Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake

[TrumpetPower!]

At under $200 is this going to be a nail in the coffin of the 50 f/1.8? On a Rebel size body this becomes a very compact lightweight unit. They'll sell boatloads of this lens.

PW

I doubt it. The 66mm equivalent on a crop body is going to be weird...too long for normal / walkaround, too short for portraiture. And the Plastic Fantastic is significantly faster, plus it's the standard normal on full frame and the standard portrait on crop.

Really, I see the 40 as being something primarily of interest for pocketable street / party photography with a 5D. It's just about perfect for that (a stop faster would be nice, but that'd be my only complaint), and just about useless for anything else.

b&

[Rocky]

Canon should have made a 30mm f2.8  EF-S mount. This will make a really small package for the existing APS-C DSLR. It should be doable. The EF-S mount allows the lens goes in the mount for another 9 mm.

[Zlatko]

It looks like a delightful lens!  I am absolutely thrilled with the small size.  What a great way to make a big full frame camera smaller for family photography and travel.  This is an extremely useful focal length with a very useable widest aperture, and it has AF.  The price sounds very reasonable.  Fantastic!!!

[pwp]

On a side note: why are you all referring to the aperture as "speed/fast", in what way is a 2.8-lens faster than a 5.6-lens (the latter has a smaller maximum aperture which is not to say it is faster in any way)?

Faster...we're not talking about 0-100 kph or AF speed. It's the long established convention to refer to lenses with a larger maximum aperture as being "faster".

So an f/1.4 50mm lens is faster than an f/2.8 40mm, which in turn is faster than a f/5.6 400mm lens. In this context it refers only to maximum aperture, not focal length, AF speed or anything else. Get the idea?

PW

[pwp]

Canon should have made a 30mm f2.8  EF-S mount. This will make a really small package for the existing APS-C DSLR. It should be doable. The EF-S mount allows the lens goes in the mount for another 9 mm.

Yep I'm inclined to agree on the 30mm argument, but not EF-S. Could be the 40mm is the first of a small pancake parlour of Canon glass.

PW

[michi]

The lens looks attractive, but in the end, on my DSLR, I don't think it makes much sense.  I didn't buy my DSLR for size (as in small size) and my goal wasn't to get the smallest lenses available but the best quality I can afford.  Also 2.8 isnt something that impressive on this focal length.  Now if it was 2.0 or 2.2, that would make it a bit more attractive for me.  Either way, unless this turns out to be an amazing performer, I will save my money and buy a "big" lens.

[spinworkxroy]

I'm actually pretty excited about this lens..
It's going to make a great "emergency" low light lens for my mk3.
Yes, i do have the 50mm but on nights out and all i really want to bring is 1 camera and a light lens, it think this fits perfectly. 40mm will be great for group shots as well…sometimes the 50 is a little too tight.

[Zlatko]

Hey, performance being equal I guess smaller is always better, but things like the 35 f2 and 50 1.8 are already tiny and light.

Those lenses have the old noisy AF motors.  I'm hoping this little 40mm lens has a quiet AF motor.

[Scott]

I'm excited, I'll be getting one for my 5dii. I hope it has a nice short MFD. 

[wickidwombat]

i still cant see the point of all these f2.8 primes coming out

[moreorless]

if its optically decent and really sub /€ 200 I may pick one up as an ultra-light "outdoors/mountaineering" lens. 

This lens demonstrates, just how small modern full-frame-capable lenses can be built. With AF. It proves, that AF does NOT make lenses bigger than MF-lenses, rather the other way round.

High time for a KILLER FF mirrorless, Canon. Stick the 5D3 sensor plus a great new hybrid FPPD & CD-AF system in a small body for a smaller price than the 5D3. After all, there are some savings by avoiding the cost for materials, manufacturing and labor-intensive high-precision-assembly of mirrorbox and prism!  :-)

I'm not so sure about that, its a lens with a modest appature at a focal lenght thats easier to achieve smaller sizes in. You look at the Pentax limated range and the 40mm is tiny just like this where as other focal lenghts are significantly larger.

I'd guess thats probabley why Canon have gone with this focal lenght, its the only way to produce something that eye catchingly compact and relatively inexpensive.

[paulc]

This is going to be my new vacation lens.  Slap it on my Rebel, rip off the grip and go light.

[coldcaption]

For sub-$200, I don't think I could possibly say no. I hope that price comes true! I'd even forgive it for lacking distance and aperture markings.

[FunPhotons]

I'm surprised at all the "I don't getz it ..." posts 

I'm going crazy with all the cameras I have. A S100 which I always have. A Fuji X100 for when I want good pictures and need to go light and unobtrusive. A 5DMKII with a load of the best lenses and 600 flashes and gear for when I'm serious. A G12 as my sons camera, another P&S for doing short videos on vacation, my wife's camera ... (we are a photography family on vacation)

You know the hardest part? Managing all the batteries and chargers. I have a big pelican case mostly dedicated to juice. And keeping all those charged can be a mess, spend half my time running around keeping track of what is drained.

If the IQ is any good this is a dream lens for a small light setup. The 5DMKII isn't that big or heavy of a body, the weight, size and obtrusiveness is all in the lens. If they keep it up and have a series of pancakes I can ditch the Fuji and probably the S100.  I am all over it

[pwp]

i still cant see the point of all these f2.8 primes coming out

Provided they are sharp wide open, it's a good thing. The high ISO performance of current bodies is making brighter, faster lenses less of an essential buy for most photographers. And secondly an f/2.8 lens is cheaper to deliver to the market than the brighter, faster glass. Photographers who need f/1.4 lenses to suit their shooting style will have to do what they've always done, pay the necessary dollars for those sweet, premium L primes.

PW