Best to use a linear or rotating polarizing filter on this 40mm STM lense?

These new STM lenses in combination with the new hybrid video phase detection/contrast detection autofocus sensors from Canon seem to be exactly the right novice oriented, video friendly, tech that a hardcore DSLR shooting still photographer, like myself, could justify investing in to be able to play at being a videographer from time to time without having to settle for a lesser camera form factor (for me), such as an ILC, EVIL, etc.. All that Canon has to do now is hook me up with a 60D or 7D body equipped with the hybrid sensor tech and a EF-S 15-85mm STM IS Lens to seal the deal. I'll definitely buy that kit.

Now that Nikon proved 36 megs is possible in a 35 FF body, maybe Canon will give us a Pentax MX sized body with 36 megs so that this lens can be put to best use:)

Comon Canon you can do this!! Kick some Nikon butt.

Great to see Canon jumping into pancake lenses, but it is a shame that their all electronic mount with near silent USM focusing isn't also perfect for video focusing...

I will undoubtedly get one of these lenses.

However, I am a bit disappointed to see that it will cost $200 in the USA, but the equivalent of over $300 in Europe where I live.

How will STM compare to USM for speed? I think USM will be faster, but not as suited to silent smooth video focus as STM.

Pancake looks promising.
Wonder when Canon finally comes up with the updated 50/1.4, crappy AF drive replaced?

cool.
now canon should also make "pancake" fullframe dslr, so all this make sense (ok, film users with "small" cameras should welcome this lense), otherwise just makes pancake for crop - much more useful..

It's nice to see Canon finally coming out with a pancake, but it's not a focal length that I would have hoped for. On APS, it's a bit long for normal, but a big short for portrait. And on full frame, well, a little wider than normal would be fine. But, a full frame camera is going to be big anyway, negating the benefit of a pancake lens. So, it may be a great lens, but certainly not my first choice of focal lengths.

At last!! Definitely will buy 40/f2 to replace my 35/f2 for street photography!

And yes, it could be faster but today's high ISO this isn't a big problem and we still have 50/f1.4 or f1.2 to do all the super low light work.

I read a lot about ``contrast detect AF optimized lenses``. What does it mean for lens? Camera tells the lens where to focus, so its important for camera if it is CD or PD, and lens does only what camera tells the lens to do. What am i missing?

At first glance, the 40 2.8 looks like either a teleconvertor or extention tube ;)

As a travel 'tog this would be a very useful replacement for my heavy 35 1.4 and 50 1.4. If only it were faster, but that might canabalize sales, right? That's assuming it has decent image quality when shooting wide open. Still, at $200, it might make a nice backup lens in case my 50 1.4 fails for the fourth time. Hmmm...

I would have preferred to have a slightly bigger len or even if the size could be kept the same and 1 stop faster on the pancake. Nikon has a 50/1.8 thats pretty small. Just doesn't have AF.

Same goes for the Voigtlander pancakes.

If I could only have one lens for a FF 35mm body, it would be a 40mm pancake.

BTW Voightlander makes an excellent 40 pancake in Canon and Nikon mount, f/2, manual focus only, about $450 at B&H, rave reviews for performance. It would be nice if the Canon performs as well or close. And it would be nice if Nikon follows suit. The Canon looks perfect in this product shot.

Several comments here from people who just don't get it. Well it depends on what you like to shoot, obviously a semi-wide is not for bird photographers. Landscape and street, it's great, and the pancake format makes it that much easier to carry your camera everywhere.

Nikon should release one, but just to make sure they're releasing the FX version.

I don't know what's wrong with these people, whining about the focal length.

m43 has 20mm (=40mm FF). There. It's not just Canon.

It's small and inexpensive. I will get one for sure.

Well well well, a pancake lens for canon at last',' thats not a bad compact idea. i guess it will not be expensive and practical for carry all around lens for most of us. i would not mind adding one to my collection at all". besides i dont like anything smaller than a 2.8, so being that said, i will get my hands on one just for studio fun. i mean" it really can't" hurt the budget can it"? so if it's cheap i will definately get one for sure.

hi
i don't relly care about EF-S 18-135mm
i wll never buy ef-S lenses

but about the 40 2.8 ? is a weird focal , not enough wide on full frame ,weird even on 1.6 sensor

can't really understand what canon is doing
and about prices it's very cheap, hope about the chart ,for this price will be sharp enough

is Stepper motor brand new or is a better 501.8 af motor?

would really love to see new 35 1.4 , and the new 50mm
and maybe maybe some new EF (non L ) with great IQ and low prices
the recent canon prices are really high

cheers

nice but lens such as this might as well built-in a small lens hood. Better than nothing though.

40mm pancake is only cool if it's on a relatively inexpensive, small, full frame mirrorless. Otherwise, it's too long and slow to be that exciting for me on a 350d unless the IQ is stellar. I may still buy it though...cause it's just so pancake-y.

The new 18-135mm seems to be optically improved according to its MTF.
Do you guys know any website which is giving us its sample images?
Thanks,

as a Nikon DSLR user-- I am very jealous of this lens! I hope Nikon comes out with one -- that AF of course (nikon has some pancake lenses but no AFas far as I know)..

(aside from Nikon I also use Olympus m4/3 and Canon p&S, and Fujufilm underwater cam p&s).. just saying..

I think its misleading to call lenses such as this 40mm f/2.8 'pancake' designs. It suggests they have a special optical design somehow while actually these are just small lenses of normal proportions stuck in oversized barrels for no good reason.

Pancake Lens + New Small Mirrorless Camera = Tourist Tote

The 40mm pancake is obviously a a sign that Canon will be going mirrorless soon.

Or maybe not.

I wonder how the 18-135mm will perform optically? I really need a walkaround lens and after going through 5 copies of the 17-55mm and 2 of the 15-85mm I'm losing hope, I'm so sick of getting a new lens only to find it's decentred AGAIN! I get the lens, take some shots and automatically check the edges to see which side will be soft THIS TIME! I would use the IS kit lens of the front element didn't rotate! The best lens I have come across is the Sigma 18-50 ex macro which I use now but even that has a tendency to front focus.

It's a sad state of affairs when you WANT to give a company money and they make it impossible!

I'm on the verge of trying a 17-40 out of desperation but it's so short at the tele end!

I just want a walk around zoom that's not decentered and is sharp across the frame at F/5.6 and sharp in the centre wide open!

I wonder why they (and other makers) don't make a 43 mm (though I don't remember now but I guess there is somewhere [recently launched]) pancake, as this is the truly "normal" lens in FF format. It's always a bit more (50), a bit less, but never THAT.

I also wonder why no maker try hard to make lenses for APS-C with larger apertures, since they're aimed to a class of camera supposedly not expected to have such high demand for quality than FF, thus not requiring such compromises to keep apertures down in favor of extreme quality.

I've been wanting Nikon to release a pancake ever since I left Pentax.