Review - Canon EF 40 f/2.8 STM

[Rienzphotoz]

or, like me, be confused by it

Why "confused"?

 

[JVLphoto]

or, like me, be confused by it

Why "confused"?

Why it was made. Though this particular forum has made it clear that it's already a beloved lens, that many were waiting for.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

or, like me, be confused by it

Why "confused"?

Why it was made.

To make photos of course ... but seriously I think its a neat little lens and comes in handy when one does not want to stick out like a sore thumb with the regular lenses in certain places.

Though this particular forum has made it clear that it's already a beloved lens, that many were waiting for.

I don't know about it being my "beloved lens" but it isn't just this forum, generally speaking most people seem to like its form factor and overall performance vs price ... although I don't use it a lot, I do carry it everyday in my bag as a back up ... for the price and performance, it is worth having it ... besides, its not gonna put a dent in anyone's bank balance.

 

[wickidwombat]

Discuss the review of the Canon EF 40 f/2.8 STM here.

The review is spot on except it forgets to mention one thing; for the target audience it is intended for; the 40mm f/2.8 costs twice as much as the faster, sharper, and far more consistent 50mm f/1.8 II "Nifty Fifty". I bought the pancake for a light street kid on a 7D or 5D body. I returned it two days later even though I had another few weeks before the 30 day return policy expired. I new at onset it was "ok" but that the $99 50 f/1.8 II was far more consistent and lighter. I just don't get why you'd pay twice as much for the slower 40mm.

Video AF? Really? If you want AF in video buy a camcorder, they do a much better job in AF. The STM only works with the T4i and there is a reason they didn't incorporate that into the 5D3, 6D, etc.

Interesting. Your experience with the nifty fifty is certainly different than mine. Faster (in terms of aperture), I'll give you. Sharper and more consistent? Far from the experience I have had with two copies of said lens.

My 40mm is much sharper and has improved color rending (and smoother transition to OOF as well).

I agree with dustin, the nifty fifty need to be stopped down to 2.2 or 2.5 which is only marginally faster than the 40, the 40 is built ALOT better and oof is much much better the 5 blades hurt the 50 1.8 alot
the 40mm gives comparable image quality to the 70-200 f2.8L IMO and is a great little partner for this lens

 

[Dittoman1]

Not sure I understand the people complaining about this review. Since when have the reviews here been anything more than personal, real-world usage? That's what's good about them. If you want the technical, $1000 worth of software and optic-testing equipment reviews, you know where to go to get that.

I thought it was a good review, and provided some real-world perspective. If I had to complain, and this isn't a complaint so much as a question, why didn't you use it for some short videos. I mean, isn't this lens primarily aimed at DSLR video use over still photo?

I would totally buy this lens over the nifty-50 based on the tighter build quality alone, not to mention the focusing system.

Does this update have to be send to canon or do it myself by putting it in CF card after unzip?? Sorry I m kinda new

 

[dgatwood]

Does this update have to be send to canon or do it myself by putting it in CF card after unzip?? Sorry I m kinda new

If you have one of the newer cameras that support upgrading lens firmware, then you can do it yourself. Otherwise, you either have to find someone with a newer camera or ship it to Canon and they'll do it for you. Or return it to the store as defective and exchange it for one with a March or later serial number.

The review is spot on except it forgets to mention one thing; for the target audience it is intended for; the 40mm f/2.8 costs twice as much as the faster, sharper, and far more consistent 50mm f/1.8 II "Nifty Fifty". I bought the pancake for a light street kid on a 7D or 5D body. I returned it two days later even though I had another few weeks before the 30 day return policy expired. I new at onset it was "ok" but that the $99 50 f/1.8 II was far more consistent and lighter. I just don't get why you'd pay twice as much for the slower 40mm.

If you happen to be on a crop body, that 10mm makes a huge difference. Also, the 40mm is currently selling for for about $150, so it really isn't twice as expensive unless you're comparing retail against discounted prices.

 

[stein]

why make the review when you obviously dont like the making of the lens?? this is agreat tool for 5D and 7D alike, IQ and the size makes a good travel lens!
Stein, Norway

 

[CarlTN]

Agree with Dustin and others on the pancake...Overall I say it's a far better lens than the "nifty fifty". Although I'm not sure how much better the transition from focus to out-of-focus the 40mm is than the 50mm f/1.8. The 50 has a shorter transition area which helps it, at least when set to faster aperture than f/2.8...besides being a slightly narrower field of view...which also makes this transition area faster/shallower. But the 50's bokeh fringing (or longitudinal CA) is far more pronounced at these faster apertures...and always looked ugly to me.

The 50 has more color saturation, but it is a bit less neutral to my eyes.

The main reasons I prefer the pancake to the 50 1.8, are the higher sharpness (to the FF corners), and the slightly wider field of view...which is far more useful for landscape and close range portraiture than the 50's is. Also, after I sold the "nifty fifty", I bought the Voigtlander 58mm Nokton SLii f/1.4. I vastly prefer its color, contrast, and sharpness...to both the pancake and the "nifty fifty". Its actual focal length at infinity focus is more like 53 or 54mm, rather than 58. However, it's a manual, Nikon-mount lens, so there are drawbacks...but I found them worthwhile. The bokeh smoothness isn't much better than the Canon 50mm f/1.8's, but it is better, and certainly even more extreme at f/1.4. It's not perfect, but it's the choice I made...and I also prefer it to the current (old) Canon 50mm f/1.4. The f/1.2L would be the better choice for sole use as a portrait lens, obviously...but then it costs 3x the price of the Voigt, and 8x the price of the pancake...and portrait shooting isn't always high on my list...certainly not professionally at this time.

 

[JVLphoto]

why make the review when you obviously dont like the making of the lens?? this is agreat tool for 5D and 7D alike, IQ and the size makes a good travel lens!
Stein, Norway

I happen to agree with you. I had a 70D for a few weeks and the 40mm rarely left it.