# 40mm Panckake or 35mm 1.4L For walking street



## MonteGraham (Sep 22, 2013)

Im tryna find a prime lens for my 7D to walk the streets with. Im currently using my 5DMKIII with the 50mm 1.4 and i love it. Which lens out of the 2 would match the quality and look of that FF combo?? 

Any thought or suggestions would be great.. Thanks


----------



## Eldar (Sep 22, 2013)

I use the Sigma 35/1.4 on FF and I´m very happy with that. The benefit of the 40 is the compact size, but that is not important to me. I´d much rather have the f1.4 capability.


----------



## AudioGlenn (Sep 22, 2013)

I vote for the pancake for a few reasons:

1) smaller and less conspicuous
2) lighter
3) for street stuff, I like shooting around f/5.6 to 8. I'm not usually trying to totally isolate one thing from far away so f/1.4 isn't that big of a need. 
4) you can't beat it for the price

I sold my 35L a while ago. I'm not as big of a fan of prime lenses as I used to be... not that they don't have a place in my arsenal, just not for how I shoot. But that's just me


----------



## MonteGraham (Sep 22, 2013)

AudioGlenn said:


> I vote for the pancake for a few reasons:
> 
> 1) smaller and less conspicuous
> 2) lighter
> ...



I was leaning toward the 40mm for its compact size. But the issue is will i be giving up quality for size. In other words hows the sharpness at f/5.6? would you have a sample photo you would be able to post. Maybe one wide open and also stopped down?? Thanks


----------



## Rocky (Sep 22, 2013)

40mm is too long for the crop senser as a " street walker". 35mm 1.4L is big and heavy. You may want to consider a Non-L 28mm or even 24mm. that will give you close to be 45mm or 28mm FF equivalent.


----------



## Eldar (Sep 22, 2013)

Rocky said:


> 40mm is too long for the crop senser as a " street walker". 35mm 1.4L is big and heavy. You may want to consider a Non-L 28mm or even 24mm. that will give you close to be 45mm or 28mm FF equivalent.


Agree. 35mm on FF is my preference. And I disagree with those saying that you don't need the 1.4 - 2.8 f-stop. Yes, most of the time you use 5.6-8, but in low light both indoors and outdoors I would miss it. The Sigma is in my view a good size. If size was the issue, I would get an EOS M or something similar.


----------



## MonteGraham (Sep 22, 2013)

Rocky said:


> 40mm is too long for the crop senser as a " street walker". 35mm 1.4L is big and heavy. You may want to consider a Non-L 28mm or even 24mm. that will give you close to be 45mm or 28mm FF equivalent.



Im thinking the 40mm with an equivalent of roughly 64mm on crop body would be a matter of 2 steps back on the street to give that 50mm look. That wouldnt be so bad. i dont think i will be using it indoors or in confined spaces so the "length" wouldnt bother me on the street. Im just concerned with the image quality and also convenience of size and weight. Is the 34L that much better to have to lug around more weight??


----------



## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Sep 22, 2013)

MonteGraham said:


> Im tryna find a prime lens for my 7D to walk the streets with. Im currently using my 5DMKIII with the 50mm 1.4 and i love it. Which lens out of the 2 would match the quality and look of that FF combo??
> 
> Any thought or suggestions would be great.. Thanks



A third option that may be the best compromise is the new 35mm f/2 IS. It slots in between the two lenses in size, is extremely sharp even wide open, and has a great IS system that gives you more options when you need to stop down. With the reduced price it is now a very compelling option, and may just be my next purchase.


----------



## Janbo Makimbo (Sep 22, 2013)

The 40mm at 5.6 will be so sharp you may cut yourself!!


----------



## Mr Bean (Sep 23, 2013)

Janbo Makimbo said:


> The 40mm at 5.6 will be so sharp you may cut yourself!!


LOL, I was about to say the same thing 

I used the 40mm recently at an event, taking pic's of people (2-3 people in frame). The only "complaint" of the images was they were too sharp - that is, too many wrinkles could be seen


----------



## Pi (Sep 23, 2013)

MonteGraham said:


> Im tryna find a prime lens for my 7D to walk the streets with. Im currently using my 5DMKIII with the 50mm 1.4 and i love it. Which lens out of the 2 would match the quality and look of that FF combo??



