Canon EF 40 f2.8 vs. EF 35 f2.0 on crop body

[FTb-n]

For shooting candids at events or sightseeing, I often carry a 7D/70-200 2.8L II and a 60D/17-55 f2.8. But, there I times when I wish to travel a bit lighter and swap out the 17-55 for a 35 f2.0 -- or carry one body and the 35. I know the 35 is soft in the corners on a full frame body, but it's quite sharp for my crop bodies.

I must admit, it is hard to do without the 17-55 when I need to cover an event. But, when I'm shooting only for me, if I'm going to limit myself to a prime, I like the 30-40 range for grab shots.

Now, I'm intrigued by the pancake 40. It's half the size of my 35, but one stop slower. But, I'm having trouble justifying the loss of a stop for the savings of about 0.8" in camera/lens depth. On a 60D or a 7D, does the pancake make that much of a difference over the 35 in the convenience department?

 

[distant.star]

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The 40 is $200. Buy one and try it. If you don't like it, sell it or send it back.

 

[AudioGlenn]

On a 60D or a 7D, does the pancake make that much of a difference over the 35 in the convenience department?

Yes it does. I love carrying around my 40mm. After a day at an amusement park, the weight difference is noticeable.

 

[gilmorephoto]

I thought the 40mm pancake was a silly lens when it came out, but having tried it at the store I was instantly hooked. It's so light and very versatile--I can use it for portraits yet its wide enough to get a sense of the context. Great for street photography or candids. The 40mm pancake is sharp wide open (you need to stop down the 35 to 2.8 to get it sharp) and the focus is reasonably quick (although I can say if it's quicker than the 35m offhand, but certainly quieter and better built). It rarely leaves my 5D3 unless it's on my T1i where I also find it versatile as a walk around lens (much more so than say a 50mm on a crop). Hope that helps somewhat.

 

[FTb-n]

This all helps!! Thanks to each of you!

I did a lot of comparison research on DPP before geting the 35 and was impressed with its sharpness for a crop body (where the soft edges are cropped out). But, I hadn't realized how much sharper midframe is at 2.8:

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=122&Camera=736&FLI=0&API=2&LensComp=122&Sample=0&CameraComp=736&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0

This certainly helps alleviate my concern for losing that stop. Must admit, the much cheaper 40 is impressively sharp even at the corners. (I just wish DPP did some tests with a crop body.)

http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=122&Camera=453&Sample=0&FLI=0&API=2&LensComp=810&CameraComp=453&SampleComp=0&FLIComp=0&APIComp=0

The 40 is now on my Christmas list.