City: US, Pasadena
Ive owned this lens since 2013 and recently upgraded to the 35mm f/1.4L II and the difference in quality is not that much different for a lot of the photos youll be taking. This is definitely a must have for your kit if youre on a budget but still want a really good lens.
Before buying this lens, I couldnt decide if I would have a use for a lens like a 40mm f/2.8. Afterall, it is a pretty cheap lens; how good can it be? Anyway, I got bored one day and decided to order this little. Honestly, I didnt expect much from this lens. At most, it would be portable and a fun lens to shoot around. After receiving the lens and being able to hold the lens in person, I knew I was in for a treat. The quality of the construction is very good and solid. The focusing ring rotates smoothly and the metal mount is very solid. I immediately took the lens out for a few test shots. I will let you see the attached photos; they will speak for the lens. One thing I must admit, this is a very portable lens, but kind of awkward to use at first. It feels as if there is no lens attached. You will soon get used to it. I had a lot of fun shooting with this lens on my EOS 6D body. The images are sharp and lively. I can see myself using this lens in a professional shoot. The 40mm is great for most purposes since it is not as narrow as 50mm, yet you can focus more on the subject as opposed to a 35mm. Go try one out because at this price, you have nothing to lose.
0:00 0:00 This video is not intended for all audiences. What date were you born? January February March April May June July August September October November December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 Submit Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Install Flash Player I now have the 24mm and the 40mm pancake for my T5i, and they are great. I used these two lenses in Yosemite most of the time. I got out the 18-55mm for that little extra width if I needed it. I put the kit lenses in the case until I needed a longer zoom shot or for some video. The 24mm and 40mm also do a very good job on video too, but requires you to generally get closer by foot. I posted a review of the 24mm with some comparison pictures to the 18-55mm STM kit lens. The low light light capability of these two little guys is really a nice treat from the noisy low light pics you get from the 18-55mm. I took some night street scenes with these and they were sharp and bright. The street scene I loaded is handheld. This particular EF-40mm can also be used on a full frame camera, for even better low light performance. Pictures I took with the 18-55m kit lens in low light were unusable compared to these pancakes. they are so small, it is hard to believe they can out performed these larger brothers with zooming specs. I plan on going to Arizona and Utah for some Grand landscapes and I think these diminutive fellows will really shine. Amazon has a seller that is offering a C-PL 52mm polarizer for these lenses. The polarizers also make better, and more usable lens protectors. The polarizer fits both pancake lenses. These polarizers really oomphed up my photo quotient on my last picture trek. Pictures I took in June before learning the wonders of polarization, could have really benefited from the extra enhancement, but needed more Adobe. The lens has no IS, but is not really needed. I like to shoot a lot with the shutter speed high, walk a lot, and find Im ready for what ever is around the corner. This 40mm is also a good party, macro, or street scene lens. The SF scens I loaded were from a running car on I-80! A nice less bulky item to lug around. The Half Dome sunset scene may not have worked at all with the 18-55mm lens. I will try to remember to do a 40mm vs. 18-55mm compare here also. The differences are amazing. I bought this 18-55m and T5i kit on Amazon about a year and half ago, added the 55-250mm, and now have the 24mm/40mm. It doesnt take up a lot of space to haul all four of these around. Get the 40mm, you will like it.
I bought this on sale for $149 to replace a broken 50mm 1.8 II. After careful study, I determined that this lens not only out resolves the 50 1.8 and 1.8 STM as well as the old 1.4, but also the new 35mm f2 IS. The 35 IS is 95% as sharp though and has faster AF, although the AF on this lens has not failed me. Way better than the 50 1.8 I moved on from. In use, it is the perfect walk around lens. It is lightweight and does not stick out like a sore thumb. I find myself using this lens more than my 24-70L due to its size and weight and razor sharpness. Also, if you post process RAW images, I find that the images with this lens already have so much punch, color depth, contrast and clarity that in post production, I make far less corrections to images. This is now my most used lens.
