In praise of the 40mm f/2.8 STM

[Mr_Canuck]

I came across a review of the Sony FE35mm f/2.8 that said it was a great lens... for the "very reasonable" price of $799. That's a lot of money for a zeiss logo. And my thoughts immediately went to my Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM. It's also a great lens with a very reasonable price. We don't even need to bring the 35mm/is into it, and that it's both faster and cheaper than the Sony.

One of the mirrorless arguments is for small form factor. And Pentax have their pancake lenses, which I used for some years with their noisy screwdrives. But I think the Canon is the best of the bunch in terms of quality, form factor and price. When I put the 40mm on my lightweight if a little bulbous 6D, I can easily put it in a waist pack, or dangle it from my hand for hours on end. Add the Voigtlander 20mm and it's pancake heaven. I think the little 40 should get more respect.

 

[kphoto99]

If you put an extension tube on it, it makes a nice macro lens too.

 

[mnclayshooter]

When I put the 40mm on my lightweight if a little bulbous 6D, I can easily put it in a waist pack, or dangle it from my hand for hours on end. Add the Voigtlander 20mm and it's pancake heaven. I think the little 40 should get more respect.

If you put an extension tube on it, it make a nice macro lens too.

Couldn't agree more with both of these points... especially at $150 or so (or on sale when I got it for $135 IIRC at Best Buy X-mas sale).

 

[Mr_Canuck]

In fact I just picked up an EF 12 tube last month. It does make it a great close up lens.

Got my 40 for 120 on sale! ;D

 

[Snodge]

Seeing how the motor for the nifty fifty sounds like a cement mixer, I much prefer the shorty forty - it just seems a nicer lens over all, and when lugging a camera around it definitely helps with the light weight...

 

[Sporgon]

I really like the 40 as a landscape lens, especially for panoramics. I try to avoid taking large, heavy gear into the field. A 6D + 40 pancake really fits the bill.

 

[distant.star]

.
It's been sadly underutilized since I got the Sigma 35mm last year. But it took one of my favorite pictures, on a T2i @ 800ISO wide open...

 

[Loswr]

I take my 40/2.8 on almost every outing with my 1D X + 600/4. Just in case.

 

[mnclayshooter]

I take my 40/2.8 on almost every outing with my 1D X + 600/4. Just in case.

As do I... can't help but carry it... so small you don't even notice it in your pocket.

 

[mnclayshooter]

In fact I just picked up an EF 12 tube last month. It does make it a great close up lens.

Got my 40 for 120 on sale! ;D

Very nice - I think that's actually the price or near it that I got on sale too last year now that you mention it.

 

[slclick]

I love mine but I don't use it enough, thanks for the reminder!

 

[[email protected]]

Sold mine because I have the sigmas 18-35 and 50, and it just seemed superfluous, but I have to say that it had a very high keeper rate. Probably should have kept it.

 

[bod]

I take my 40/2.8 on almost every outing with my 1D X + 600/4. Just in case.

+1 This lens is a little beauty and is regularly with me on outings. Sharp. Reliable. Stands up well even compared to much more expensive lenses. As a lightweight walk around this is a good value lens and is a great backup lens to have in the bag.

Last July my son needed my 6D and most of my lenses for a short film he was shooting so I had fun on a holiday in Europe with the 40 and my EOS500. Some examples below.

 

[bod]

40mm f2.8 250th ISO100 EOS500

 

[bod]

Close to Mont Ventoux

 

[jdramirez]

I bought the 40mm for my daughter because I didn't like the 28-135 I bought her... and I think she misses the zoom. But I've used the 40mm here and there and I do like it... super light, nice focal length, solid wide open... the only problem I have with it is that I never use it... like never.

I took a cursory look through my catalog... and I didn't see a single really good shot with the 40... so maybe, for me, I just like the idea of it... but the actually product... well... I guess not enough.

 

[jhpeterson]

I, too, have a 40mm f:2.8 STM. It's a great-performing little lens, but I don't use it nearly enough.
Perhaps, that's because it looks ridiculous dangling from a 1D series body.
Maybe I need an enormous lens hood or some adapter ring for a super-sized filter.

 

[KeithBreazeal]

This is remarkably good lens. This was shot with the 5D Mark III and was my first image with it. I was impressed!
click on the image for the large file

Gold mining Museum in Volcano, California by Keith Breazeal Photography, on Flickr

 

[GaryJ]

Nifty Fifty stays at home and Shorty with me always,this lens is so sharp,on my 6D it is so suited to discreet street work,love the little fella..

 

[Joey]

I too love this lens. Just disposed of it in favour of the new 24mm pancake, because my only body is now the 7DmkII and 24mm is a more useful focal length on a crop body. The new lens appears to be just as good.

I fondly remember the days of film and manual focus, there was a Pentax camera, the ME Super, which was tiny, and they produced the first pancake lens for it, which was a 40mm f/2.8. The combination was amazing. At the time I was already committed to Canon and rather resented that my camera was large and unwieldy by comparison. Finally Canon have given us a pancake lens - two even - but the days of tiny SLR cameras are long gone.