This isn’t a review, really. I’ve been using this lens for about a day. But I will go through a few quick words to say what I like about it thus far.

It focuses to 1:1. If my sensor is 24mm across (I don’t really know how long APS-C sensors are; that was arbitrary), then this lens can take an object that is 24mm wide and fill the entire frame with it. There initially was a lot of debate over whether or not using smaller sensors would yield a higher magnification. For all I know this debate still exists, although I have long been away from the forums and beginning sites that typically banter about such things. But for those of you who are wondering, the answer is no. Magnification stays the same, but the width of the sensor is smaller… 24mm fills 24mm. As a point of reference, an eyeball is a bit wider than whatever the sensor on a 20D is.

Physics aside, this is a great lens. It’s crazy sharp, for those of you who are into sharp (I put it at about #3 or #4 on my list of most important attributes), and it handles decently. Obviously there’s a lot of glass involved, and while it isn’t particularly heavy, it’s long enough to feel like the weight is resting pretty far forward if you’re using a non-pro body, like a 20-40D, or a Rebel of any variety. The only real point worth saying about ergonomics is that it’s a macro lens that you can keep when you upgrade to that shiny 5D (or the 1Ds Mark III for those of you who aren’t really into yachting). If you don’t care so much about those bigger cameras, get the smaller 60mm EF-s macro.

The autofocus doesn’t really seem quick, and at 2.8 with no Image Stabilizing built in, you’re probably not looking at a great low-light lens. But it does serve well for headshots, I think. Some people will argue that you shouldn’t use a sharptastic lens to do portraits, because then you see all of a person’s pores. You’re welcome to use your dreamy soft-focus effects all you like, but I find nothing more gravitating in a photo than a fantastically sharp eyeball.

Plus, if someone decides they want to know how many pores they have, I don’t see why they shouldn’t have that option.

I haven’t done any flower photos or teeny bugs or texture details on miniature train sets, all of which would undoubtedly marginally expand my already marginal site traffic, but frankly I haven’t had that use for it yet. There have been at least ten assignments at work that would have been incomparably easier with the use of a macro lens. Consequently, if you plan on doing any studio work shooting products, it might be worth getting this lens sooner rather than later. Then you’re free to shoot all the bugs in your free time that your heart desires.

You’ll be seeing a lot more of this lens in the coming days, and probably see an update with significantly more photos for examples, and possibly, higher quality jokes. (Yachting? Who says that?)

At any rate, I’ll leave you with a quick one-line review. This is a good macro lens. Buy it if you need a macro lens. IS would be nice, but it’s not that expensive. It’s also craptastically sharp, and that’s sharp enough for me.