I just fell in love with pancake lenses! We picked up a Canon 6D (full frame) camera recently with the typical zoom kit lens (EF24-105mm). The kit lens is a nice flexible lens, but we wanted a lens to make the camera a bit more portable and discrete for an overseas trip. We also wanted a lens that wasnt so expensive that wed fear loosing it. We purchased this lens just before the trip, packed this lens, the kit lens, and a bigger zoom thinking wed need all three. This lens did a fantastic job all on its own, and we rarely used the other two lenses. The lens is sharper than the kit lens (guess that should be expected from a prime, but not in this price range). It is also brighter. Most of our vacation photos were street photography and macro photography. This lens generated very crisp clean images with buttery bokeh goodness. Being a relatively fast lens helped also in some darker shooting situations. Construction quality feels good. My only gripe is that the lens stays focused (slightly extended barrel) after it is removed from the camera and there is no way to manually pull it back in (manual focus is driven electronically). Im happy to overlook that one minor flaw considering it really doesnt extend that much and doesnt impact lens performance. Minor flaw makes it -1/2 star, but price makes it +1 star. Its not going to turn your full-frame Canon into an ultra-portable, but it does a fantastic job of making your full frame camera much more portable and discrete. No regrets at all with this purchase. Now we are looking forward to the 25mm lens. :) Inexpensive - Portable - Discrete - Sharp - Fast - What more could you want? Its an awesome lens, especially for the price. Canon, PLEASE keep making these small primes!
I enjoyed shooting with pancake lenses on my Olympus Pen and wanted one for my EOS gear. The EF 40 2.8 STM--Canons first DSLR pancake--debuted Summer 2012 and caused a stir due to low cost and reputed high optical quality. Heres my take on this able little optic. CONSTRUCTION: Although a small lens, it feels solid in hand, boasting excellent build: metal mount, beefy plastic barrel and comely industrial satin finish. STM AF is not silent but makes a soft electronic intonated "sheeeeet," resembling a sound effect from Tron. Most built-in camera mics will pick it up during video recording. The work around is to use an external mic or prefocus before the clip. Focus is slower than ring-USM but silky smooth. The motor uses "focus-by-wire" manual focus. The focus ring isnt mechanically coupled to the lens, but is a simply a switch for activating the focus motor. MF is smooth and accurate, albeit slow. The gotcha is it is only active when the shutter button is half depressed. The nested barrel extends during focus operation. I use the EF 40 2.8 STM on a 6D, 5D MKII and SL1. AF is dependable on the 5D MKII and 6D, but randomly misses focus on the SL1 about 15 or 20% of the time. Other lenses are fine on the SL1. IMAGE QUALITY: Wide open at F2.8 my first copy was sharp in the center of the frame but suffered with extremely soft corners on both full frame and APS-C. Corners improved when stopped down to F8 but were still unacceptably soft. Night images with points of light exhibited severe coma (comet-like tail) at F2.8. Stopping down reduced but didnt eliminate coma. For the above reasons, I returned my first copy and bought a refurbished EF 40 2.8 STM from Canon Direct (with a big discount!). What a difference! Wide open, it was even sharper--deadly sharp--in the center. Corners were greatly improved but still slightly soft on full frame. On APS-C the corners were nearly as sharp as the center. And coma was greatly reduced: no coma center frame at F2.8 and only slight coma along the periphery. So second time around a home run! Defocused areas (bokeh) have a pleasantly smooth swirl to them at F2.8, helping offset subjects from background. I find 40mm a natural snapshot FOV for full frame cameras like the 6D. The slightly wide view is perfect for landscapes and environmental portraits. Keep in mind, on APS-C cameras, e.g., 60D, 70D or Rebels, FOV is a 64mm equivalent, falling within the realm of short telephoto. LENS HOOD: Canon makes a dedicated hood for this lens, the Canon ES-52 Lens Hood . Its just a 52mm aluminum filter ring around a disk with a hole in the center. It provides some shade but not much. The 40 2.8 is so popular theres a Chinese knockoff of the ES-62 available for a few bucks less: RainbowImaging HES52 Metal Lens Hood for Canon EF 40mm F2.8 STM . If you want more protection, a generic screw-in type like the RainbowImaging HM52 52MM Metal Lens Hood is better but will spoil the minimalist pancake vibe. I elected to use the ES-52, buying when the price drifted down to $18. LAST BLURB: Normally $150 doesnt buy much in terms of optics but the EF 40 2.8 STM is the exception to the rule. This lens is sturdy, renders beautiful images and is barely larger than a body cap. If you get a good copy, its an excellent optic. A basic 6-element design and offshore manufacturing (Malaysian factory) helped reduce costs but compromises in quality control were obviously made to maintain this price point. Test your lens for sharpness and coma before the return period is up. If Amazon delivered a sharp lens the first time, this would be a 5-star review. Nevertheless, I got a great sample the second try so it ended well after some toil and hassle.
