Canon EF-S 60 mm F/2.8 Lens (German MPN)

The EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM is an excellent lens with good, tight build quality and enviable image performance. The EF-S (short-focus) design with a rigid plastic housing allows for a lightweight, compact design that is easy to carry without compromising the image quality. The USM focus is fast and silent with full-time manual override, and the images are sharp all the way to the 1:1 (lifesize) magnification. In a pinch, it's a passable portrait lens, too. The 60mm Macro accepts inexpensive 52mm-diameter filters.

The 60mm f/2.8 Macro is arguably the best true 1:1 macro in Canon's lineup for crop-factor digital cameras, meaning all digitals except the 5D and 1D series bodies. On one side, the EF 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro is cheaper, but with cheaper build quality to match, and it only supports 1:2 maximum magnification. On the other side, the 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM costs about $150 more (and the 100mm L costs a whole lot more).

The lens has only two disadvantages that I've observed: First, it occasionally hunts when focusing to infinity, which is not unreasonable for a dedicated macro lens. Second, for any macro lens, 1:1 magnification is achieved at two times the 35mm-equivalent focal length, which at 60mm is:

60mm focal length * 1.6 crop factor * 2.0 distance = 192mm (about 7.5 inches)

Some living subjects won't let a photographer get that close, and it's easy to bump right into the subject when lining up a shot at that distance, particularly if using the ET-67B lens hood. For those situations, one of the 100mm or 180mm Macro lenses will be essential and the buyer will pay handsomely for it. For everything else, consider this lens. At this price point and application, it is an excellent value.

I love this lens. It has a solid fit to the camera (I used a 20D and now a 40D with it), tight fitting lens hood, and overall solid construction. Being a prime lens, the focus ring is the only moving part.

I find the focusing to be fast, especially compared to the 50mm Macro, and being USM it is near silent. It can focus very close, and produces excellent sharpness and contrast. This is a great lens and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase it again for a crop sensor camera. The only downside is inherent to the focal length - you must be very close for 1:1 macro shots, and the background isn't as blurred as the 100mm or 180mm macro lenses would be. That said, it doubles as an excellent portrait lens and it perfect for product shots (or for selling stuff on eBay!).

Love it!

The title that ebay gave this is a bit wrong, because this lens is also for the XT, Rebel, and 30D (as of this writing). Basically anything that fits the EF-S mount.

I just love, love, love this lens. I only wish they made this in EF mount, because that is where I'm heading body wise. Currently this has the closest focusing distance of the canon line-up. This lens is SUPER sharp. I use this lens for macro work on bugs and flowers. I'll also use it to do some aquarium work, since I can basically put the lens to the glass and remove any sort of reflections and distortion. The reason why I list that as a benefit is because of the focusing distance. If I were to have another lens, I would have to back away from the glass for the lens to focus on the subject. USM is very fast and accurate. I will say that when doing macro work, you need a steady hand, bump up the speed, or use a tripod. You can definitely see your hand shake in the viewfinder. It also has very nice bokeh.

Final verdict: This lens is one of my favorite, and is worth the money.

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I'm glad I went with this lens. After investigating many options I felt a lens that was optimized by the manufacturer to work with their digital camera would be the best bet. The price was also a factor and for under $400 this lens is worth every penny. I love to take macro photos of flowers so contrast, color and above all sharpness is my main concern. This lens did not let me down in any of these areas. Even wide open at a reasonably fast f/2.8 the frame looks sharp from edge to edge. Team this lens up with a quality macro ring flash and you will have a killer combo that will make you the envy of all your photo buddies. For a 1:1 magnifaction ratio, great build quality and pin sharp pictures this lens is a winner.

This lens is perfect for macro photography allowing the shooter a 1:1 ratio. It is relatively light, the auto-focus works well, although a bit slow, and the optics are fantastic. It also a darn good portrait lens.
I would recommend this lens to any serious photographer with an EOS Digital SLR Camera.