Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM officially discontinued

TAF

CR Pro
Feb 26, 2012
491
158
I am a little concerned that they are discontinuing EF lenses, for which there is no RF counterpart.

Once was happenstance (the 200mm f/2), this is now twice.

But there most certainly soon will be. My interpretation; they are freeing up production capacity for new RF lenses. Expect to see suitable equivalents appearing shortly. Perhaps part of the expected 2nd half of 2021 announcements we've been teased/promised.

I like my EF40, but once you add the adapter, I'd just as soon use the new RF50 on my R5. Although I suspect a comparable RF40 would end up in my bag as well...
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0

stevelee

FT-QL
CR Pro
Jul 6, 2017
2,383
1,064
Davidson, NC
I have used this lens for thousands of shots, many are some very special images. I think it's due to the portability and travel choice attached to the lens and having it with me more than other selections more so than the optics however it's no slouch. It's my favorite semi wide perspective (I really do not like 50's) and it's a shame Canon only made one FF pancake. I always thought a 28/40/60-ish would be a great trio.
Supposedly, a "normal" lens has a focal length of the diagonal of the sensor or film frame size. For FF, that is around 43mm. So it is no wonder that a 40mm lens would seem normal to you. 50mm and 55mm and even 58mm lenses have been called "normal" over the years, and 35mm used to be considered wide angle but is slightly less so than a 55mm is a telephoto. And of course things come down to taste, but also technology. With 16mm on an excellent zoom, 35mm doesn't seem so wide any more.
 
Upvote 0

stevelee

FT-QL
CR Pro
Jul 6, 2017
2,383
1,064
Davidson, NC
I have a friend I have known just on line for 35+ years, starting with Compuserve forums and now on Facebook. He is a really good nature photographer. He works in a camera store in Providence RI. They have just done a major remodel of the store. He posted pictures and said their problem now is trying to get stock.

I am not surprised that Canon wants to devote finite resources to producing lenses that are in demand.

I say this as someone who does not own an R-series camera, and therefore won't be buying RF lenses for the foreseeable future, maybe not in this lifetime. I might get a GAS attack some time, but in reality, I don't run into a use case where I wish I had a different camera or some lens I don't already have. For my mirrorless needs, I have a G5X II. (It doesn't have a mirror and has a popup electronic viewfinder.) I have no reason to use it until I can travel again. I may rent some more TS-E and maybe some macro lenses I don't have, but really don't have enough use for them to splurge. I invented scenarios to have fun with the TS-E lenses, but concluded no ongoing need.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
In a way, the people (including me) who are gloomy about this because it's a favorite lens...actually have nothing to complain about; we've got ours.

Anyone thinking about buying one has to do so quickly (and if you can't swing it, that does suck).
This is so true, though since I fully transitioned to RF mount last year, the only real use my 40 gets any more is on my old film EF bodies. I still shoot a fair amount of film, so it does get used. The RF50 is small and light enough that for now it’s the most used lens on my RP, which is my walk around camera.
 
Upvote 0
While this lens has no single standard spec which makes it outstanding (except size and "cuteness") it is absolutely gorgeous in contralight due to the few glass-air-surfaces compared to other lenses.
And I like the ~65mm equiv perspective on APS-C cameras. This and a 200D is light, compact, versatile combo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Upvote 0
While this lens has no single standard spec which makes it outstanding (except size and "cuteness") it is absolutely gorgeous in contralight due to the few glass-air-surfaces compared to other lenses.
And I like the ~65mm equiv perspective on APS-C cameras. This and a 200D is light, compact, versatile combo.
While it’s true it has no single spec that alone falls in the “outstanding” category, all of its specs are well above average which when combined together makes for a lens that has an attractive FF focal length, size, weight, and price that punches quite a bit above its price class.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
Upvote 0