Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro Review

Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro Performance

Canon promises a high level of sharpness and they deliver. From f/2.8 to f/11, sharpness is excellent both centre and edge. That the coverage is very even across the frame is not so surprising, as the lens is designed with a large image circle to accommodate the tilt and shift movements. The measurements are taken at just one distance but the sharpness also holds well at long range and macro ranges, resulting in satisfyingly crisp images.

f/16 sees very good sharpness both centre and edge and it is only at f/22 that we see diffraction really taking hold, although even here results are still good. f/32 is provided for circumstances where depth of field is a priority, but results are quite soft, especially when compared with the biting sharpness at wider apertures. In one way it might be debatable whether or not very small apertures have much photographic value, but it is good to have the choice.

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is controlled especially well, with little if any visible colour fringing. Software could be employed to reduce the figures even further, but it is doubtful that this is necessary for most subjects.

50mm lenses usually display some barrel distortion, and this lens is no exception, but it does return a very low value of just -0.48%. This is unlikely to be a problem, even for architectural subjects, but again it can be further corrected in software if required.

There is virtually no flare from the lens at all, the whole design of internal baffling and coatings offering a superb performance in this respect.

Another performance bonus is the quality of the out of focus areas, the bokeh of the image. The defocused effects are very smooth and pleasant, and we have an optically very well balanced lens.

Value For Money

The Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro lens is priced at £2499, a not insubstantial sum of money. An alternative for Canon users is the T-S-E 45mm f/2.8 at £1199, although this is not a macro lens. Likewise the Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC at £699, neither a macro lens nor a focal length close to the Canon 50mm.

For comparison, Nikon users have the 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E Micro at £1539, with a very similar specification to the Canon 50mm lens.

So, in summary, in terms of VFM probably quite expensive, but also has some unique and very useful features combined in the one lens, along with a standard of performance that cannot really be faulted.

For more options have a look at the Top 15 Best Canon EOS lenses or Top 23 Best 50mm Standard Prime lenses.

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