What 100mm at f/2.8 actually gives you
100mm is the classic portrait range — long enough to compress features flatteringly without forcing you across the room.
f/2.8 is the working standard for a fast lens — a stop or two of low-light headroom over a kit zoom, and noticeably more background separation.
Size, close focus and filters
At 646g (1.42 lb) it sits in the middle for handling: substantial enough to feel planted, light enough not to dominate the kit.
Maximum magnification is 1.4x, meaning the subject can be projected onto the sensor at life size or larger — true macro rather than a close-focus marketing claim. It focuses as close as 26cm.
Filters are 67mm — worth checking against what you already own, since polarisers and ND filters at this size are reusable across any other lens sharing the thread. A dedicated aperture ring gives direct control without going through a camera dial, which mostly matters for video work.
Autofocus, stabilisation and weather sealing
Autofocus is driven by an XD Linear motor.
Optical stabilisation is built in, which stacks with in-body stabilisation on bodies that have it and does the work alone on bodies that do not.
The barrel is weather-sealed, so rain and dust are a manageable risk rather than a reason to pack up.
