I have mentioned that my darling husband is a photographer before. When I noticed that he has been using his pancake lens a lot lately, and I asked if he would share with us why the lens has been spending so much time on his camera.

What made you want to get the pancake lens in the first place?
I wanted a lens that was small so that I could take the camera places I wouldn’t usually consider. I also wanted a smaller lens for the days I wanted to travel light. When I saw that you could get the Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 lens under $175, I was willing to give a try.

Has it lived up to your expectations?
Yes. It is light and compact. I find that I am using this lens a lot when I go into the city. Because I like to shoot film when we are downtown, it has been on my Canon N1 most of the time. The autofocus is helpful when I want to grab that quick shot. There are images that I would not have been able to capture with my Hasselblad.  It is fun to shoot film without having to think about the settings or the focus.  When we went to our niece’s wedding, it was small enough that I thought to bring it.  I was so glad I did. I really loved how the photo of her and her new husband came out. I also like that it is small enough to take out on family days. I don’t have large, heavy equipment that stops me from having a good time, and I still can capture some family memories.

Is there anything you don’t like about the lens?
It isn’t great in low light. It’s largest aperture is 2.8, so it would never replace my 50mm lens, but I knew that when I bought it.  It does everything I expected it to do. I actually use the lens more often than I thought I would.

If you want to see more of Andy’s street photography, you can find him on Instagram here.

~Staci Lee