Canon EF100mm f2.8 L IS USM Macro

[stevedevil]

Well finally saved my penny's and went out and got the Canon EF100mm f2.8 L IS USM Macro today...

 

Have spent hours playing with Spacers and tubes etc, to get frustrated when you get everything set up, and the insect dies of old age !!! lol

 

So time to have a go with a Macro Lens !!!

 

Roll on Summer :-)

 

Had a quick play to see image quality and how good the IS is.. Tripod Mounted of course

 

Of course, and advice, Tips and comments about the Lens gladly welcomed

 

Steve

[Paul]

I have this lens and it's bloody awesome!

 

One word of advice - if you are tripod mounting the camera, there is no need to have the IS turned on - it's as likely to introduce movement because the gyros are looking for movement.

 

Paul.

[stevedevil]

Thanks Paul, Yes noticed the old Hum from the lens today, will be putting it through its paces soon :-)

 

Steve 

[Black Pearl]

One of these days the mostly out of date thought that IS must be off when using a tripod will be corrected - in the mean time:

 

 

Using IS with a tripod

When using certain early models of IS lenses with a tripod it was necessary to turn off the IS function. This is because of a phenomenon known as ‘Shake Return’. Shake Return occurs when the IS system tries to correct vibrations to which the system itself contributes. When the IS lens sits on a tripod, the IS detection gyros pick up any tiny vibrations or movement; these might be caused by the tripod being knocked, or the photographer adjusting a camera setting.

The IS system then swings into action to correct that movement. The movement of the IS lens group causes its own minute vibration, which is in turn detected by the movement sensor, which triggers another correction. This ‘feedback loop’ can continue endlessly, resulting in the addition of unwanted blur to images that would be sharper if the IS function was switched off.

 

Canon addressed the ‘feedback loop’ in later model IS lenses by introducing an algorithm to the IS detection system to automatically recognise when the lens is mounted to a tripod. When these lenses are mounted on a tripod and the shutter button is pressed halfway, the IS system kicks in and the image in the viewfinder can be seen to go through a very slow vertical shift for about one second.

If the shutter button remains depressed halfway the IS system detects the lack of motion and automatically switches into a special mode. In this mode IS detects and corrects for mirror slap and shutter movement at slow speeds, but not for ‘normal’ lens shake. There is no advantage to be gained in turning off the IS function or locking the mirror prior to exposure.

 

The early model lenses which do not have this automatic function and which should have IS turned off (ie lock the IS correction lens group in place) when mounted on a tripod include the following lenses:

• EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
• EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
• EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
• EF300mm f/4L IS USM

[stevedevil]

 

One of these days the mostly out of date thought that IS must be off when using a tripod will be corrected - in the mean time:

 

 

Using IS with a tripod

When using certain early models of IS lenses with a tripod it was necessary to turn off the IS function. This is because of a phenomenon known as ‘Shake Return’. Shake Return occurs when the IS system tries to correct vibrations to which the system itself contributes. When the IS lens sits on a tripod, the IS detection gyros pick up any tiny vibrations or movement; these might be caused by the tripod being knocked, or the photographer adjusting a camera setting.

The IS system then swings into action to correct that movement. The movement of the IS lens group causes its own minute vibration, which is in turn detected by the movement sensor, which triggers another correction. This ‘feedback loop’ can continue endlessly, resulting in the addition of unwanted blur to images that would be sharper if the IS function was switched off.

 

Canon addressed the ‘feedback loop’ in later model IS lenses by introducing an algorithm to the IS detection system to automatically recognise when the lens is mounted to a tripod. When these lenses are mounted on a tripod and the shutter button is pressed halfway, the IS system kicks in and the image in the viewfinder can be seen to go through a very slow vertical shift for about one second.

If the shutter button remains depressed halfway the IS system detects the lack of motion and automatically switches into a special mode. In this mode IS detects and corrects for mirror slap and shutter movement at slow speeds, but not for ‘normal’ lens shake. There is no advantage to be gained in turning off the IS function or locking the mirror prior to exposure.

 

The early model lenses which do not have this automatic function and which should have IS turned off (ie lock the IS correction lens group in place) when mounted on a tripod include the following lenses:

• EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
• EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
• EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
• EF300mm f/4L IS USM

 

 

Many Thanks for that, I did read about this function before, but does seem to be a fairly slow way of taking the image, as usually on a tripod you have time to fix focus and switch to Manual, then to take the time to half press etc for a second when in Manual and exposed correctly, using remote trigger, the 1 second(ish) seems to be pointless waiting for... when I can switch the IS off ??

 

As said earlier though, I will put it through its paces on some "Fixed" Macro, to see what comes out sharper / better, as always learn hands on :-)

 

Steve