I did some major research and put this up against the Canon 50mm 1.8 and 50mm 1.4 as the contenders. I use a Canon 60d and wanted a fast lens but also wanted a versitile lens. After days of reviews, spec sheets and demo footage I decided this 40mm fit the bill. I have not regretted my decision once since my purchase. First off I travel a lot and more times then less I am on safaris or expeditions that require me to pack light. The reason I sot this out was I needed a prime that was faster than my Sigma zoom and wide angle but also compact and light. This defiantly wins the 50s in size and the weight is very manageable, this thing is built as well as my L lens. I just returned from the Amazon in Brazil and this was a favorite along with the telephoto. The optics are very sharp, possibly as sharp as my L that cost over $1k more than this 2.8. I did not get a the faster 50mm lenses because unlike this you have to drop your F stop anyway to obtain a sharp image, this guy is sharp out the gate at 2.8. Its profile is tiny, my 60d feels naked with it on. Purchased a variable ND for this and its a perfect Carry around lens for photo and video. The stepping motor is so smooth, amazing on my friends 70d body. Follow focus is amazing with that pair. My only gripe is also the thing I love about the lens, the focus by wire. If you forget the retract the focus barrel before powering off the camera then the lens is stuck in this position until you power the camera back on to retract it. So many great reviews on the web just thought I would give my 2cents. Good luck!
0:00 0:00 This video is not intended for all audiences. What date were you born? January February March April May June July August September October November December 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916 1915 1914 1913 1912 1911 1910 1909 1908 1907 1906 1905 1904 1903 1902 1901 1900 Submit Adobe Flash Player is required to watch this video. Install Flash Player I should say this is a great value for what it is: a sub-$200, fast 40mm EF lens with well regarded sharpness stats even wide open. Where the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is a huge letdown is in the realm of video. There is distinct and audible autofocus hum that is recorded on your video. The accompanying video shows what I mean. As I pan from the planter to the backyard, there is a very discernible hum as the focus motor changes focus. In comparison, I mounted my much older EF 24-105 f/4 L, set it to about 40mm and it performed light years better. In fact I cant hear the focus motor in the 24-105 at all as it adjusts focus from near to far. Testing was with an EOS 6D MK II with Canon DM-E1 with windsock and set to shotgun mode. I was under the impression the STM motor reduced recorded AF motor sound over traditional ring USM AF motors during videography, but that is not the case at all. Regardless, the 40mm f/2.8 makes a great, fast lens for stills, just dont rely on it for critical video use where sound quality matters.
Let me start by saying that I own several prime lenses and use them regularly. In fact, I generally prefer primes to telephotos. That being said, this is my favorite non L-series prime lens that I own, and it is without a doubt the cheapest. I am truly amazed that Canons full retail price for this lens is $199.99. I do believe this lens works better on crop sensor bodies. I have been using it on my T5i and have been extremely pleased; however, when used on my 5DMk3 I did find that it created a bit of curvature/distortion (plus, this tiny little lens looked pretty hilarious on the chunky body of the Mk3). It is also my personal opinion that the 40mm length works better with a crop sensor. PROS: - f/2.8 aperture - Silent and fast autofocus - Small and lightweight - High-quality build - The sharpest images I have seen come out of my T5i. I was honestly shocked the first time I opened an image from this lens in Photoshop - the sharpness and clarity is absolutely astounding and unexpected from a sub-$200 lens. - When used in combination with studio lighting this lens produces absolutely stunning images that can be used straight out of the camera. CONS: - The focus ring is very tiny and takes some getting used to.
What an incredible value this lens is. I have a crop-sensor 7D and my wife needed headshots for her LinkedIn profile. I always use a 50mm because it translates to 80mm in the crop world, which is great for portraits. I was itching to try out my new 40mm, so I changed lenses in the middle of the session. The change in perspective was just what I was looking for. It looks more natural at 40mm, F2.8 than 50mm f1.8 outdoors. Im going to try shooting more portraits with this lens. The bokeh was great at 2.8. The 40mm perspective was a fresh new look. Dont care how many lenses I buy, this one is a keeper. Taking it to Puerto Rico next week and the tiny size and light weight will come in handy.
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