Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake Coming [CR3]

[Drizzt321]

This is dumb. F/2 or faster for primes otherwise, WHATs THE POINT?! Just use good zooms.

Because it makes it really cheap. Although, they did manage to make the 50mm an f/1.8. But, I'm not sure it's considered a pancake.

 

[nikkito]

Hmmmmm pancakes (read it with homer's voice)


;D

 

[EchoLocation]

i don't understand this at all. Why do I need a 40mm 2.8 when I can already buy a 35mm 1.8 for 1/3rd the price(as someone said earlier.)
Pancake or no pancake, the 35 1.8 isn't exactly big, especially on a 5D. This lens makes zero sense to me unless a mirrorless camera is coming with it. And even so, 40mm is kind of an odd focal length. I feel like anything from 24 to 35 would be more useful.

 

[Nassen0f]

Sounds like a nice walkaround lens realy, Specialy for that price.

Not all of us has the money for big bad zooms

 

[BillyBean]

This is dumb. F/2 or faster for primes otherwise, WHATs THE POINT?! Just use good zooms.

I think the canon mirrorless will suprise us with a EF mount system with 1.3X crop factor. It will be not a low end entry level, but a mid-range camera like the fuji X-pro 1. This would make sense for them not to cut into the rebel sales or the G1X sales.

Fingers crossed that its a optical rangefinder style camera... Or has a VERY VERY good LED viewfinder. ;D

I reckon you are right. Canon are not dumb. Greedy, maybe, but not dumb. This lens has only one point: SIZE. And that only makes sense on a tiny camera. So I'm thinking Leica M9 or Fuji X-Pro sort of size. Pancake makes a lot of sense on that, and with an EF mount (EF-S) could shift a lot of units. The f2.8 doesn't sound so stupid then.

Let's see.

 

[maxxevv]

It will indeed be a jaw dropper if the mirrorless comes out as an APS-H ... !

Leica would have to be really worried if it has all the controls of a full-fledged DSLR and the form factor of a rangefinder !

I definitely would want one !!!! ;D

 

[Stuart]

I feel like anything from 24 to 35 would be more useful.

Agreed.
The Nifty Fifty is a no brainer purchase, and if there was an equivelent priced one in the range above. +1 more lens for me.

I like the mirrorless APS-H idea with the 40mm. But wow that would be an expensive sensor. Maybe they had some 1Dmk4s ones spare.

It seems like an age since Canon released any new affordable consumer lenses.

 

[trulandphoto]

I'm excited. I'm going to put off selling my last 5D and pair it with one of these for street. Can't wait.

 

[Haydn1971]

40mm on a 2x crop would be 80mm... I'm not expecting the mirrorless to be anything more than APS-C, it is just as likely to be the same size as a 4/3rds sensor, EF-M ? (micro) in a way of beating Nikon on sensor size (Nikon 1), but not suffering a problem of having to build masses of new lenses, as it would be EF or EF-S comparable.

So, could we also expect a cheap 12mm and 24mm pancake too ?, giving 24mm and 48mm focal lengths ?

 

[pwp]

As a photographer people are always asking me what sort of camera they should get. So the conversation continues with questions about their needs, wishes and budgets. The Canon S100 has the highest hit rate at the moment. Some people who have had fairly decent compacts but want the very small form factor with very good IQ. Think in terms of APS-C & pancake...

I've offered a solution to a few people that has cost a lot less than a Leica M9. It's a small Pentax DSLR with the 40mm pancake. What a winner! Or a small Olympus DSLR with the 25mm pancake. There is a definite market for this sort of ultra compact APS-C package. And with all the obvious benefits of a DSLR.

Paul Wright

 

[sanj]

If that is the case, it would stand to reason that the sensor in the mirrorless will either be full framed or perhaps APS-H (1.3x) since that would be fairly close to a 50mm "standard" focal length.

I agree with you its odd on a DSLR, especially since the 50mm f/1.8 isn't exactly large (1.5" basically).

But if it means the mirror less is EF mount, then it makes it interesting. Though I'd probably rather it had the ability to use FD lenses in addition to EF with an adapter

Sounds like a good point!

 

[paul13walnut5]

I am very keen on the EF 40mm f2.8, if it's real. I love the aesthetic of a pancake lens, and they are usually very simple and high quality, not to mention, cheap.

I think a rebel plus a pancake would be a good pocket sized snapshot camera, street photography etc.

But I'm talking about a lens that isn't even official yet. That's just what I would like.

 

[goodmane]

I wonder if this is in response to the 40mm by Panasonic?

Anyway its exactly what I want and I'll prob swap my 35mm f2 for it.

As to everyone wondering why this makes sense, I don't want to buy another small camera with rubbish battery life and lower image quality, with small viewfinder.

This allows somebody like me to leave the 24-70L at home for studio and still use the 5D for fun, without the extra weight.

When they bring out a lighter full frame DSLR to go with it, I will bite, so long as its still as good as the old 5D and comes with video and a built-in flash.

Its a masterstroke as far as I'm concerned and will make Canon a viable alternative for those considering aesthetics, viewfinders, and weight as well as quality, such as Leica and Fuji.

 

[swannd]

Having just purchased a 5D3, this seems like a strange lens to release, or want. But put one on my old 400D, or any xxxD body, and I can see the attraction of a fairly small combination.

Overall though, it is most likely designed for a new camera.

 

[Woody]

Pentax has a SMC-FA 43 mm f/1.9 pancake lens that works on full-frame cameras.

Why can't Canon offer a pancake lens with similar aperture? Sigh... They are really go down...

 

[MacDarcy]

I kinda agree with alot of the comments here. Seems odd for a dslr...especially since the plastic fantastic 50f1.8 does the job faster & cheaper.

It's probably meant for the rumored mirror-less canon i would imagine.

But hey...i am not complaining. Always nice to hear Canon is adding to their prime lenses.

 

[lipe]

seriously I love pancake!

 

[mws]

Most likely designed for a new camera. I'd have to guess that 40mm f 2.8 gives a happy balance of focal length on any current camera body and what the cost will be.

 

[AprilForever]

When I first read it, I read 400 2.8 Pancakes, as in pancaking as in flopping... Oh well...

But this looks interesting, though... f2 would be better, but still...

 

[Zlatko]

As to everyone wondering why this makes sense, I don't want to buy another small camera with rubbish battery life and lower image quality, with small viewfinder.

This allows somebody like me to leave the 24-70L at home for studio and still use the 5D for fun, without the extra weight.
....
Its a masterstroke as far as I'm concerned and will make Canon a viable alternative for those considering aesthetics, viewfinders, and weight as well as quality, such as Leica and Fuji.

I think you nailed it perfectly! A pancake lens turns your big camera into something of a small camera alternative. Not fully, but enough to be very compelling. And for some people, it means that when they want a smaller camera, they don't have to settle for the crummy viewfinder, autofocus, battery life and depth of field characteristics that small cameras often bring.