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.

Very good optics; Tiny size; Silent autofocus; Responsive electronic manual focus; Decent construction; Low price

Can be susceptible to flare; No lens hood supplied; AF speed isn't the fastest

The EF 40mm F2.8 STM offers excellent image quality in a tiny, well-made package. For APS-C users it provides a great carry-everywhere complement to a kit zoom, and for full frame shooters it's an excellent general-purpose 'normal' lens. The STM motor means that autofocus is almost completely silent, but it's not super-fast.

Canon SLR owners who want the image quality of a prime in a tiny, relatively inexpensive package.;

Photographers shooting in really low light or aiming for maximum background blur. They'll do better with a faster lens like the EF 50mm F1.8 II;

The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM represents a bit of a debatable concept on a DSLR - at least when compared to the much smaller mirrorless camera system. Honestly speaking there is also not really much of a size and weight advantage when thinking of its closest cousin - the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 - which is...

I'm new to the land of DSLRs and this is the second lens I've bought for my T4i. I don't particularly like the autofocus on this lens. I don't use it often, but there have been a couple of times where I needed it and it was a bit too slow. Other than that, I think it's nice lens.

40mm might appear to be a bit of an odd focal length for a lens, but after spending a week with Canon's first pancake lens, it makes complete sense on our crop-factor EOS 60D.

I bought this as an in-between lens, between my wide 16-35 and zoom 70-200 and as a potential video lens (not tested yet) on a 5Dmk2 First impressions were how small it is making it very unobtrusive, yet the manual focus ring is easy to use unlike the 50mm f1.8 On the occasion I tried it for...

Great Picture Quality; Lightweight; Simple Controls

Works great on my T4i, but not as silent as I had expected. The 18-135 STM lens is silent and I assumed this one would be equally as quiet, but the buzz of the motor is audible and is quiet video situations you do pick up the buzz of the autofocus.

Autofocus Lens is a compact and portable macro lens meant to introduce novice photographers to close-up image-making. Its cost, design, and overall size all lead the tyro to comfortably accessorize their kit lens, and begin developing a library of optics for their camera.

Good bang for the buck. Works on full frame or C sensor cameras. So small it makes even the biggest camera usable anywhere. Good in low light , no flash situations, and auto focus works quite well.

Handling and features Performance Verdict Specification The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM is a slim, compact pancake type lens, which is compatible with Canon EF and EF-S camera bodies and costs around ￡230.

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

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