Could be
We're told to expect 2 new Macro lenses to be launched. Possibly in August with the new SLR(s).
EF 100 f/2.8 IS Macro
EF 200mm f/3.5L IS Macro
We're told the current 100 Macro would remain current for the time being. There won't be an update to an EF-S macro.
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33 Comments
But IS on a macro for insects?
Insects move and IS only compensates for camera/lens movement. The background may be sharper but the subject won’t as it moves.
Maybe the lens is aimed at portrait users too.
IS is of little use to me on a macro lens. Nikon’s 105mm VR isn’t very effective at macro distances, even they have to admit, so I don’t think I’d spend the money for it on a Canon lens either.
Now, if it were a dual purpose lens being used a lot for non-macro shooting, that might be different. The 100mm is somewhat of a dual purpose lens, in the current USM version and with the focus limiter engaged it focuses quickly enough to double as a moderate tele or portrait lens at non-macro distances. But, it’s also not difficult to hand hold, particularly as higher ISOs continue to improve in the cameras.
About the only reason the current 100mm f2.8 isn’t already “blessed” with L status is that it just doesn’t need the exotic glass, which is one of Canon’s criteria for and definitions of an L lens. Painting a red stripe on the front of the 100mm won’t improve it’s image quality one bit. It’s already a fine lens and Canon really needs to focus their attention elsewhere, but will most probably just come out with more zooms since that’s what consumers tend to want and where they make the most sales.
The 180mm f3.5 macro is already a fine lens, too, although it’s not very dual purpose due to it’s slower auto focus even when you properly use the focus limiter switch. That’s pretty hard to overcome since there will always need to be a lot of travel to focus the lens from 1:1 to infinity, and I really can’t imagine that a 200/3.5 would be any better.
Well, we didn’t hear anything this week, but will soon enough.
I forgot to mention…
Actually, I think it more likely that the 200/2.8 II might get IS, rather than any of the macro lenses. That would make a ton of sense and that lens would become a lot more useful for folks with crop sensor cameras. An update of the IS on the 300/4 and finally adding it to the 400/5.6 would be two other really good possibilities!
There does appear to be a more effective IS version out now, even leaving aside the “hybrid” talked about in the press release… The more recent lenses intoduced with it seem to be rated for a good four stops or so worth of assistance from the current generation of IS (70-200/4, 200/2 and 800/5.6). Earlier generations of IS were rated for two to three stops. So I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see updates of some of the premium lenses that already use it, incorporating a revised IS but largely leaving the optical designs alone. The likely candidates include the 70-200/2.8 IS, 300/2.8, 400/4 DO, 400/2.8, 500/4 and 600/4.