| 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
Best lens in it’s class
on June 12, 2017
Posted by: Gthomas
from Pennsylvania, United States
I bought this as a backup lens, and found that it was optically as good as my 24-105-L, if not even better. Super sharp, and turns my 6D into a pocket camera (almost). This lens should be in every Canon user’s bag.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Can't beat this lens for the price
on July 19, 2012
Posted by: RawDogg
from Redwood City, Ca.
Small, Light weight, Fast and fun to use. I put it on my 5D Mark II and was totally surprised by the results. I wasn't expecting the image quality that I received. I wish it were a 2.0 or even 1.8 or better yet 1.4 but it would have cost more. I'm totally happy with my purchase. I use it for landscape, friends & family, video, macro, portraits, and it works excellent.
Pros: Fast auto-focus, Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: larger aperture
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
this lens makes me happy
on June 22, 2012
Posted by: derob
from Concord, NH
I bought this lens for my 5DII for two reasons; I thought 40 mm is just excellent for landscapes, stills, and cityscapes, and I wanted to have a lightweight and discrete alternative for the big zooms.
Well, this lens is pretty excellent for this purpose. I have had it only for a week now and I am really happy with it. It lives up to its discreetness (it looks strange on my camera, as if no lens is mounted). I made some really nice pictures with it already.
About image quality: Sharpness first. Although I did only field testing, to me it appears tack sharp. At f2.8 it is OK (though at 100% visibly softer and less contrast), with some quite apparent problems in the extreme (really extreme) corners. You will not notice without looking for it. From f4 onwards I did not notice this anymore and IQ appears overall excellent. Another thing what is outstanding is bokeh; even at f8 it is very smooth. From some test shots made for the purpose I did not notice bokeh fringing either. Overall color and contrast appear OK as well. With some real effort I detected some barrel distortion which was already fully corrected in Photoshop by using the smallest correction possible.
Except... with image quality I am afraid there is one problem, and that is vignetting. At f2.8 this is very apparent, and does only go away at f5.6 or so. Of course my 5DII firmware doesn't have data for this...Canon please please add correction data at least to DPP, it is difficult to correct by hand...
Other things, well, build quality is very good, and manual focusing is surprisingly easy given the by wire focus control. The focus ring is also big enough. The AF is a bit slow though, and makes a weird noise. STM I don't need.
Given the price/performance/discreetness, I think this lens is a definite hit. If you don't really need the speed of one of the other primes, this is a good bet.
Pros: discreet small size, overall image quality, price performance
Cons: vignetting
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Lots of bang for the buck
on September 28, 2012
Posted by: Paula
from Lawrence, KS
I was torn between this lens and either the 50mm 1.8 or 1.4f lenses and decided to give this lens a try. So far I have been quite pleased with the lens. I like the extra view I get with this 40mm lens on my T2i compared with a kit lens. I do a lot of macro work and for flowers this lens is great when you don't need macro but want a close up. You can use it with extension rings and I can see using it in a pinch in lieu of my 100mm macro.
On the other hand it is great for medium range shots as well. For instance I found this lens really performs taking street shots. Focusing takes a bit of getting used to; I am used to the 55-250 or the 70-300mm telephoto lenses or the 100mm macro and keep reaching for the wrong spot to focus.
The main complaint I have is that the manual focus ring is a bit too narrow and I have small hands but it is better than the 50mm f1.8 lens. Also the connection to the camera is metal rather than plastic like the f/1.8 50mm or for that matter the 55-250 telephoto.
The other thing about manual focus is that it seems to take quite a few turns to get something in focus and sometimes the manual focus seems to sleep. Pressing the shutter half way seems to wake it back up.
If you want something else other than the 55mm kit lens then I'd take a look at this lens. Way better build than the f/1.8 and much faster than the Kit lens that came with my T2i.
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Very Sharp
on January 21, 2015
Posted by: Smokey
from Fredericksburg, VA
This is one of the sharpest lenses I own.
That said, I own the EF 24-105mm f4/L IS USM lens.
It competes quite nicely with that lens.
Enough said.
That said, I own the EF 24-105mm f4/L IS USM lens.
It competes quite nicely with that lens.
Enough said.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
The Sleeper of Sleepers !
on July 2, 2016
Posted by: fotogeezer
from San Jose, CA, United States
One of the sharpest lenses I've ever used, a great match for full frame (and all) sensors. I do mostly travel and landscapes. I love the 40mm coverage on full-frame, and the 60mm equivalent on APS-C. I use a cheap rubber screw-on shade, so that if I bump it, the lens won't be damaged.
But I've had misfocuses and balkiness, so that I have to shut off the 5D2 and turn it back on. This does not inspire confidence for weddings or street shooting. My old EF 35mm f2 is more trustworthy for those purposes. My suggestion, Canon, re-issue this otherwise great 40mm lens and get it right this time. My EF-S 24mm f2.8 is also new STM technology and does not seem to have these issues.
But I've had misfocuses and balkiness, so that I have to shut off the 5D2 and turn it back on. This does not inspire confidence for weddings or street shooting. My old EF 35mm f2 is more trustworthy for those purposes. My suggestion, Canon, re-issue this otherwise great 40mm lens and get it right this time. My EF-S 24mm f2.8 is also new STM technology and does not seem to have these issues.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
sleeper
on July 25, 2015
Posted by: Calaverasgrande
from Oakland
I bought this as a travel lens for my T2i. Something that is not only lighter, but smaller. At first I did not like it. It simply wasn't as fun as my 85mm or 35mm lenses. The focus ring is kind of fiddly since it is focus by wire. Meaning it does not mechanically focus the lens. It sends a signal to the same motor the AF uses.
Then I upgraded to a 760D/T6s.
The lens behaves much better with the newer camera. The AF is better behaved, and manual focus while in AF mode works much better.
I've also gotten more into using the AF with the 760D, since it has more flexible and powerful AF modes. This lens really works better if you leave the focus up to the camera and instead worry about the other settings like aperture and shutter.
The colors and detail are very good. I get some CA on branches shot against bright skys and such. But even some L glass does that.
Then I upgraded to a 760D/T6s.
The lens behaves much better with the newer camera. The AF is better behaved, and manual focus while in AF mode works much better.
I've also gotten more into using the AF with the 760D, since it has more flexible and powerful AF modes. This lens really works better if you leave the focus up to the camera and instead worry about the other settings like aperture and shutter.
The colors and detail are very good. I get some CA on branches shot against bright skys and such. But even some L glass does that.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
In love
on January 29, 2014
Posted by: jlynn
from Northern Wisconsin
I recently purchased the new 70 D body, I am never that fond of kit lenses so this is the first lens I decided to purchase to go with my new camera. I am in love with this lens. It is such a fun lens, it really captures the colors of the scene you are shooting well, and for the price the quality of the photos are great! If you are a intermediate photographer like me I know you will not be disappointed! This was actually my first stationary lens, I usually shoot everything with a wide angle zoom or a regular telephoto zoom, this lens has made me so excited to purchase another stationary lens. I see the 85 mm in my future:)
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com