Canon EF 40mm F/2.8 STM Lens Review

On this review photographer Christopher Frost looks at the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens to see how it performs.

The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is one of the only modern pancake lenses Canon manufactures today (surly when it comes to full frame). Having such a compact lens is great but how about the performance – are we sacrificing anything here.

The lens is well built but the AF isn’t very fast and despite being an STM lens – it isn’t that quiet for video.

On the bright side – sharpness is excellent wide open across the frame on full frame (and very good on APS-C – depending on your specific camera). Barrel distortion isn’t too bad and so are other characteristics apart from the ability to shoot against bright light (contrast tend to be reduced and it does not come with a hood).

At $130 the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is very inexpensive and can be a good option for Canon users who would like a very compact lens with good optical performance.

You can find many more previews and reviews on our Photography review section here on LensVid and you can find more of Frost’s videos here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.