Thread: Canon's new super affordable lens: The Shorty Forty ($199)

Not a whole ton of info out there right now, but Canon recently introduced their first "pancake" lens: the 40mm f/2.8 STM, going for just $199. The main draw here being the ridiculously small size (.9in), which is pretty cool. I love street shooting, so an inconspicuous lens like this seems like just the ticket.

Canon is also introducing a new focusing mechanism with this lens, designed specifically for video, which they are calling STM. Basically it seems to be enabled for continuous AF during video shooting. Hoping some of you more techy video nerds can chime in on that.

links:
Canon: http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consum...8_stm#Overview
B&H: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...F_Pancake.html

From what I read the new Rebel has the focusing mechanism that works with this lens. Sounds kind of interesting, but I'd like to see some video on it.

Originally Posted by dipstik

Canon is also introducing a new focusing mechanism with this lens, designed specifically for video, which they are calling STM. Basically it seems to be enabled for continuous AF during video shooting. Hoping some of you more techy video nerds can chime in on that.

Okay!

It won't work worth a damn.


Actually it might. Some of the tracking focus shots from this new camera sony is coming with actually look pretty badass.

This looks like they could be moving into the mirroless compact system camera market. I'd love to see some competition with the NEX, GH, OMD cameras... If canon can hit the video quality of the GH2, throw in a APSC censor and solid image quality, I think it would be a clear winner in the category.

Originally Posted by Tupp-

This looks like they could be moving into the mirroless compact system camera market. I'd love to see some competition with the NEX, GH, OMD cameras... If canon can hit the video quality of the GH2, throw in a APSC censor and solid image quality, I think it would be a clear winner in the category.

Good thoughts, but if your going to do mirrorless with an EOS mount, then the 44mm registration distance will present it's own set of problems for the camera design compared to competition you listed.

I am by no means a camera techie - could you explain the registration distance etc?

IMHO I don't see too big a market for a lens like this. If your throwing it on a T3i (smallest canon?), the camera still won't be portable... why not get a nifty 50 for half the price?

Originally Posted by Tupp-

I am by no means a camera techie - could you explain the registration distance

Well, since that depends on the mount (Flange to sensor) I'm assuming it's the same as all Canon EF mounts - 44mm.

Originally Posted by Tupp-

I am by no means a camera techie - could you explain the registration distance etc?

Tippster had it right, It's the distance between the flange to the sensor. Long story short, the shorter the distance, the more non native lenses you can adapt to a system. The very short registration distances of the m4/3 (19.25mm) and nex systems (18mm) means that users can adapt many types of glass to these systems. The other part of this equation is the crop factor you get from each sensor (this directly relates to the functionality of the lenses you might mount to a mirrorless system). For example, the Nex system has a 1.5 magnification, so the legacy 50mm lens becomes a 75mm lens on the NEX system. For m4/3's is 2x so the same 50mm lens acts like a 100mm lens....

So basically, an EOS mount mirrorless system would have a set of pro/cons. The pros would be that there would be easy integration of existing EOS lenses native to the system. This had been one of the main complaints about Sony's NEX system. The downside is you'd be using a "slower" Contrast detect autofocus with those lenses. When you couple this with the camera body size that would have to be used in order for the lenses to focus properly at 44 mm, then there is no real advantage to going mirrorless from an ergonomic point of view. A mirrorless EOS camera would be only slightly smaller than an EOS DSLR (unless the canon engineers did some really trick stuff). There should be some obvious cost savings, as you'll loose the prism and flipping mirror of a traditional DSLR.

That's a very quick synopsis of what I'm talking about. Everyone is eagerly waiting to see what Canon will do. FWIW, I've said on here before and I still believe that ALL cameras will go "mirrorless" one of these days. What the camera makers are waiting on is on sensor Auto focus and electronic viewfinder technology to develop. Then our cams will be the size of today's DSLR's but without the prisms and mirrors.

This has gotten pretty far afield from the original post, but this lens entry could be Canon tipping their hand to their future.

EVF tech is out there, it's the AF systems that are the problem.


Is this lens "new" or is Canon just dusting off one of the many ~30 year old 40mm lens designs?

Originally Posted by Hugh Conway

EVF tech is out there, it's the AF systems that are the problem.

I'd tend to agree with you, but many would still argue that until it replicates what you see with an OFV, it's not good enough. FWIW, the AF systems are catching up fast (no pun intended...)

Originally Posted by Hugh Conway

Is this lens "new" or is Canon just dusting off one of the many ~30 year old 40mm lens designs?

New, I think.