35mm f2 (non-IS) vs. 40mm f2.8 for street photography

Hello,

I am wondering which one of these two lenses would be a better choice for street photography on a full frame body (5D mkII). They are both available 2nd hand at the moment 35mm being a little more expensive but the price difference is not significant. Focal length is pretty close so I am mostly thinking about overall reliability and image quality.

I already have a 50mm lens so that can be left out of the comparison.

Thank You.

Pancake gets my vote.

Do you have experience shooting with both lenses? Why do you think the 40mm is better for this purpose?

35mm ƒ/2, because ƒ/2!

40mm, because it's light, small, makes a full frame DSLR look like a harmless point and shoot.

I ended up getting the 40mm. I like the size and the fact that it's not as tight as the 50mm. I am not sure about the autofocus speed and the image quality yet. I have had better luck with the 50mm but I think I need to spend more time with this lens.

5D is still a pretty bulky camera for discreet street photography even with the smallest lens. Stealthy "sneaking" does not go so well with my personality so it does not matter so much.

35 because wider and faster.

Already have Canon 35mm f1.4, but just got the 40mm f2.8 for light/travel/street photography. Love it so far.

40mm gets my vote. very discreet

The 40 is cheap and good wide open and absolutely not intimidating, even cute but I would never use it for classical street photography on an APS-C sensor. Even 35 can be a bit tight.
The 35mm f2 has almost the same crappy build quality like the 50 1.8.

Feryll wrote in post #16177714
The 35mm f2 has almost the same crappy build quality like the 50 1.8.

Its definitely better.

35 f2 because i had it, i liked it, it is faster than the pancake and the difference between it and your 50mm is a little more than with the 40mm and 50 so it seems the better option. i think the build is ok with it, better than the nifty 50, but i normally dont use my lenses for carpentry so even my nifty 50 is good enough for me

Mornnb wrote in post #16159401
40mm, because it's light, small, makes a full frame DSLR look like a harmless point and shoot.

The 35mm isn't too far from a 40 from being light and small; you should be worried more about the size of the FF camera. 35mm FTW

the 35f2 is a small discrete lens on it's own...you're talking a couple ounces more in weight, and about 3/4 of an inch gained in length...

but it's wider, and faster, so i'd go for it

28/1.8, because the difference between 35-40mm and 50mm is really small. I love my 35/2, but because I like my 50mm more it's almost never in my bag, I usually bring my 28/2.8 instead.