Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM review

Introducing the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM review

I’ve used the 40mm pancake lens from Canon on my recent trip to Thailand. You can see some of the photos I’ve made with it in these projects:

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After using it on this trip I want to share my experiences with you in this Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM review! I’ll discuss every aspect of it one by one.

The 40mm

There are two thing to say about the 40mm: the focal length, but also the physical size. The former is fine, the latter is great!

40mm focal length

40mm is almost the ‘standard’ 50mm focal length. This means it is almost ‘regular’ on both a full-frame camera or a crop sensor camera (64mm). This works great for thing like street photography and portraits. But I also tend to like it for landscapes and cityscapes, because it doesn’t do weird thing to the perspective. So I would say it’s a fine standard focal length.

Of course the lens lacks a zoom function. It’s fixed at 40mm. This means you have the zooming yourself: using your feet! Sometimes you’ll miss it, but you can definitely get used to it. The longer you use it, the more you’ll get used to it.

Physical size of the 40mm pancake lens

Definitely the best characteristic of this lens is the physical size: it’s only 22mm thick and weighs just 130 grams. While these are just numbers, you’ll have to believe me: it’s small and it’s light! And I love it!

The small size and low weight make it really easy to carry in your bag. Normally I always took my Canon EF 24-105 f/4.0 with me during my trips. While this one does allow me to zoom, it’s just a bit too heavy to carry all day. Together with a Canon 6D body, some accessories and water of course. The 40mm lacks the zoom, but you almost don’t notice carrying with you. And that’s great when you’re walking all day.

But there’s one other positive thing about it: it’s so small that people around you don’t really notice it. It will make your camera look so much smaller, and therefore less intimidating. That really helps you make photos in a more relaxed way, without people jumping away for your huge tele lens. And it even makes your expensive camera look fairly ‘regular’. Good anti theft measure?

The f/2.8 aperture

Because I really like taking photos during the dark hours, I was a bit feared by the f/2.8, as opposed to the f/1.8 of my Canon 50mm. But in reality it’s allright. Because I use it with a Canon 6D body which has excellent low light capabilities, I didn’t really notice much of a difference. You’ll have to increase the ISO slightly to make up for it, but if your camera can you’ll be fine.

The STM autofocus

Working with STM instead of USM was new for me. But it’s fine, to be short. While it’s optimised for videography (which I didn’t really test…), it’s almost as fast as USM with photography. And that’s much better than the Canon 50mm f/1.8, which doesn’t have any special autofocus. The STM makes way less noise.

Conclusion of the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM review

So, after using the lens for one trip, I fell in love with it instantly! While I took my faithful 24-105 lens with me just to be sure, I’ve left it in my bag the entire trip. The best thing about the 40mm is definitely the small size. Combined with the perfect photo and build quality, I would really recommend it for anyone who wants to travel light. And doesn’t mind zooming-by-feet!

Want to read a more extensive review of the lens? Check out the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM review by dpreview here.