None.


----------



## Sella174 (Sep 23, 2013)

Pi said:


> MonteGraham said:
> 
> 
> > Im tryna find a prime lens for my 7D to walk the streets with. Im currently using my 5DMKIII with the 50mm 1.4 and i love it. Which lens out of the 2 would match the quality and look of that FF combo??
> ...



Yip! Remember that it is not only about field of view, but also about magnification factor and the inherent optical qualities of a particular focal length design.


----------



## MonteGraham (Sep 23, 2013)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> MonteGraham said:
> 
> 
> > Im tryna find a prime lens for my 7D to walk the streets with. Im currently using my 5DMKIII with the 50mm 1.4 and i love it. Which lens out of the 2 would match the quality and look of that FF combo??
> ...



Yes i was just looking at that. It has nice size and also at f/2 u still get decent light!


----------



## bholliman (Sep 23, 2013)

*Re: 40mm Pancake or 35mm 1.4L For walking street*

As others have pointed out, the 40 2.8 is very sharp, a terrific lens - 64mm FF equivalent. The 35 2.0 IS is also a great lens and at 56mm equivalent, closer to your 50mm on the 5D3, but its 3x more expensive.

Personally, I'd probably go with the 40 for its size.


----------



## Sella174 (Sep 23, 2013)

*Re: 40mm Pancake or 35mm 1.4L For walking street*



bholliman said:


> ... the 40 2.8 is very sharp ...



... but has poor colour rendition.


----------



## MonteGraham (Sep 23, 2013)

*Re: 40mm Pancake or 35mm 1.4L For walking street*



Sella174 said:


> bholliman said:
> 
> 
> > ... the 40 2.8 is very sharp ...
> ...



Is that fact??


----------



## cliffwang (Sep 23, 2013)

35mm is perfect for a crop bodies. 40mm is a little bit to far, but it's lighter and smaller. For me, 35mm is better than 40mm.


----------



## mwh1964 (Sep 23, 2013)

Have both the pancake and the new 35 f/2 is. Both are great lenses however the 35 is a much more sofisticated lens. Better in every regards. You get what you pay for. I don't if it compares to the 35 L as I didn't try that, but for sure it should present itself as a good compromise between the light pancake and the much heavier and more expensive L lens. Just my 2C of course.


----------



## Sella174 (Sep 23, 2013)

*Re: 40mm Pancake or 35mm 1.4L For walking street*



MonteGraham said:


> Is that fact??



Empirically determined by me, myself and the dog ... test data verified by the cat. So, yes, that's an affirmative ... it truly is a fact.


----------



## Eldar (Sep 23, 2013)

*Re: 40mm Pancake or 35mm 1.4L For walking street*



Sella174 said:


> MonteGraham said:
> 
> 
> > Is that fact??
> ...


 ;D


----------



## amesbah (Sep 23, 2013)

I used a 40mm pancake on my 5d2 and whilst its nicely sharp, I find the slow STM focuser frustrating as hell. I recently picked another 50 1.4 and feel so much better. I will keep the 40 though.

On a crop I'd love to try the 35 IS....


----------



## Pinchers of Peril (Sep 23, 2013)

The 40mm is such a great lens, and such a good deal. I shoot that thing at 2.8 all the time and the pics are super sharp. I've never noticed any problems with how it renders colors. Honestly, just buy it and even if you get the 35L later, you'll still love the 40mm for when you want a really light set up.


----------



## Botts (Sep 23, 2013)

MonteGraham said:


> Im tryna find a prime lens for my 7D to walk the streets with. Im currently using my 5DMKIII with the 50mm 1.4 and i love it. Which lens out of the 2 would match the quality and look of that FF combo??
> 
> Any thought or suggestions would be great.. Thanks



I just sold my 40STM and 50/1.4 to subsidize a Sigma 35/1.4 purchase.

I've shot a ton with the L, and a lot with the Sigma 35/1.4, and for my money Sigma is the choice today.

I found the 40STM too tight, and obviously the 50mm even tighter.

I used the 35L, 40STM and 50/1.4 on a 7D and a 6D, on both bodies, and I prefer the 35mm on both crop and FF.


----------



## Janbo Makimbo (Sep 23, 2013)

In the right hands.....the 40mm is a great lens!!


----------

