacturers make a poor quality macro in terms of sharpness these days but one of the reasons I stick with Canon now is for consistency in colour and contrast across the range as I change lenses on a job. It's easier to some extent now with digital to smooth out the differences on post production that were once a real problem with film but even so having all Canon lenses tends to keep things more equal at the shooting stage. N.B I have noticed higher contrast and richer colours in the L series lenses though.

I believe the Tokina lenses mentioned by jake337 are noted for their solid build but I've been very disappointed by Tamron of late. I actually wrote a blog post that covered this subject a while back Canon 24-105L For Glamour And Nude Photography | Nude Photo Pro

shootermcgavin · Dec 1, 2011

I've got the 100mm and so far it's the only thing I really like that I have of Canon. I love the macro work with it and the portraits I have done have turned out great. I will say I get a high number of what I think is camera shake with the lens. I haven't had the problem with any other lenses but for some reason I just get a great deal more of bad photos with this one. I'm glad I bought it and have not considered it a bad purchase. I personally think it focuses very fast. I use it on a 60d and like you am thinking full frame secondary camera down the road.

jake337 · Dec 1, 2011

I forgot to ask the big question. Are we all talking about the canon 100mm f2.8 IS or the 100mm f2.8 L Is?

If your talking about the L then yes, get the L, don't look back!

If not the L, I'd still vouch for the tokina, 9 rounded aperture blades versus 8 straights. I'll take the 9 rounded blades!