It was quite a while since the last time I researched for new lens. Today I have just found out that Canon has recently – back in September 1st 2009 to be precise – released a newcomer into its highly acclaimed premium L series, and surprisingly it is the upgraded version of its very popular 1:1 Macro lens, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM.

Owning the older version EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro which I used mostly for product photography as well as sometimes shooting bugs or flowers for fun, I have been wondering why Canon does not put image stabilizer in the lens. For macro it is essential as in extreme magnification even the slightest shake can make a disaster. On the other hand, shooting bugs which sometimes hide under some sort f shade needs slow shutter speed. It has quite a wide opening of f/2.8, but in extreme magnification, opening the lens that wide in many cases does not allow us to get desired depth of field.

The image stabilizer system comes with this lens is of the most advanced technology called Hybrid IS which theoretically gives 4 stops correction. It is just awesome. Theoretically the slowest shutter speed for good quality hand-held shoots are at 1/focal length. So for 100mm lens we are talking about minimum speed of 1/100. One stop means a half, so four stops from 1/100 means four times halved 100 which is 1/6.75. In extreme magnification the specification talks about 2 stops correction, which in the same calculation means we can shoot as slow as 1/25, not bad at all.

With this lens, IS is not the only thing helping us in preventing shake. Low friction ceramic balls support the moving elements, which allows for the amazingly smooth movement. Additionally it has a tripod collar.

On the other hand, as macro lens is not only used by hobbyist addicted to shooting bugs having sexual intercourse but also professional product photographers, L optical quality can give a significant quality improvement to the end result.

It is very tempting to own one to replace my old one which lacks of both image stabilizer and L optical quality. Build quality of L series is also awesome, but as I mostly use it for product photography I do not really care about its dust and water resistant sealing. But more accurate auto focus helps product photographers whilst faster auto focus helps bug shooters. I do not even want to have a try, believing in its quality, I do not need a try it before buying one.

Below is the launching press release:

Canon announces the arrival of the
first EF lens to feature Hybrid IS

London, UK, 1st September 2009: Canon today announces the launch of the high performance EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, the latest addition to its prestigious L-series, Canon’s flagship professional lens range. The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM incorporates image stabilisation in a macro lens for the first time in the EOS lens range. This enables photographers to capture stunning close-up shots without the need for a tripod.

The high quality, medium telephoto macro lens, has been developed for photographers who demand the highest level of optical quality.  The new Hybrid IS system features up to 4-stop correction, compensating for the effects of camera shake, during normal shooting. Low friction ceramic balls support the moving elements, which allows for the amazingly smooth movement – needed when compensating for camera shake during macro shooting.  Hybrid IS corrects shift movement – problematic when shooting up close -as well as angular movement providing photographers with the benefit of up to 2 stops at 1.0x magnification.

The EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM features ultra low dispersion (UD) lenses that correct colour aberration for high resolution, high contrast images while the addition of Super Spectra coatings effectively reduce ghosting and flare for superior quality images. A nine blade circular aperture makes subjects stand out amid beautiful background blur and a silent, high-speed ring type USM Autofocus motor quickly achieves focus. The lens also includes a three position focus limiter to tailor the focus system range to the desired subject.

As part of the L-series the lens features dust and water resistant seals.  Sitting ahead of the EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro, within the range, the EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM supports a full range of accessories including: Tripod Mount D, Macro Lite adaptor 67, Lens Hood ET-73 and EF12 II and EF25 II extension tubes. The tripod mount attaches to the lens without the need for an adaptor enabling quick portrait or landscape switching without having to reframe the camera. Speedlites MR-14EX and MT-24EX can be attached using the MacroLite adaptor.

The easiest setup is using the flash. But there are many issues in using flash for macro photography. When the object is too close and falls into the shadow of the lens, on-camera flash may not be able to illuminate it. Taking the flash off the camera – either wired or wireless – can somehow overcome this problem. The second issue is that for macro, even the smallest flash power can be too harsh and burns out details in overcast.

