Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Reviews

This lens is very sharp, easily outperforming my
50 f/1.4 and 70-200 f/4L. The manual focus ring is very steady and smooth, and the built in hood adds convenience. I cannot say a negative thing about it.

This is one hell of a Len! I suspect the older design is optically even better than the newer USM version. The old len uses (10 elements, 9 groups) in construction, while the new len uses (12 elements in 8 groups) ... that is 2 pieces of glass less. If one is able to get a good copy, its resolving power can be frightening ... I can sometimes see details that I don't by my naked eyes ... that is how good it is!!! The only down side is .. it is not very fast in focusing as it does not come with USM. However, if you provide enough current to drive its internal micro motor by deploying 2 batteries in the power grip, it can be quite usable. I had used before the FD 85/1.2L, FD 135/2, FD 50/1.4 and Rollei HFT 50/1.4 planar but none can compete with this beast!

I own the 100mm f/2,8 USM Macro. (new version)
This Lens is not only sharp but also blazingly fast! I've compared it with the 150mm f/2,8 from Sigma and the Canon is sharper, faster(a lot), and lighter(60% of the Sigma). The working distance is 15cm of the front element.
I'm totally satisfied.

One of the sharpest lenses I own. Of course it's superb for macro, but I find it also superb for portraits on full 35mm format. What most people are not aware of is that the newer, USM, version is also superb for astrophotography, at f2.8! Example here, sharp stars corner to corner: