# In praise of the 40mm f/2.8 STM



## Mr_Canuck (Nov 21, 2014)

I came across a review of the Sony FE35mm f/2.8 that said it was a great lens... for the "very reasonable" price of $799. That's a lot of money for a zeiss logo. And my thoughts immediately went to my Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM. It's also a great lens with a very reasonable price. We don't even need to bring the 35mm/is into it, and that it's both faster and cheaper than the Sony. 

One of the mirrorless arguments is for small form factor. And Pentax have their pancake lenses, which I used for some years with their noisy screwdrives. But I think the Canon is the best of the bunch in terms of quality, form factor and price. When I put the 40mm on my lightweight if a little bulbous 6D, I can easily put it in a waist pack, or dangle it from my hand for hours on end. Add the Voigtlander 20mm and it's pancake heaven. I think the little 40 should get more respect.


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## kphoto99 (Nov 21, 2014)

If you put an extension tube on it, it makes a nice macro lens too.


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## mnclayshooter (Nov 21, 2014)

Mr_Canuck said:


> When I put the 40mm on my lightweight if a little bulbous 6D, I can easily put it in a waist pack, or dangle it from my hand for hours on end. Add the Voigtlander 20mm and it's pancake heaven. I think the little 40 should get more respect.





kphoto99 said:


> If you put an extension tube on it, it make a nice macro lens too.



Couldn't agree more with both of these points... especially at $150 or so (or on sale when I got it for $135 IIRC at Best Buy X-mas sale).


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## Mr_Canuck (Nov 21, 2014)

In fact I just picked up an EF 12 tube last month. It does make it a great close up lens.

Got my 40 for 120 on sale! ;D


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## Snodge (Nov 21, 2014)

Seeing how the motor for the nifty fifty sounds like a cement mixer, I much prefer the shorty forty - it just seems a nicer lens over all, and when lugging a camera around it definitely helps with the light weight...


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## Sporgon (Nov 21, 2014)

I really like the 40 as a landscape lens, especially for panoramics. I try to avoid taking large, heavy gear into the field. A 6D + 40 pancake really fits the bill.


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## distant.star (Nov 21, 2014)

.
It's been sadly underutilized since I got the Sigma 35mm last year. But it took one of my favorite pictures, on a T2i @ 800ISO wide open...


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## neuroanatomist (Nov 21, 2014)

I take my 40/2.8 on almost every outing with my 1D X + 600/4. Just in case.


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## mnclayshooter (Nov 21, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> I take my 40/2.8 on almost every outing with my 1D X + 600/4. Just in case.



As do I... can't help but carry it... so small you don't even notice it in your pocket.


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## mnclayshooter (Nov 21, 2014)

Mr_Canuck said:


> In fact I just picked up an EF 12 tube last month. It does make it a great close up lens.
> 
> Got my 40 for 120 on sale! ;D



Very nice - I think that's actually the price or near it that I got on sale too last year now that you mention it.


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## slclick (Nov 22, 2014)

I love mine but I don't use it enough, thanks for the reminder!


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## [email protected] (Nov 22, 2014)

Sold mine because I have the sigmas 18-35 and 50, and it just seemed superfluous, but I have to say that it had a very high keeper rate. Probably should have kept it.


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## bod (Nov 22, 2014)

neuroanatomist said:


> I take my 40/2.8 on almost every outing with my 1D X + 600/4. Just in case.



+1 This lens is a little beauty and is regularly with me on outings. Sharp. Reliable. Stands up well even compared to much more expensive lenses. As a lightweight walk around this is a good value lens and is a great backup lens to have in the bag.

Last July my son needed my 6D and most of my lenses for a short film he was shooting so I had fun on a holiday in Europe with the 40 and my EOS500. Some examples below.


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## bod (Nov 22, 2014)

40mm f2.8 250th ISO100 EOS500


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## bod (Nov 22, 2014)

Close to Mont Ventoux


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## jdramirez (Nov 22, 2014)

I bought the 40mm for my daughter because I didn't like the 28-135 I bought her... and I think she misses the zoom. But I've used the 40mm here and there and I do like it... super light, nice focal length, solid wide open... the only problem I have with it is that I never use it... like never. 

I took a cursory look through my catalog... and I didn't see a single really good shot with the 40... so maybe, for me, I just like the idea of it... but the actually product... well... I guess not enough.


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## jhpeterson (Nov 22, 2014)

I, too, have a 40mm f:2.8 STM. It's a great-performing little lens, but I don't use it nearly enough. 
Perhaps, that's because it looks ridiculous dangling from a 1D series body.
Maybe I need an enormous lens hood or some adapter ring for a super-sized filter.


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## KeithBreazeal (Nov 22, 2014)

This is remarkably good lens. This was shot with the 5D Mark III and was my first image with it. I was impressed! 
*click on the image for the large file*



Gold mining Museum in Volcano, California by Keith Breazeal Photography, on Flickr


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## GaryJ (Nov 22, 2014)

Nifty Fifty stays at home and Shorty with me always,this lens is so sharp,on my 6D it is so suited to discreet street work,love the little fella..


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## Joey (Nov 22, 2014)

I too love this lens. Just disposed of it in favour of the new 24mm pancake, because my only body is now the 7DmkII and 24mm is a more useful focal length on a crop body. The new lens appears to be just as good.

I fondly remember the days of film and manual focus, there was a Pentax camera, the ME Super, which was tiny, and they produced the first pancake lens for it, which was a 40mm f/2.8. The combination was amazing. At the time I was already committed to Canon and rather resented that my camera was large and unwieldy by comparison. Finally Canon have given us a pancake lens - two even - but the days of tiny SLR cameras are long gone.


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## mb66energy (Nov 22, 2014)

Mr_Canuck: Well choosen title ... "In praise ..."

I like the shorty forty on my EOS M - no longer a pancake but a pan cake stack. But _*for me *_ the resulting 65mm equiv are a very attractive "wide angle" compared to the other lenses I use on a regular base: 160mm macro, 112-320mm, 640mm! And consumes only one lens compartment with its intelligent rear cap - the EOS M.

Another advantage of this lens is the contralight photo quality (see photo below) which gives great contrast and color under these conditions. For the shot below I came back to the same crop field (first session was spoiled by sRAW setting on 40D = 3 MPix) to get exactly that contralight. 

EDIT: New reg to image:

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=295.0;attach=124928;image


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## Sporgon (Nov 22, 2014)

Joey said:


> I too love this lens. Just disposed of it in favour of the new 24mm pancake, because my only body is now the 7DmkII and 24mm is a more useful focal length on a crop body. The new lens appears to be just as good.
> 
> I fondly remember the days of film and manual focus, there was a Pentax camera, the ME Super, which was tiny, and they produced the first pancake lens for it, which was a 40mm f/2.8. The combination was amazing. At the time I was already committed to Canon and rather resented that my camera was large and unwieldy by comparison. Finally Canon have given us a pancake lens - two even - but the days of tiny SLR cameras are long gone.



Actually cameras such as the Pentax ME / MX and the Olympus OM 1 / 2 were considerably wider than than the current Canon SL1 / 100D, a fraction lower in height, but obviously shallower due to no sensor. Weight was similar. 

So you can still get a current, tiny slr, and it goes very well with the 40/2.8 and the new EFs 24/2.8.


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## dpc (Nov 22, 2014)

Beautiful little creature. I bought mine on impulse a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, I find that I don't use it much but I intend to keep it in my 'stable' of lenses.


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## dpc (Nov 22, 2014)

Orchids


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## dpc (Nov 22, 2014)

Various shots with the 40mm. I've had the thought of buying a SL1 for a small carry around camera and using the 40mm on it. I'll probably wait and see if there is any substance to the rumours about the revived M.


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## dpc (Nov 22, 2014)

Interior of greenhouse


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## applecider (Nov 22, 2014)

Well what'd'a know all this time I thought I was taking lens cap images, but lo and behold it twas the shorty forty.

The first is at crystal springs in portland (on what was supposed to be a xmas goose acquisition fore) and the second a vertical lens cap shot to test for dead pixels....at cooper spur at 4000±ft in next post.


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## applecider (Nov 22, 2014)

The second from 4000 ft night sky...

While I love this lens i think I see coma in the periphery too bad cause it would be a great night sky hiking lens, also the f2.8 is maybe a tad slow for stars, though the alternatives tend to be softer at less than f 2.0 anyhow, AFAICT

Had to crop the image to get under the 5000 limit so the coma is only on the right side.


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## KeithBreazeal (Nov 22, 2014)

Sporgon said:


> Joey said:
> 
> 
> > I too love this lens. Just disposed of it in favour of the new 24mm pancake, because my only body is now the 7DmkII and 24mm is a more useful focal length on a crop body. The new lens appears to be just as good.
> ...



I bought the SL-1 for my pole-cam. Great little camera and surprisingly good image quality. It's always with me- even if only driving to town. 



Canon Rebel SL-1 and Kodak Instamatic © Keith Breazeal by Keith Breazeal Photography, on Flickr


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## kirkcha (Nov 23, 2014)

Bought this lens for my wife's SL1 but I end up borrowing it a lot of the time.


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## slclick (Nov 23, 2014)

mb66energy said:


> Mr_Canuck: Well choosen title ... "In praise ..."
> 
> I like the shorty forty on my EOS M - no longer a pancake but a pan cake stack. But _*for me *_ the resulting 65mm equiv are a very attractive "wide angle" compared to the other lenses I use on a regular base: 160mm macro, 112-320mm, 640mm! And consumes only one lens compartment with its intelligent rear cap - the EOS M.
> 
> Another advantage of this lens is the contralight photo quality (see photo below) which gives great contrast and color under these conditions. For the shot below I came back to the same crop field (first session was spoiled by sRAW setting on 40D = 3 MPix) to get exactly that contralight.



I first loved this shot when you posted it in Landscapes. Very Nice


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## Mr_Canuck (Nov 24, 2014)

mb66energy said:


> Another advantage of this lens is the contralight photo quality (see photo below) which gives great contrast and color under these conditions. For the shot below I came back to the same crop field (first session was spoiled by sRAW setting on 40D = 3 MPix) to get exactly that contralight.



I love that photo! Nicely done, and re-done. "Crop" "Field"... very photographic terms.


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## zao (Dec 9, 2014)

Good lens for selfie)


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## iMagic (Dec 10, 2014)

I love the 40mm pancake for infrared. With small afma it will autofocus in infrared perfectly.


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## MonkeyB (Dec 10, 2014)

zao said:


> Good lens for selfie)



mind blown.


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