Product ReviewsCanon EF 40mm F/2.8 STM Lens

A Bargain that does more than it should

After hearing that this little beauty often made lists for Canon's Top Ten Sharpest lenses, and boggling at the New-or-Used prices, I decided to punch the ticket.

Now, I'm not a Canon body owner, or shooter, but a Micro Four Thirds enthusiast, and particularly the top-end of the Olympus range. So for me, running a Metabones AF adapter, this little beast's functionally an 80mm Portrait lens that more than makes up for topping out with an f/2.8 aperture. It's snappy, quick to focus on the adapter (where nothing's going to be as fast as M43-matched lenses), and delivers just the right bokeh and sharp, tiny DOF wide open.

Worth the (neglible) coin? You bet. It's one sharp little lens that fills the spot left vacant by my M. Zuiko 42.5mm (if not quite so sharp or fast, it's less than half the price).

Don't hesitate if you've got a hole in your lens bag, need a backup for a faster-aperture lens that'll often embarrass the more expensive one, and I'd still have a ton of fun with one either on an E-M1 Mark 1 or 2, or even a big ol' sloppy mirror-slapper. :)Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: LeD9NrtZRAC@Del...

Small, fun to use. Impressive sharpness.

While not as fast as the 50mm, you get a bit wider angle of view, and the images you get are always super sharp, and it's still a lot faster than your typical zoom kit lens. The small lens fits EF and EFs mounts and is really easy to carry anywhere. Super fun to use, it's perfect to shoot portraits or about anything. Highly recommended! Especially for the price, it's a steal! Get it!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: outlut

Handy Dandy Lens

This is an extremely handy lens. It is very compact and unobtrusive. I've carried one on a Canon 5DIII and now a Canon 5DIV. The body completely over powers the lens but it carries so easily. The photo are nice and crisp, and being to open in lower light areas is a plus.

OH! and it makes storing the camera in the bag easy. No snags or hang up when quickly grabbing for the body. Pull it out and you are ready for to shoot.

Is it an "L lens" - No. Will it replace and "L lens" - No but it is a handy dandy and I leave it on the body and then change to other lens accordingly. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: zook2020

Very Sharp, Very Portable

This lens has very sharp image quality. It is so small and light I never hesitate to bring it with me. The focal length is just right as a walk around lens. I wish the focusing was faster and quieter but neither is a problem or hindrance. Bokeh is good at 2.8.Read full review...

Great little lens.

This isn't the fastest prime lens at f2.8, but it's tiny with a versatile focal length for full-frame. The image quality is very, very good for such an inexpensive lens and focusing is decently quick. Just don't expect it to be USM quick. On APS-C it's a longish normal lens or a shortish portrait lens at 66mm equivalent. Still pretty versatile and it has a little wider aperture than a kit lens. I love it. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: mmpv2020

Nice lens for full frame and APS-C camera. It is very sharp and has pleasant bokeh!

I strongly recommend this lens for full frame and APS-C cameras. It takes very nice pictures and provide great value for money!
It can be used as stands walk around lens on both types of cameras. On APS-C body it can be used as portrait lens.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: with_us

Small fast liglhtweight lens

I normally use the Canon 24 to 105mm f4.0 zoom on my 6D SLR. It's a great lens, but weighs a ton. This lens is very light and also a stop faster than the zoom. It covers the normal to slightly wide angle portion of the focal length range. It certainly won't cover all of my needs, but it is the lens that's on the camera most of the time.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: plumtree.ltd

very compact

good for both low-light conditions and portraits. Works well with fullframe cameras.
Very lightweight and compact, can be taken anywhere you can take your camera.

Focusing speed is average, focusing noise is not high but still noticeable.

"Manual focus by wire" feels nasty.

Images on screen of my 5D mk1 are somewhat blurry when zoomed, but they are sharp on computer, so it's camera firmware problem and not a defect of the lens.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: 102_store

Great lens

This is a really great value - sharp as heck, cheap as heck. Highly recommended. Obviously, you could spend a bunch more for an IS lens, but this thing is worth every penny. I’m using it with a crop camera, but if I ever get a full frame camera it’ll be great to have.Read full review...

Solid lens, small, and lightweight.

I have a Canon EOS 6D. The lenses that I currently have were large and unwieldy, which is unsuitable for walking around a city with friends when the agenda isn't necessarily taking photos. It takes quality photos and I am able to get most of my subjects I see on the fly in frame. It is also small, portable, and it is easy for me to carry around with my camera.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: plumtree.ltd