13.2.2015

This is the second STM pancake from Canon (the first being the 40mm F2.8 STM) this one features a focal length of 24mm which is equivalent of 38mm on a full frame camera a useful general purpose focal length. Being an EF-S lens it is designed for a crop body and not for a full frame camera.The main appeal of this lens is the super compact size measuring a mere 23mm length and a very lightweight 125 grams. Build is plastic, but fairly decent plastics and it does have a metal lens mount. My quick summary of stronger and weaker points of the lensGood points:+ Super small lightweight lens+ Decent build quality feels good in the hand and has a metal mount+ AF is very quiet,smooth AF for video and fast (test body 70d)+ Good sharpness wide open at F2.8 across most of the frame+ Full time manual focus+ Excellent "close focus ability"+ Minimal CA and mostly good resistance to flareWeaker areas:- Quite heavy vignette effect (corner darkening) at F2.8- No supplied hood (though not overly useful in my view)Notes:Max magnification at the min focus distance is: 1.3.7 (0.16m) x0.27Manual focus is "by wire" the focus ring drives the AF motor to achieve focus it works fine though not quite as well as a mechanical focus ring. You have full time manual focus though in one shot AF mode.Hood part number is: ES-52Filter size is 52mm a common one for Canon lenses. The lens does extend with focus, the filter thread does not rotate.Testing this lens out I was mostly impressed with it for a few reasons, Canon seem to have improved the STM motor over the 40mm pancake lens it's more refined here faster and quieter. Optically it's very good in the central region at F2.8, some slight softness on the extreme edges, this sharpens up nicely at F4 and it seems to have peak performance at F5.6.Also worth a mention is the close focus of the lens it gets quite close to a subject and while it's not a real macro lens (even a 1:2 one) it can get close enough for a lot of applications. If there is one weaker aspect of the lens it's the fall off at max aperture F2.8 it is quite notable, a stop down at F4 it's mostly cleared up. This isn't normally going to be a problem for most shooters, just bear it in mind for some raw software, the darkening can be corrected in post processing and some like the effect. The out of focus rendering is quite good though can be slightly edgy with very close areas of detail, though quite smooth in areas that are further away. It is possible to get some shallow depth of field with the lens, though more so with closer focus distances. I wouldn't bother with the add on lens hood it's quite small and whilst you can get some small flare at times the lens doesn't have significant problems here.At F2.8 it's faster than normal lenses at the 24mm mark (the 18-135mm being about F4 at this setting) so you gain a stop, though you don't have any stabilisation. The main appeal here is a pocket able compact lens that you can take anywhere with you which takes up almost no space at all. A good buy if you're looking for a super compact pancake prime.

14.7.2017

What a cute little lens. I must admit that I have a really nice Tamron 18-200 lens which I use pretty much as a prime lens on days out, holidays etc and it offers me a degree of flexibility for a day's general shooting which is great for touring, however, serious shots require serious lenses and dedicated to an APS-C camera, I view this as a serious lens. I am using it mainly for candid shots of street life, where the 2.8 aperture allows me to focus on the main subject leaving the rest out of focus. Previously I have used the similar sized 40mm lens, which again is superb, although a little noisier when focussing, with both producing pin sharp images. For those who use a similar lens on a full frame camera,

29.11.2017

This is a brilliant little lens. My copy is nicely sharp across most of the frame with just a bit of fall-off in the corners. It holds its own against Canon's other consumer level primes, most of which are two-to-three-times the price. I find my copy can outperform my copy of it's brother the EF 40mm f/2.8 STM at their wider aperture, particularly when it comes to chromatic aberration and fringing. Distortion isn't bad and colours and contrast pop nicely.Small and light enough to fit in your pocket, it's great to travel with and I've taken this and it's brother on holiday and they're no bother whatsoever to carry about all day. 24mm is the equivalent of about 38mm full frame,

1.12.2019

I am a professional photographer who doesn't like to carry around professional equipment on days out - too big, too bulky and too expensive. So this pancake lens is the exact opposite and perfect for me!I pair this lens with a Canon 200d. When you combine these two, it doesn't look as a retro or stylish as Fuji or Olympus compacts - but it weighs less and is actually physically smaller than the cameras which are often used for street photography by virtue of their compactness.I highly recommend putting this lens with a small DSLR such as 100d or 200d, and you will not even notice it on days out. During winter, I can even fit it in the larger pockets of my winter jacket,

1.2.2018

The 24mm F2.8 STM lens is great. The build quality is superb with a metal mounting ring and overall sturdy construction. The only thing to remember when getting this is that 24mm on a canon cropped sensor is closer to 40mm on a full frame camera which is a very useful focal length. The lens has an STM autofocus motor meaning it is nearly silent making it great for video work and the focal length is suited to vlogging. The focus ring is very smooth to turn which is also good for video work and focusing doesn't turn the front of the lens which is great when using a polarising filter. This lenses small form factor makes it great for carrying around aswell as being less intrusive and this makes it great for street photography.

