We've recently purchased a 40mm pancake for Building Panoramics, so I'm posting the first two pictures that I took with it. I should mention that the camera was accidentally set on jpeg only, so they haven't taken too well to pulling the data about. I've had some pretty derogatory comments about leaving the red in the flowers, but I like it so here it is:
This 40 is really very good, very sharp, great colour and contrast in the centre at 2.8, and maybe this helps create a beautiful brokeh effect - better I think than photozone gave it credit for.
Ever since my film shooting days, when I used Nikon, I always found that slower lenses with smaller objective lenses produced a better image. One of my early cameras was a Nikon FM and it came with a 50mm f2 - sold as such to keep the price closer to the Pentax MX/ME and Olympus OM1. I never appreciated how good that lens was until I saved up to get a "better" 50 f1.4, and boy was I disappointed ! I believe that that 50 f2 ( which I still have ) was basically a pancake design fitted into the f1.8/f1.4 body.
I know there has been a lot of dismay at the high prices of some of the new Canon lenses, but IMHO this 40 is a gift from Canon. I'd recommend everyone get one !
Some may be interested to know that Warfleet Cove at Dartmouth, England, is so called because legend has it that this is where the ships gathered before sailing of on the Crusades - about 1200AD.
