| Customer Reviews Collected from usa.canon.com |
Canon - EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Standard Lens - Black
Average Customer Rating:
4.6
Rating breakdown 63 reviews
5 Stars
45
4 Stars
14
3 Stars
3
2 Stars
1
1 Star
0
96%of customers recommend this product.
(
50 out of
52)
Customer Reviews for Canon - EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Standard Lens - Black
Customer Rating
5
Great Bargan
on April 10, 2014
Posted by: "T"
from Michigan
This lens might be the best buy of the entire Canon line of lenses..I tested the canon 40mm against the 40mm f2 from Voightlander and was pleasantly surprised by the Cannon.I'm not going to say that the Canon was better in every way; but as far as center sharpness goes, I was amazed. I found my copy of the 40mm f2.8 pancake to be sharper in the center for all f stops untill f16 when Voightlander catches up. At f22 the voightlander is sharper. At 5.6 and F8 canon was quite a bit sharper.
I own 5 other canon lenses (all "L" glass). For the price difference, this little knock around lens is amazing.
I own 5 other canon lenses (all "L" glass). For the price difference, this little knock around lens is amazing.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, price
Cons: none
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Everyone should have this in their camera bag
on March 29, 2017
Posted by: GMak
from Bellevue, WA, United States
Everyone should have this in their bag. In the "old days" of film, the standard prime was either a 35mm or 50mm, with photographers using one or the other for their slight respective advantages. This 40mm is right in the middle! It is tiny, weighs almost nothing. Even though not a metal "L" lens, this has an solid overall build and feel (perhaps because of its compact size) and has a "as your eye sees" field of view. I've used this on several photo shoots so far in place of my 24-70mmL 2.8 (as a test) and am very pleased with the results. Several times of course I wished for a little wider or closer, but often I could compensate by simply moving closer or farther away. (Not always possible in all situations of course, I understand.) I could see no difference so far with the 24-70, in terms sharpness or focusing speed or target acquisition. The STM (versus USM) focus motor is quick and quiet, and I did not notice any noise (not to say it wasn't there, but it wasn't noticeable.) This lens is extremely inexpensive, and the size and weight are insignificant, and even if you didn't replace a lens in your bag, this would add almost no bulk or weight to it. (You could put it in your shirt pocket!) I was able to handhold at 1/20th with the mirror-up setting on my 5DIII and got crisp, sharp photos using just a street lamp for lighting. Very glad I added this to my lens options.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Mighty Mouse
on September 3, 2019
Posted by: solobackcountry
from Gilbert, AZ
I can't believe how long it took me to purchase this lens. This review is for full-frame use. I've been rolling my eyes at it ever since it first came out. How can this lens be any good? Recently reading various technical reviews raised my eyebrows and quickly changed my opinion of this lens. I can confirm after various mixed use that this lens delivers the goods. It's optically amazing and I'm picky. Very sharp across the frame wide-open. Stopping down to f/3.2 helps clean up a bit of light fall off although wide-open isn't overly bad in that regard. The quality of bokeh is very good and longitudinal CA (LoCA) is minimal. This lens has very little barrel distortion. I'm using mine for close focus work and general landscape photography. I'm very pleased with the images I'm seeing. The focal length feels just perfect. 35mm can feel too wide and 50mm often feels restrictive. It's a true pleasure to use. It makes my full-frame camera seem so light and small. This lens is such a smart buy if you're passionate about natural perspective photography. It should cost at least twice as much for what you get. Enjoy!
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Best Full-frame focal length and lens size
on December 23, 2013
Posted by: Canonball
from Hawaii
I am soooo happy canon made this lens. It really is the PERFECT focal length and size all in one camera. This lens will absolutely put the fun back into your photography days.
To say the least, 40mm on a full frame is not too sweet, not too sour, but just right. EVERYTIME! It's size and PRICE allows you to tote it around and ENJOY yourself. Thank you god! Geez. I've been waiting a looonnnggg time for something like this.
Canon.... please develop the 40mm focal length more. And please develop pancake lenses more. Pancake lenses are the future for anyone who wants to enjoy their DSLR. I can now carry my 6D everywhere and carry my children when I need to. It is 10x more easier to carry around than the 50mm f1.4. THAT is saying quite a lot.
Pros: Super-sharp images, enjoyment, price/anxiety, size, really really versatile
Cons: is would be heaven sent for video
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Wow... better then expected.
on November 28, 2012
Posted by: Doc
from Chesterfield, MO
Pleasantly surprised by the quality of this inexpensive lens and its performance. AF is quick and precise. Image is outstanding. I think this lens will become my "go to" lens replacing some rather expensive EF and L Canon lens for every day use as a hobbyist.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Super-sharp images, inexpensive
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Canon Best Pancake Lens
on September 2, 2014
Posted by: 808 Pureview
from Honolulu, HI
This is the best Canon pancake lens.
Very small, light weight, yet the build quality is excellent, with metal mount and good glass.
Image is very sharp, even at F2.8. Focus is very fast, even in live view AF mode.
With the STM, you may override focus manually at anytime.
The only issue is the manual focus - this is not a true manual focus, when you rotate the ring, the motor will drives the lens, at the same time it make some hmm noise, that is not good when recording video as the mic pick up the noise. Also the lens will not retract when the camera is powered off.
Very small, light weight, yet the build quality is excellent, with metal mount and good glass.
Image is very sharp, even at F2.8. Focus is very fast, even in live view AF mode.
With the STM, you may override focus manually at anytime.
The only issue is the manual focus - this is not a true manual focus, when you rotate the ring, the motor will drives the lens, at the same time it make some hmm noise, that is not good when recording video as the mic pick up the noise. Also the lens will not retract when the camera is powered off.
So far, I am very happy with this lens.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images, very small
Cons: noisy manual focus
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Great Walk-Around Lens
on December 19, 2014
Posted by: ace
from East Lansing, MI
This thin lens is the perfect walk-around lens for a full frame camera and a decent portrait lens for a APS-C camera. Just add a protection filter and a thin sun shade, and you are ready to cruse the boulevard.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Posted by: mickT
from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Verified Purchase:Yes
The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is a terrific lens, especially for the price. It is small and light and quite versatile
It's easy to walk around with and it takes great pictures. When I'm using another lens I always carry the "shorty 40" in my pocket as a light-weight alternative.
It's easy to walk around with and it takes great pictures. When I'm using another lens I always carry the "shorty 40" in my pocket as a light-weight alternative.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com