Canon RF 100mm f2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens

A welcome addition to Canon's esteemed RF lens line up, the Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Lens is a feat of optical performance and engineering. The lens's complex and intricate optical structure comprised of 17 lens elements arranged into 13 groups. This includes a floating focusing lens system that is driven by a Dual Nano USM autofocusing system that delivers lightning-fast, smooth and accurate AF performance with a near-silent operation. A defining feature of this lens is the addition of a specially designed Spherical Aberration Control ring that offers enhanced and expressive control of depth of field and bokeh, allowing you to alter the look of your bokeh and defocus both in front and behind your subject. As well as this, the lens provides up to 5-stop of image stabilisation compensation, and this can be increased when pairing this lens with a compatible RF-Mount Canon camera that features IBIS. Again, this lens is a feat of engineering and photographic understanding.

Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Lens Key Features:

• An incredible 1.4x magnification & close focusing distance of just 26cm
• As easily a fantastic portrait lens as it is an amazing macro lens
• Lens structure comprised of 17 lens elements in 13 groups
• Dual Nano USM autofocusing system for fast & precise AF
• A 9-rounded blade aperture diaphragm for stunning bokeh
• Wide, bright and fast F2.8 for all shooting scenarios
• Specially designed Spherical Aberration Control ring
• Enhanced & expressive control over Bokeh and soft focus
• A lens control ring enables quick control of your settings
• Hybrid Image Stabiliser offering up to 5-stops compensation
• Up to 8-stops with coordinated in-body image stabilisation (IBIS)
• Super Spectra and Fluorine coatings increase image-quality
• Impressive, high-quality and premium build quality
• Made for use on Canon RF-Mount mirrorless cameras

Expanded Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Lens Key Features:

Fast, Smooth & Precise AF

The Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Lens is afforded an advanced autofocusing system that uses two Nano USM AF motors to quickly and precisely drive the lens's optical elements. This drive system works in near silence which is perfect for those situations where discretion is key. To bring down the size of the lens and to provide faster and closer focusing, Canon used a floating lens group and it's this that requires the power of two focus motors. One of the Nano USM motors deals with conventional focusing whilst the second is used for the floating lens group which is driven independently which allows for suppressed focus breathing and Canon's SA control.

Enhanced Control

This powerful lens is equipped with a Spherical Aberration (SA) Control ring mechanism which is used to alter and enhance the look of the bokeh and defocus both in front and behind your subject. With the wide, fast and bright maximum aperture of f2.8, you already have enhanced control of depth-of-field, but this control ring provides even more expressive control, allowing you to get creative with the way your audience interprets your images. In addition to this, the RF 100mm has another control ring on the lens barrel that grants control of an electronic cam that is used to independently change the location of the focusing and floating lens groups along the barrel which in turn, alters the spherical aberration resulting in different bokeh effects e.g. more circular or elongated.

Super-Stable and Ready-To-Go

For standard use of this lens, you can utilise the powerful optical Hybrid Image stabiliser that offers up to 5-stop of compensation alone, or up to 8-stops when used with a camera that features an In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) system e.g. the Canon EOS R5 . This of course means that you can confidently shoot stills or video footage handheld without the appearance of distracting handshake movements.

Shooting at such a high magnification, vibrations from handheld shooting or any exterior movements are vastly exaggerated and will often be more noticeable when you come to your post-production editing process. To combat this, the Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Lens and its Hybrid Image Stabilisation can provide up to 2-stops of image stabilisation at 1x magnification. This, of course, is increased when you use this lens with a compatible Canon RF-mount camera that features its own IBIS, and the combination between this system and Canon's high-speed RF communication results in vastly improved performance excelling that of even the best Canon EF lenses.

Our Review

Why we love the Canon RF 100mm f2.8 L Macro IS USM Lens:

• The lens features a 1.4x magnification over the 1x magnification we’ve seen in other Canon 100mm lenses. And, it has a minimum focusing distance that allows you to be almost touching your subject and therefore, you’re able to capture an incredible level of detail.
• The macro capabilities of this lens are phenomenal, but this lens is super-versatile - doubling as an exceptional portrait lens and allows you to have complete control of your image composition.
• The Dual Nano USM motors offer insanely quick and accurate autofocusing performance. This is particularly evident when used on the likes of Canon’s R5 which already has an impressive AF system.

Use this lens for:

• Macro, macro, macro. This lens has the ability to capture incredible detail of miniature subjects. But as mentioned, this lens offers much more. Its control of depth of field and compositional capabilities allow it to be used for portraiture and even landscape photography!

Look and feel:

• Similar to other RF lens builds - tough and rugged black plastic shell. It feels reliable and durable - oh, and it’s dust and weather-sealed!
• It weighs 730g which is relatively lightweight and because of that and its optical versatility, it’s a lens that can and should be part of your kit bag.
• There’s a range of on-lens controls that are intuitive and super-easy to use while shooting. The control ring that#s featured on many RF lenses can be configured to change settings in-camera e.g. aperture, shutter speed or ISO.

Is it better?

• If we compare this to Canon’s EF 100mm lens, we see very similar results when it comes to image quality. There are benefits to both lenses but the RF version does have the edge when it comes to the AF speed. But depending on your subjects, this might not be beneficial.
• The addition of the Spherical Aberration control ring - this is something new for this lens that allows you to change the shape of your bokeh and soften your subject focus. It can create some interesting effects but, it’s not for everyone. Fortunately, you can lock the switch if you don’t want to use it.

What's in the box?

• 1 x Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Lens
• 1 x E-67 II Lens Cap
• 1 x ET-73C Lens Hood
• 1 x LP1222 Lens Pouch
• 1 x Front Lens Cap
• 1 x Rear Lens Cap

Canon RF 100mm F2.8L Macro IS USM Lens Sample Images:

FAQs:

Is this lens weather-resistant?

This lens is resistant to both dust and moisture, and features a fluorine coating on the front element that helps to repel water.

Can I use an extender with this lens?

This lens is not compatible with any lens extenders.

How much does this lens weigh and is it suitable for handheld shooting?

The lens weighs in at 730g and features some powerful image stabilisation which is increased when using an RF-Mount camera with IBIS. So, this lens is more than suitable for handheld shooting!

Does this lens come with a lens hood?

Canon's ET-73C lens hood is included when you get this lens.