To overcome these two issues,  equipment manufacturers like Canon and Nikon offers their own version of macro ring light. Illuminating evenly from a circle instead of monolight, it gives softer illumination which is perfect for very close distance. Attached at the front tip of the lens, it ensures correct illumination regardles how close the object is. Later on they also offer newer twin light instead of ring. Some other third-party manufacturers like Sigma also offer similar product. The trap here however is price which plays at around $500 at least.

I did not pay real attention the first time I heard a new product called StarLite. Attached to shoe-mounted flash, StarLite basically direct the ligher blown by the flash into a kind of tunnel, formed as a ring around the lens. My first logical impression was a doubt whether light can be tunnelled around like water, especially at a speed which match the shutter. However, after a few discussions with a friend who – though he may not be a real professional – had a number of product photography assignments, all of which invloved small products like foods and electonic gadgets, I decided to put the investment.

When I ordered one, I got to know that it has different sizes to fit different combination of flash and camera body. Distance between the mounted flash-head and lens is the most critical measurement, whilst size of flash-head can be a bit more flexible. My setup of Canon 550EX and Canon EOS 5D requires the largest size which costed me about $75.

When it arrived, I was a bit surprised with the size of the box. Inside was the unit plus a rubber strap was supplied to protect the flash head from scratch made by the pastic attachment. Finish was quite okay for Chinese product. Don’t compare to branded products like Nikon and Canon. Chinese product is Chiense product, it ranges from crap to okay, never good or even excellent. Okay is the best thing you could ever get.

First the rubber strap goes into the flash head, then plastic mounting goes in to fit around the flash head. The mounting is a bit flexible so it may fit a fews different types with not so much different size. Velcro strap is available to tighten the mounting. Then the light ring gets around the lens before mounting the flash hot shoe onto the camera. Quite a simple procedure, just need a bit of extra care.

Whilst the specification mentioned that E-TTL (I-TTL on Nikon) works, after a few shots I found out that there was a bit of light lost. So shooting in E-TTL, a bit of flash compensation is required. In my experience 2/3 is about right almost all situation I tested. But I do not really care as I found that for these kind of shots, I prefer to go for manual setting.

To a surprise, the result is quite satisfactory. Object is evenly lit in soft but adequate lighting. The only trap is that ligting evenly distributed around the object, resulting in rather dull and flat result. Most situations can be worked around by  taking it from bit of angled direction. But in certain situations when depth of field is very thin, taking angled shot may not give enough. But knowing that the same result will be produced in using dedicated, branded ring light, it is not a real issue. Maybe this is the reason why manufacturers then offer twin light, each of which can be controlled separately.

I was told that another area where this equipment shoud work – I have never tested though – is portraiture. I understand that there are ring light for portraiture especially in studio works, however, its circle tends to be quite large, larger than human face. I am not sure if thish small ring can do the same.

I started to explore other technique ever since, and one of my favorite is reversed lens. Reversed adapter ring was quite difficult to get. The only way I found is to buy at Adorama, which for quite a cheap good, shipping cost and custom bill would exceed the price of the purchase itself. Luckily someone responded to my post on a local online forum. I got a Nikon lens reversed adapter BR2A for about $25, delivered to my door. Used, but in good shape. It even still had its box and user instruction sheet.

• Trying all suitable lenses I have, which are 35mm F2.8 AI-S, 50mm F1.2AI, AF 50mm F1.4, and AF-S 18-55mm F4.5-5.6G IF-ED, I finally get the perfect pair, AF 50mm F1.4. Benefit of this setup are:
• This light and short setup gave all convenience I need on the field.
• Magnification ratio was fixed at 1.1 life-size, which was a bit higher than dedicated macro lens.
• Nikon’s optical excellence.
• With maximum aperture of F1.4, it gives better light and DOF control over dedicated macro lens.
• And finally, cheap. With a lens which I already had, it only took $30 out of my wallet. Definitely not comparable to even the cheapest, oldest, dedicated macro lens.

The only negative I could see was manual focus. But I personally did not see it as negative anyway. With my Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX, I almost never use AF. In almost all cases, I set it to manual focus, drag to the highest magnification , and focus only by moving the camera back and forward before pressing the shutter down. It was exactly the same way I had to do with reversed-lens setup.

When higher precision or slower speed needed, I would lock the setup in macro focusing rail. There many brands available. I use Super-Mag Slider from Velbon.