6.10.2016

Great lens and very sharp. Little bit tricky to focus at first, in manual, but you get used to it. I've so far took a lot of street and landscape photographs with this. It's very good for discreet street-photography shots. I took a few shots from chest level without looking through the viewfinder & it performed well (see the woman on the bench photo - I was crossing the road and the camera was around my neck, down to my waist, and I snapped away blindly. The shot was squint but I cropped & straightened it in post and it came out well).I cropped a few other photographs I took with the lens also and the quality is very good even when I cropped the photograph by 50% (see attached Seagull photo -

4.5.2015

I love this lens. I originally upgraded the kit lens for my 650d to the EF S 15-85mm, and while that lens is 5 star, it is quite a monster. With this little gem, you immediately get a break from the weight, and it's more like carrying a large compact around, and you feel a lot less conspicuous.As it's f2.8, it is a great night lens. I was walking around in Rome at night quite happily- the camera with a non branded strap can be tucked under your fleece and no one knows you have one. You can also use a micro tripod for slow shots, as the whole thing doesn't tip over. As with all prime lenses, you need to do a bit more work to frame your shots, and I must confess I also own the EF 40mm,

29.11.2018

At first I was sceptical about ordering a Canon lens from Amazon. Usually I order from Canon direct, Argos or Currys. I saw this fantastic deal for £50 lens than Canon and went for it with my eyes closed. I always believe that you should only buy quality whenever it comes to Camera equipment. I used Amazon prime so it came literally the next day.I took the lens with my 700D DSLR to see the performance. I must say that I am shocked. The image quality is crystal clear. Better than the typical 18-55mm zoom lens. The lens isn't heavy, it's discreet and has silent auto focusing. The price is extremely affordable and I like the metal attachment ring.Next I'll probably buy a 50mm 1/4 pancake,

24.8.2016

I would have given this superb little lens the full 5 stars but it took 2 attempts to get a good one.The first one had a 1mm blob of white "dust" stuck to the front element. Not happy that a new lens should be delivered like that but grudgingly cleaned it off with a lens pen after blowing failed to dislodge it. I then found a similar white blob inside the lens. Canon's quality process is clearly not as good as it should be!Amazon's returns process worked perfectly though and I soon had the replacement.What a lens this is!! Supremely sharp, small, light and produces stunning images. It is perfect for travelling light, for example when out walking. 24mm is a versatile focal length for landscapes,

22.12.2014

The Canon EF-S 24mm f / 2.8 STM. It is a wide-angle prime designed for APS-C format. Considering the crop factor, it provides a focal length equivalent to 38 mm. What immediately strikes of this lens is the sharpness and the almost total absence of chromatic aberrations. This is due to the high technology involved, are present in this camera lens: an aspherical element and a coating of lenses optimized. Also allowing an extreme reduction of lens flare. Now we come to the really important parameter of this lens. A maximum aperture of f / 2.8, all at an average price of about 140 €. this feature until now was only present on two lenses of high range of the EF-S series. All at an average price of about 140 €.

5.4.2015

This is a lovely lens to add to your collection of Canon primes. I had the 50mm 1.8 for many years before upgrading to the 1.4. The 40mm STM pancake was the next prime I owned and I found it great fun in particular for street photography but was occasionally a little tight on an APS-C sensor camera. The 24mm was therefore a natural next step.The lens is well priced and well built. The near-silent stepper motor will appeal to videographers while the discrete pancake sized lens means allows you to be more subtle in a crowd. This is a lovely little lens and it gives lovely images, even with its tiny front element.Overall I do find that this doesn't get as much use as my 40mm pancake.

4.1.2015

Fancy doing a bit of street photography but people can see you from a quarter mile away with your 5d or 7d? You've looked at an OM-D1 and baulked at the price? You've looked at other cscs and come to the conclusion you wouldn't get on with the crappy little things?Buy this, stick it on the old digital Rebel you probably already have. Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt and the decisive moment awaits.Update: As you may (or may not) have gathered I bought this principally as a cheap, light, simple "walk around" lens. I've been using it for a few days now and by god it's sharp. Better than my expensive f 2.8 zoom I think. Yes there's a hint of barrel distortion and Canon haven't yet issued a lens profile so you can easily fix it in Ps or Lr but I'm sure it's coming.

15.5.2015

At first glance this lens may seem an odd choice for cameras with APS-C sensors as it gives an actual focal length of around 38mm with it's Canon hosts. Neither standard or wide angle in focal length. I have a Canon 70D and ninety per cent of my photography is to do with railways. Whether trains in the landscape or three quarter views of locomotives or railway station precincts this lens has proved to be ideal. So much so that it has not been off my camera since I purchased it. Some say it is a bit soft at f2.8 and is subject to harsh vignetting. This is true to a point but with the correct lens profile downloaded via the menu these faults clean up beautifully.

2.10.2016

Very small and light, works reasonable well on my old Canon 20D. Does not produce a lot of chromatic aberration, colours appear correct if a little muted (probably down to my old camera and which I could probably change in the customs setting). Focus speed is reasonable and accurate if the camera settings are used appropriately. Good value for money. If used on a smaller body it would not look much bigger than some mirror-less cameras. Don't expect it to be better than much more expensive lenses; but if you can work without image stabilisation and within the limit of F2.8 and a focal length of nearly 40mm you should consider this lens.

23.6.2016

Love this lens and the size is perfect. I was originally using the kit lens that came with my 1200D (EF-S 18-55mm) but this is much sharper. I took the same photo with both the kit lens and this pancake (same settings in manual mode with same aperture), and when I zoom in and compare both images using Lightroom, I can clearly see more detail using this 24mm lens. There is also considerably less chromatic aberration, especially around brightly colours objects (white letters for example)I chose the 24mm lens because I found that's where I take most of my images, and zooming in using the kit lens isn't great. I also have a lift-fifty 50mm lens for portraits, so my kit lens is now redundant.

Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM - Reviews

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