Canon EF 100mm F/2 USM vs Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L Macro IS USM — Which Is Better?

The Canon EF 100mm F/2.8L Macro IS USM and the Canon EF 100mm F/2 USM are both full-frame primes on the EF mount, so either covers the same frame on the same Canon EOS bodies. They aim at different work, though. The F/2.8L Macro, from 2009, is built around life-size close-up photography, while the F/2, from 1991, is a fast, compact telephoto for portraits and detail.

The F/2 is the lighter, shorter lens for a smaller kit. It weighs 1 lb 0.2 oz (460 g) and measures 2.91 in (74 mm) long, against 1 lb 6 oz (625 g) and 4.84 in (123 mm) for the Macro. The Macro is also slightly wider, at 3.07 in versus 2.95 in.

Their filter threads differ, so filters fit directly on only one lens at a time. The F/2 takes 58mm filters and the Macro takes 67mm, and both accept front filters.

For close-up work, the Macro is the clear choice. It focuses to 1 ft (30 cm) and reaches 1x magnification, so a flower or insect fills the frame at life size. The F/2 stops at 3 ft (90 cm) and 0.14x, which keeps it a modest close-focus telephoto rather than a macro tool.

The F/2 answers with a brighter aperture for portraits, letting in more light at f/2 than the Macro can at f/2.8 and drawing tighter backgrounds of a distant subject. Both focus automatically and offer a manual focusing ring at the same 100mm focal length.

The Macro offers image stabilization with a 4-stop rating, which helps handheld shooting in lower light. It also has weather sealing, a practical advantage for outdoor work in rain or dust. The F/2 offers neither stabilization nor sealing.

In a shared limitation, neither lens supports a teleconverter or a fluorine coating on the front element.

The Macro uses a more elaborate optical design, with 15 elements in 12 groups, including one low-dispersion element that helps control chromatic aberration. The F/2 is a simpler 8-element, 6-group construction with no special-dispersion elements.

The F/2 has internal focusing, so the barrel does not extend while focusing. The Macro extends toward the subject as it focuses closer, which is worth remembering when working at very short distances.