Lens review
Canon EF 40 mm f/2.8 STM
11. Summary
- a nifty, compact casing,
- excellent image quality in the frame centre,
- good image quality on the edge of the APS-C sensor,
- right correction of chromatic aberration,
- slight distortion,
- practically no astigmatism,
- moderate vignetting on the APS-C sensor,
- very good work against bright light,
- silent and accurate autofocus,
- good price/quality ratio.
Cons:
- huge vignetting on full frame.
The results of the Canon EF 40 mm f/2.8 STM are a very nice surprise. Preparing myself for testing this “pancake” I expected a lot of problems on the edge of full frame sensor. There were some problems but not very serious ones – you can easily wave them aside. The mere comparison of the cons and pros lists proves this device is really worth your interest.
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You can also wonder why the producer didn’t implement a bit faster aperture. The combination of f/2.8 and 40 mm focal length is available for every user of 24-70 mm f/2.8 class lens or a 17-55 mm f/2.8 device for smaller sensors. Still you should remember that such constructions are expensive and optically they can fare worse than the “pancake” tested here. Full frame has also a bigger potential so the Canon 2.8/40 will be able to provide a shallower depth of field than the Panasonic G 20 mm f/1.7 ASPH, so praised and valued in the little world of mirrorless devices.
Sample shots
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Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/400 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 6.84 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/20 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 7 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/50 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 8.02 MB |
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Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 7.07 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/320 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 6.39 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/320 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 6.79 MB |
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Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/2000 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 6.78 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/3.5, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 7.79 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/125 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 7.22 MB |
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Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/60 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 7.57 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/2000 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 8.58 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/1000 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 9.34 MB |
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Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/500 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 7.56 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/125 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 8.84 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/200 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 8.5 MB |
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Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 7.53 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/500 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 9.02 MB |
Camera: Canon 1Ds MkIII Parameters: 40 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 5616×3744 pix, 9.06 MB |
