Which 100mm macro lens should I choose for my full-frame camera?

Before launching into our comparisons, let’s take a little closer look at how the two versions of the Tamron lens perform:

Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO mounted on a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III and on a Nikon D3X:

With a DxOMark overall score of 23 for the Canon mount and 22 for the Nikon, the two 90mm Macros are for all intents and purposes identical.

Strong points:

• Excellent sharpness.
• No distorsion.
• Attractive price.
• Very reasonable weight.

Weak points:

• Vignetting, with a loss of 1EV in the last 1/3 of the field at f/2.8.
• Noticeable chromatic aberrations in the corners.

What might be the best 100mm macros for Canon cameras?

DxO Mark Score:

And the winners are …

• 1st place at 28: Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZE Canon.
• 2nd place at 25: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM.
• 3rd place at 23 (tie): Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO Canon and Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Canon.
• 4th place at 18: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.

Of note for those with a limited budget, Sigma and Tamron offer very satisfactory alternatives in terms of image quality… and which are nearly 2 times less expensive than the L series.

Also note that the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM is a bit dated: there is a 10-year gap between the first and fourth versions.

Comparison: Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO Canon vs Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Canon vs Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM on a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II

Comparison: Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO Canon vs Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM vs Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZE Canon on a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III

The most and least sharp:

• The most, at 59 lp/mm: Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZE Canon
• The least, at 57 lp/mm (3-way tie!):
  • Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
  • Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO Canon
  • Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Note: The difference between the Zeiss and the other cameras is very small, and in fact all the lenses have excellent sharpness.

The most and the least bright:

• The most, at 2.2 T-stop: Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZE Canon
• The least, at 3.4 T-stop: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM

Note: The difference of 1.25 EV can be important under low-light conditions.

The most and least amount of vignetting (again, “the most” is not good here):

• The most, at -1.5EV (2-way tie!): Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZE Canon and Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
• The least, at -0.9EV: Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Canon

Note: Vignetting equal to or greater than -1.5EV is significant and noticeable.

The most and fewest chomatic aberrations (again, “the most” is not good here):

• The most, at 11µm: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
• The fewest, at 3µm: Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZE Canon

Note: A LCA score of 3µm means that the aberrations are so insignificant that no post-production editing is required. But at 11µm, LCA is starting to get serious, which means a significant increase in post-processing time.

What might be the best macro lens for Nikon cameras?

DxO Mark Score:

And the winners are ….

• 1st place at 34: Nikkor AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
• 2nd place at 29: Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZF2 Nikon
• 3rd place at 22: Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO Nikon
• 4th place at 21: Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Nikon

Comparison: Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO Nikon vs Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Nikon vs Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZF2 Nikon on a Nikon D3X

The rankings here are a bit less close, with both Nikon and Carl Zeiss providing an exceptional lens for Nikon mounts.

Tamron SP AF 90mm F/2.8 Di MACRO Nikon

Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro Nikon

Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T 100mm f/2 ZF2 Nikon

All this said, if you want to own the best macro lens for your Nikon, you will want the Nikkor AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED (DxOMark score of 34).