SMALL wide prime for Crop Sensor

I have been using my Canon 50mm 1.8 on my Crop Sensor when I walk around downtown with my wife. It is way too narrow! I like the size of the 40mm Pancake but that is still too narrow! I use the 50mm bc it was cheap and I dont worry about it as much. I want a wide prime (wider than 40mm) but close to the size of the pancake. Something at least as light as the 50mm 1.8 would be nice. I don't want to spend much (Under $300) bc i will be carrying it around town when we go out or just take a walk around downtown.
I like to take some low angles and get entire buildings in one shot but then be able to turn around and snap one of my wife next to me on the side walk.

Any suggestions? I will most likely get something used. Maybe Canon just needs to start a pancake line of lenses!

I just picked up up the 10-18 for my 60D crop. It was $299 new.

aquaforester wrote in post #17117109
I just picked up up the 10-18 for my 60D crop. It was $299 new.

Im looking for a prime as compact as possible though.

Heya,

Small wide primes for crop? Nothing will be that size, pancake. Wide, prime and small do not go hand in hand. One of the smaller primes that is kinda wide would be the EF 28mm F1.8. Otherwise, you're not going to be using a prime for what you're talking about. Almost all primes that are even remotely affordable for what you're asking to do, are not wide at all on APS-C. Even if you look at vintage glass, you're not finding wider than 28mm that are small.

So the only prime that will work here that is in your budget, is the Rokinon 14mm F2.8. It's quite wide, very sharp, fast, and will do what you ask, and be a prime with F2.8. It's not small. But no lens is going to be small that you're looking for. Pancakes are always in a certain focal length because of optical mechanics.

The 10-18 STM is in that price range, small but not pancake, and very wide, but slow.
The EF 28mm F1.8 is a relatively small prime, fast, but not really wide, more "normal" on APS-C.
Rokinon 14mm F2.8 does what you want completely. But it's not small.

It will all be a compromise no matter what since you asked for something that frankly doesn't exist. Not even for full frame, I'm afraid (pancake size wide prime).

I had the same issue, so I bought anEOS-M with a 22mm F2 pancake. Small, wide enough (35mm FOV full frame equivalent, not ultrawide, but wide), fast enough for indoors, wide enough for big stuff outside. The whole thing costs less than any lens you're considering, and can be had for around $300 or less. Small system, great for walk around, still uses your other lenses.

Very best,

Oh sorry, did't realize you wanted only prime. BTW the 10-18 is pretty small (probably not much bigger than the 50, but doesn't not really an indoor lens.

There's nothing out there the size of a 40mm pancake for an EF camera. The EOS-M has a 22mm f/2 pancake.

vengence wrote in post #17117135
There's nothing out there the size of a 40mm pancake for an EF camera. The EOS-M has a 22mm f/2 pancake.

I saw that...damnit! lol

I could just lock my Sigma 17-50 2.8 at 17mm and use it but that thing is big, heavy, and too expensive to walk around carefree with!

Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens

EF 35/2 (the old one) or the Sigma 30/1.4. The EF is a great lens even wide open and it's tiny. I haven't held the Sigma in person, but I don't think it's much larger and it's a full stop faster and the IQ is even better. Either lens gets you around a 50mm FF equivalent FOV which I find perfect for most scenarios.

BlakeC wrote in post #17117143
I could just lock my Sigma 17-50 2.8 at 17mm and use it but that thing is big, heavy, and too expensive to walk around carefree with!

Well, the big and heavy could be solved with an EF 28 f/2.8, but it's going to be in the same price range as your sigma. You've also got the 24 f/2.8 & 35 f/2 which are similar in size, albeit a little larger & heavier.

Have you considered a pocket camera like the S120 or RX 100 ii? You'll IQ, DoF, & FoV around that of a rebel & kit lens, but in something that's the size of a cell phone.

The 10-18 is pretty small and very light weight. Not a prime, but small and wide.
The Sigma 30 1.4A is a pretty compact lens but more of a standard view on a crop.

I went with a mirrorless for my walk around stuff for much less size and weight while keeping the IQ.

I have the 50/1.4 [not much bigger than your 50/1.8] & the 28/1.8 & in all honesty there is very little difference in size & weight.

The only lenses that come close to what you're looking for are the canon 28mm f1.8, sigma 30mm f1.4, and canon 35mm f2. But even those are bigger and more expensive then what you're looking for and even 28mm on a crop is not "wide".

35f2 is pretty much the exact same size as the 50mm f1.8, and it'll fall under $300...the question is if 35mm is wide enough for you

the eos-m with 22mm could be bought for less than $300 as well...but not sure if that's what you're after...personally for me, i find the 22mm is just too wide for walk arounds, i still use it, but i wish it would've been a bit longer, i prefer 35mm on my 70D