[Review] EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

The cute little pancake by Canon is starting to get reviews. It got f/2.8, it’s light (both in your pocket and on your wallet) and it has very good performance – all for $199. ephotozine got its hands on the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake for a review. Results are pretty good. “Autofocus is very swift and precise“, or “At maximum aperture, sharpness in the centre of the frame is already excellent” and “chromatic aberrations are virtually non-existent, remaining under half a pixel width in size at all apertures” are some of the comments you can read in the review. From the final verdict:

Pros

  • Excellent sharpness
  • Low distortion
  • Compact and lightweight
  • Fast focusing

Cons

  • No full time manual focus override
  • Strong vignetting
  • More than double the price of the 50mm f/1.8 (although performance and build probably justify this)

EF 40mm f/2.8 STM availability and price check: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA. If these do not have the 40mm pancake, you may be able to pre-order it at Adorama (click here) and  B&H (click here).

[Pre-Order] Kiss X6i/Rebel T4i/650D and EF 40mm STM Available For Pre-Order At Amazon Japan

Amazon Japan has the Kiss X6i (Rebel T4i in America, EOS 650D in Europe) available for pre-order (click here to see all offered kits). The following options are available:

  • X6i/T4i/650D & 18-135mm STM IS for ￥ 129,800 (click here)
  • X6i/T4i/650D & EF-S 18-55mm IS II & EF-S 55-250mm for ¥ 129,800 (click here)
  • X6i/T4i/650D & EF-S 18-55mm IS II for ￥ 99,800 (click here)
  • X6i/T4i/650D body only for ￥ 89,800 (click here)

As far as I understand, they also have the EF 40mm STM pancake available for pre-order (￥ 20,530, click here), and the 18-135mm STM IS too (￥ 60,690, click here).

[Review] Rebel T4i/EOS 650D Most Comprehensive Hands-On Review So Far

image courtesy of digitalcamerainfo.com

digitalcamerainfo published what is the most comprehensive first-impressions review of the Rebel T4i/650D I saw so far. I would almost dare to say this is a review (though they were using a pre-production model). The review goes over eight dedicated sections covering everything from handling to usage modes and controls, photo gallery included. The overall impression is pretty positive, the new Rebel didn’t miss most of the expectations people had. The highlights are the AF improvements (live view shooting and video recording), the touchscreen, 1080p video recording, a new 18-megapixel image sensor and the faster shot to shot rate (click here for more specs, or click here for a series of videos). Not to forget the greater ISO range. From the conclusion:

In shooting with the T4i, it’s clear that the sum of all those spec upgrades is a camera that truly feels new. That’s a good step for Canon, as we felt the T3i was a lackluster, marginal improvement on the massively successful T2i that preceded it. With the T3i staying in the line as a mid-level option (above the T3 and below the T4i, for now), that separation was necessary for the T4i to be relevant.

In our time with the camera, we loved the snappiness of the new autofocus and more responsive shutter. The camera itself is very familiar, as its body is almost identical to the T3i, with only some minor handling differences. On the inside, the new Digic 5 processor chugs through bursts much quicker than the T3i did, and the autofocus is a hair sharper.

If you are looking for a detailed insight in all of what this camera has to offer, then digitalcamerainfo’s review is the one you should not miss.

Below are pre-order links for the Rebel T4i/650D (and the 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens).

image courtesy of digitalcamerainfo.com
image courtesy of digitalcamerainfo.com

 

image courtesy of digitalcamerainfo.com

[Pre-Order] EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake and 18-135mm STM IS Lenses Ready For Pre-Order (Update)

Update: Scott Bourne’s thought about Canon’s pancake (click here). He points out one of the features of the EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake that may get overlooked: the focusing distance of 30cm. techradar had its hands on the little pancake, verdict: Although it’s not an ‘L’ lens, the new 40mm Canon optic feels nicely put together and has a reasonable weight. We found that its focusing motor was much quieter than the 18-55mm kit lens […].

Pre-Order options for the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens:

 

Canon’s Press Release (40mm pancake and 18-135mm STM):

Click here to open the rest of the article

[Rumor] EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake & 18-135mm STM Specification Leaked

Rebel T4i/650D with 18-135mm STM lens - image: www.canonpricewatch.com

Thanks to reader nini we can post the supposed specs of the EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake and the 18-135mm STM, both expected to be announced tomorrow, Friday 8th. The specifications have been published on Japanese site digicame-info (Google translated). If I got it right, they received the specs from an anonymous source. Here they are (this is machine-translated text, I made some corrections):

  • EF-S18-135mm F3.5-5.6 IS STM [see image above]

– […] new focus by (STM) stepping motor and six-group zoom
– Greatly improved performance [of] video AF
– AF achieve smooth video recording of a moving subject in combination with the EOS Kiss X6i[Rebel T4i/EOS 650D] – Adopted a single sheet and high-precision aspherical lens 1 UD lens, achieving high image quality compared with conventional models
– The first with a dynamic IS valid when shooting motion
– Stage 4 minute camera shake correction in terms of shutter speed

  • EF40mm F2.8 STM specs [see image below]
    – The thinnest and lightest lens in the EF line-up
    – […] smooth and quiet AF drive [adopting a] (STM) stepping motor
    – 22.8mm Length
    – 130 grams in weight
    – […] one glass mold aspherical lens
    – 7-blade circular aperture
    – noise reduction control is [achieved] adopt[ing a] micro-step drive to the diaphragm mechanism
    – Minimum focusing distance is 0.3m
    – full-time manual focus adjustment is possible to focus one-shot AF

Here They Are: Rebel T4i/650D, 18-135mm STM & EF 40mm f/2.8 Pancake Pictures Leaked

First pics of the Rebel T4i/EOS 650D and the 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens, both expected to be announced next Friday, showed up at CPW (click here). The picture above shows also the 18-135mm STM (silent AF motor). Below, the 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens. Nothing new about the T4i/650D specs.

[CPW via CR]

See below for Rebel T3i/EOS 650D deals:

[shariff]