Canon EF-M 22mm f2 STM Compact System Lens

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The lens is compact, super fast, and amazingly sharp, as others have pointed out. The color rendition is wonderful. The only thing i dislike about it is that the autofocus motor is fairly loud. This noise records when shooting video, so the lens is not suitable for videography unless you are recording audio off-camera (and i mean entirely off-camera--a hotshoe-mounted recorder will still pick up the noise), or if you have no need to pull focus. This goes for auto or manual focus, since the manual focus is focus-by-wire and simply operates the same motor the autofocus operates. Apart from that issue, im delighted with the lens. Its an incredible value. Attached image is a night exposure, 8 minutes at f/8.

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very sharp - fixed prime so you zoom with your feet - nice inexpensive quiet compact lens - whats not to like? *** revision *** Reading some of the reviews I think there are a few things that might be said to help others make a decision on this lens like, 1.) They are White Box Lenses i.e. they came from Canon packaged camera kits - Canon sold the EOS-M with the 22 mm or with both the 22mm and the 18-55 zoom <or> just the base unit, or with all lenses and the flash unit included in the same box and they offered these with USA warranties or as Imported units (gray Market)products. What does this mean? - well the products are the same in manufacturing quality and design - the USA products carry the USA warranty and can be serviced by any authorized USA center vs the Imported that need to be sent out of country for service. When you consider that Amazon will allow the return of the product in 30 days if say there is a defective issue you need to send it back - after that the seller might take it back if you ask or if not you are on your own - in reality this product is so reliable odds of having an issue are very slim - they will either work perfectly out of the box or they wont - if after a few years it fails (doubtful) just buy another - because the cost of repair would exceed the cost of a new replacement lens at todays selling prices. 2.) Yes the 22mm doesnt have IS and yes, there is some "minimal" distortion - Folks - a 22mm lens is nearly what is considered as a fish eye lens so thats normal for any 22 mm lens no matter the price point or manufacturer and totally correctable in Photoshop or other editing software. 3.) There is a lens shade for this lens - $10.00 on Amazon - get it. 4.) Be advised some of the cameras and lenses are Imported vs USA models - there is fine print listed covering this - its not really a big deal given the cost of these cameras and that the 30 day Amazon return option will cover you as most will either be DOA or last for normal service intervals. I have another take on if you should get the M lenses or use your glass - heres mine, I bought both of the M lenses even though I have nearly every L glass Canon makes up to the 300 mm F2.8 Prime so I have a big $ investment in L glass and I did buy the adapter however, Im not going to use my L glass for everyday shooting on this camera - that would defeat the reason for a small camera and putting my L glass in harms way by dragging it around in the car or what ever - forget it - the kit lenses are very acceptable in terms of sharpness and overall performance ie. speed, clarity, color rendering, etc. so for a camera and lens arrangement for everyday use and go in harms way thats why I went with the kit lenses. now if I decide to do some serious stuff with the small base unit because of the size and weight savings I can drag out the L glass and have at it - I like options.

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This lens gets a LOT more light than the 18-55mm lens, it is much easier to take photos in dark environments such as indoors. Not to mention the camera getting into the range of point and shoot size with this lens, I can fit the camera in my pocket! This lens seems to produce noticeably better closeups as well, and the focus feels like it has a longer and smoother range (doesnt just jump out to infinity) than the 18-55. My only issue with this lens is the AF continues to reset for several seconds after the camera is turned off, forcing you to wait to put your lens cap back on. It made me start putting the cap on before I turn the camera off.

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First off, I love this camera but I will change brands eventually unless Canon makes a full frame mirrorless and more lenses on EF-M. Sony is doing this now, and others will follow suit, forcing me to switch as I grow out of a crop sensor. That said, this lens is solid, but Ive learned to hate the digital focus that EF-M lenses use so far. You have to enter the camera menu to turn on manual focus which is NEVER what I want to do when Im out taking photos. And with a fast prime I absolutely want to focus manually on a regular basis. Focus speed is OK, not amazing. Quality is very good, and Ive been getting nice sharp pictures with reliable results with it. Here are the important points: -No you will not get lots of bokeh with this; its too wide. -Yes its a great low light lens; I bought it for street and party photography in the evening. -Its not wide enough for awesome landscape photography, but its OK. -You almost dont need a lens cap for it as the front glass is super small. -You can get a sweet metal Voigtlander-like lens hood that will add minute vinetting but lots of extra protection. Ebay or Amazon for under $10.

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I imported an M3 body from Japan and picked up one of these. Love it so far! Great little lens.

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This is a fantastic lens. Photos are sharp and clear, bokeh is beautiful and colors are great. Ive been using it a ton in low light (at dusk, at night outdoors in the snow, inside with no flash) and it performs fantastically. I can stick my camera in the pocket of my winter coat with this lens no problem which makes for many great photos. I learned photography back in the dark ages using a fixed lens rangefinder and I absolutely love having a small, all manual, high quality camera that replicates that experience. I find the way the dial/button is set up for manual shooting just as easy to use as separate dials now that Im used to it, it sure beats setting everything on the lens itself. Im even starting to like the touchscreen, I ~really~ like the AF assist on the touchscreen and the capture feature for slow exposure times to prevent shake. Overall, I couldnt be happier with this set up. Only slight complaint is that it hunts for focus on closer objects but thats the EOS M10 camera for you, and its a minor complaint as the manual focus adjustment is easy to use on this lens.

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This is a very cool compact lens with an unusual optical design - the front element is concave. It is a very sharp lens and on the M3 camera is very handy for travel. Only one deficiency - I wish it had image stabilization. Canon just announced a macro 28mm lens which will have IS; this will be the first prime (non-zoom) M series lens with IS. I have a preorder in for that.

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Excellent lens, can take very sharp photos, great performance in low light situations

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This is the third of the EF-M 22mm F2 STM Compacts Ive bought and I agree with an earlier reviewer who described this as the lens Canon "should" have sold as the standard on their short-lived, but very nice EOS-M cameras. Ive bought the EOS-Ms up as theyve become available because for shooting video theyre tiny, their chipset shoots great HD video, and their sound is actually superior to the 7D (sound was considerably improved in the 7DMkII). For second (or third, or fourth) cameras in small productions, theyre really solid performers. And the 22mm f2 as a "prime" is a great option. And its really very good for closeup stills or grab-shot portrait work as well. As they say where I grew up "its a lot of sugar for a dime."

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Great lens. Some may be interested in this lens lens flare effect. Im attaching a sample (shot on an EOS M2). Not a very artistic flare effect, but Ive only encountered it on this occasion of shooting a sunset. Other sunsets have turned out with no flare.

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