All equipment has it's limitations and this is what can make Photography so interesting and fun. Just this lens has the least amount of limitions of all my lenses. I currently use Sigma 17-50 f2.8, Canon 24-105 f4 L, Canon 35mm f1.4 L and now this Beauty. hehee.

Please get over the Plasitic Body here it works tremendously well, first off in saving you weight / waterproofing and price. The optics here are shaper then my 35mm "L" Prime. I haven't been able to have time to put this lens through its paces yet. But I can tell you so far. I am amazed with its Distance focusing switch capabilities. Helping you get superior shots hand held and any distance. At .5m to Infinity this lens auto focus is stunning for a true Macro lens (1:1 magnification). Yes it's slower then my prime but not as slow as I have read described, only about 1/3 to 1/2 second slower.

The full time Manual focus is perfect and needed for Profession Studio work. Combined with a tripod any one can achieve maximum sharpness. This lens reaches f32 on my 7D. This is a great lens for doing double duty and being used equally as well for Portrait work. I can also feel and see the results of the new Hybrid focusing system in my shots. Simple stunning. I also found the Tolerance in Aperture and boken control to be the best of all my lenses. Meaning easier and more control plus feel over the full Aperture range. The Boken on my 35mm f1.4 L prime can be Dreamy or Creamy wide open, but on this lense seems much more refined and controlled.

The Non-l 100mm prime is sharp, but not as sharp as this lens, Plus with all the other features. Hybrid focusing system, waterproofing. distance range focusing switch you really get your moneys worth. I promise.

I buy all my lenses at Unique because they have always let me test lenses in there store. Thanks Unique Photo. vik (Posted on 7/16/11)

I am speachless as to the quality of the photos with this lens. Indoor, low light photos come out sharp and clean. I use this primarily for macro with fish and aquaria life. most photos can be shot without a tripod. The only issue I have seen is that the hybrid IS will not compensate for focal distance as much as I was expecting (Swaying in and away from the subject). This of course is corrected by bracing myself appropriatly. The up/down and left to right stablization works very well as in most cases. This lens is well worth the extra money vs the old 100mm macro just for the additional IS capability alone. Most macro photos that I take require low light of which this lens is well suited. The focus is quick and very sharp. I would recommend this to anyone that needs a great action lens for sports, portrait or, of course, macro. (Posted on 2/11/10)