Canon Sticks to its Guns with the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Pancake Lens
Many pundits, bloggers and commentators of the digital photography world are still puzzled that Canon is the last major manufacturer without a mirrorless, or interchangeable lens system (ILS), camera. Many of these same experts think it’s a mistake to allow Sony, and now Nikon, and others, to grab shares of this new niche in the digital camera market. Those with a bit more wisdom and insight speculate that Canon’s philosophy is to remain “pure” and to honor its brand’s reputation for providing an excellent DSLR experience.
Canon may think that the “miniaturized” mirrorless camera is unnecessary, since the company is capable of designing and manufacturing “compact” APS-C DSLRs. Enthusiasts and hobbyists are able to shoot with the “real thing,” but at a weight and size that is comfortable and virtually as easy to carry and use as a mirrorless camera, and even some of the newer compacts.
With the introduction of the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens, Canon seems to be cleverly fulfilling both its philosophy and the challenge of the marketplace. It’s not by happenstance that this is the first pancake lens ever produced for its EOS camera system, which was first introduced during 1987. At just 2.7 x 0.9 inches (66.2 x 22.8mm) and 4.6 oz. (130g), the EF 40mm pancake is very small and lightweight, giving it that mirrorless camera feel in the hands of an amateur. At a fixed-focal length of 40mm, it’s situated between a true wide-angle and a standard prime lens, satisfying the enthusiast or hobbyist who wants to photograph people and activities unobtrusively, or enjoys roaming the streets and public places looking for interesting images.
No doubt, Canon chose this focal length because it is also extremely popular with mirrorless camera photographers for many of the same reasons. Consumers contemplating the purchase of an ILS camera may find a Canon APS-C body with this 40mm lens, and with the availability of the much larger selection of EF lenses, to be a better choice.
It’s also understandable why Canon released this EF 40mm lens at essentially the same time as the new EOS Rebel 4Ti body. Canon built the lens with a stepping AF motor, the STM designation, instead of the standard USM AF. The benefit to the photographer is smoother auto-focus when shooting in movie or Live-View mode; however, the camera must be programmed to use this feature and the Rebel T4i is the only body on which this can be currently accomplished.
Since Canon is known for the construction integrity of its lenses, it built the EF 40mm f/2.8 with a durable plastic shell and a metal mount. The other aid in design is that pancake lenses are a rather simple assembly of components. The optical configuration is 6 glass elements in 4 groups and one aspherical element and a circular aperture with 7 blades. With its STM, or stepping motor, the AF works relatively quick in phase detection AF mode. Turn the focus ring for manual control via a wire system, which Canon touts as a major benefit during video recording. The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM lens has a minimum focus distance of just a bit less than 10 inches (0.25m) and a maximum magnification of ~1.5.5.
As should be expected from a Canon lens and a pancake focal length, there is essentially no barrel distortion or chromatic aberration. Vignetting is reduced to a negligible level at f/4 and unobservable at f/5.6 and beyond. Again, because of the simple design of this lens, center and corner resolution is very good to excellent at f/2.8, and continues this performance to f/11 when a slight softening is evident.
If you’re a Canon purist or loyalist, then its philosophy behind the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens makes perfect sense; and it's the right lens for you if you’re shooting subject matter that requires it.
The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens is available from B&H Photo Video for $199, at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/870179-REG/Canon_40mm_f_2_8_EF_Pancake.html.
Photograph © www.canon.com
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