Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM
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dpreview posted the review of Canon’s little pancake lens, the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM, a lens with a [shoplink 5686]low price tag[/shoplink] that delivers surprising good image quality. dpreview says:

The EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is a fairly unprepossessing little lens, and its tiny size and relatively low price might make you wonder whether significant compromises have been made in its design and construction. But the moment you start shooting with it and looking at the images it produces, any such thoughts rapidly disappear – it’s actually a very fine lens.

So, the optics are good, the AF is quiet and fast, and it has a decent build. Actuall in the US the lens has a $50 discount and is sold for $149. dpreview also posted a sample image gallery. The lens got an overall score of 84% and hence dpreview’s Gold Award.

Ron Martinsen compared the [shoplink 13627]Rokinon/Samyang/Bower Tilt-Shift 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC[/shoplink] vs the [shoplink 13626]Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II[/shoplink], two tilt-shift lenses with a huge price difference: around $989 for the Rokinon, $2000 for the Canon. About the Rokinon’s build quality he says: the Rokinon didn’t feel like a cheap lens. It has more substance and quality feel than a typical Canon EF-S lens.

In the conclusion Ron writes:

My overall conclusion was that you have to look pretty hard to see the differences, so the Rokinon impressed me quite a bit. Really all that I could fault the Rokinon for was a seemingly inferior bokeh and the fact that it was a little darker.  Sure, the Rokinon controls are garbage but they work so if you are gentle on your gear it should probably be fine. Image quality wise I’d call it “as good as” Canon.

Be sure to check out Ron’s blog for more samples.

Rokinon Tilt-Shift 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC price check: [shopcountry 13627] Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II price check: [shopcountry 13626]

Product descriptions after the jump.

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Canon EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM
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The Phoblographer reviewed both the Canon [shoplink 2165]EF 28mm f/2.8 IS[/shoplink] lens (review) and the Canon [shoplink 182]EF 35mm f/2 IS[/shoplink] lens (review). Both reviews come with plenty of sample images.

About the EF 28mm f/2.8 IS:

Canon 28mm f2.8 IS is a stunning lens. It has an excellent build quality, can deliver wonderful images, focuses fast, and is nice and small

About the EF 35mm f/2 IS:

[…] delivers some wonderful image quality, has a solid construction to it, focuses quickly, and is extremely portable.

Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS
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