40mm f/2.8 STM is insanely good

I like mine as well. As my arms & hands are getting weaker (disability), this lens is becoming my favorite on the 6D for the quick grab 'n go situation.

This image was taken handheld yesterday. The size of the Orchid flower is less than 1 inch and just bloomed a few days ago.

The first image had no correction/modificatio​n except for resizing to post. It is a jpg file straight from the 6D. Since it came out pretty good, I bypassed looking at the RAW file. The 2nd image was cropped.

I can't say that I use my 40 STM all that much, but it is a great backup lens to bring along just in case there is a problem with another lens. It weighs next to nothing, and it can really hold its own image-wise, especially if you think of it as a "just in case" kind of lens.

Overall, it's a great (and pretty cheap) insurance policy against lens problems once on location.

aldownie wrote in post #17450516
Given the choice I'd rather use my 50L

Actually I'd like to qualify that - there are some situations where I actually prefer the 40mm, for example:

Botanic Garden greenhouses

I have just receive this lens and the size does make it a keeper. Haven't shot much with it yet so can't comment much on its sharpness.

A few shots from my first outing with this lens. It really is incredibly sharp and very discreet, great for street photography in decent light. I'm blown away by how accurate the autofocus is on my 5D, especially since I'm used to the 50L, which focuses wherever it feels like focusing (that said, it's not like this lens can hit f/1.2 and it's much easier to miss focus at those apertures than f/2.8 and smaller).

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com​/photos/perryge/164861​24368/

Chocoolate

IMAGE LINK: https://www.flickr.com​/photos/perryge/166736​94455/

Cleaning Chocoolate

Nice

One of my favorite pics from last year was taken with the 40 pancake.

Hermelin wrote in post #17459773
One of my favorite pics from last year was taken with the 40 pancake.

That's a great capture but.. it's almost criminal to leave it cropped like that!!

aldownie wrote in post #17459800
That's a great capture but.. it's almost criminal to leave it cropped like that!!

What do you mean? How should've it been cropped?

Hermelin wrote in post #17459804
What do you mean? How should've it been cropped?

Left side of the frame is all dead space. Crop it out to drastically improve composition.

Hermelin wrote in post #17459804
What do you mean? How should've it been cropped?

I hope you don't mind - rather than describing I thought it'd be better to show you! I'd have gone with something like this...

aldownie wrote in post #17459918
I hope you don't mind - rather than describing I thought it'd be better to show you! I'd have gone with something like this...

Nice, but too tight crop IMO.

Although now that people pointed it out I do agree my crop has too much dead space.

The bubble should've blown to the left where the dead space is and it would've been perfect :P

Hermelin wrote in post #17459940
Nice, but too tight crop IMO.

Although now that people pointed it out I do agree my crop has too much dead space.

The bubble should've blown to the left where the dead space is and it would've been perfect :P

I agree with you. I'm a huge fan of blank space. If there were another crop of this photo, it'd be portrait orientation.

Yeah I agree I'd crop it less tightly, but in portrait orientation with the goals of reducing the dead space on the left and decentering the pink bubble blower for a less static composition.

Props for the sweet thread hijack, btw.

I would have also cropped it portrait as well