This lens review of the Canon EF 40mm f2.8 STM Pancake Lens is a little different. It doesn't feature lens chart tests and specifications. A very thorough and balanced technical assessment can be found at The Digital Picture.
I'm sure the good folks at Canon would be a little concerned that a blurry picture was being used to extol the virtues of one of it's fine lenses. But please stay with me as I explain why this lens has become so important to the revived enjoyment I am having while making personal photographs unencumbered by brief or deadline.
As a long time pro I have a great range of Canon L lenses and full frame camera bodies. They deliver brilliant hi res files that keep my clients happy and allow me to make really big, sharp prints on my Canon 44" wide printer.
Pancake Lens Review - Images by Paul Foley. Please click on any picture for more information
All this equipment as well as the lighting and modifiers I use are essential for the business side of my photography. The big glass and large impressive bodies show my clients the investment I have made in my business. They also help impress upon them how serious I am about making great pictures to best tell their stories and sell their services and products.
While all this is good for my 'day job', carting a bunch of gear on my days off was getting tiresome. I just wanted to wander around and make some pictures for myself without all the hoopla!
Over the years I have tried lots of very good compact cameras and in recent times have been more impressed by the quality of the files coming out of them. Indeed, at the moment, the web is full of reports of Canon's new mirrorless compact with a cropped sensor. It should be good.
For me, though, whenever I have imported pictures from a compact camera into Lightroom I have inevitably compared them to my full frame files and only found disappointment when I searched the shadows at 100%. I want every picture I make to be capable of printing large and clear (even if they don't always deserve to be).
So I perservered with dragging some of my pro gear around or, worse still, left it at home. Things changed a couple of weeks ago when I picked up the pancake lens. It's so small it barely pokes past the hand grip on the Canon 5DII. Now, when I head out to find pictures, I can remove the battery grip (with its RRS L plate attached), insert a battery, replace the battery cover and be good to go in a minute. It is light in my hand and with or without a strap very easy to carry around discretely.
This setup is putting the fun back into a sometimes jaded pro's personal photography. The lens is sharp, contrasty and with minimal flare or chromatic aberration. The fixed 40mm focal length makes me look for pictures and, because I need to move to change framing instead of lazily zooming, I'm sure this lens will get me fitter!
My sessions with the pancake has me trying different angles, movement and compositions just like I did 40 years ago with my Pentax SP 500. I've been having fun (have I mentioned that?).
Which brings me to the blurred picture at the beginning of the slide show. The other day, on my afternoon walk, I had the 5D with pancake lens attached. My walks take me along many of the bush paths near where I live and I have often seen photographs that I never took or, if taken, were banished to live somewhere in my iPhone.
The sun had just slid behind the trees but there was still evidence of its last rays in places. I had a 'what if' moment and turned on the camera's live view. I kept walking holding the camera in front of me and watching the shaking view of the path ahead. Soon I saw an interesting composition and pressed the shutter button without stopping. The magic of long exposure and bouncing light did the rest!
It was fun and refreshing to do something with free pixels that I once did as a 16 year old when I had to use hard earned chore money to process film!
Of course, all this fun would be of no consequence if the lens were no good but it packs a lot a quality into a very small package. It has some vignetting at f2.8 and is at it's sharpest between f5.6 and f11. The 40mm focal length works for scenics, details and portraits. You just have to zoom with your feet. It focusses down to 20cm and has a very pleasant soft bokeh if used thoughtfully.
While other pictures in the slide show give testimony to the quality of this lens, you should check the technical reviews for all the facts and figures. For me though, the intangible 'magic' this little lens possesses is well worth the less than $250.00 price tag (Australian dollars).
More details and availability:
Australia
Canon Australia, FotoRiesel, Teds Cameras, Kayell Australia
International:
B&H Photo
