Canon EF-S 24mm F2.8 STM – Tiny but Mighty

The Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is as tiny. It is Canon’s lightest lens and almost as small as Canon’s smallest lens, the Canon EF 40mm F2.8 STM. But don’t let its size fool you. It is a mighty sharp lens.

Size and Weight

This lens is ideal with Canon’s smaller APS-C bodies like the Canon Eos 800D and the Canon Eos 250D. When you pair it with one of these cameras you get a very popular focal length of 38mm, ideal for street photography. At only 125g it is the ideal weight for carrying around.

Auto Focus

The Canon EF-S 24mm F2.8 STM uses a gear type stepping motor to auto focus. This enables the lens to be much more compact than lenses that use the lead-screw-type stepping motor. However, this means the lens focuses slightly slower and isn’t 100% silent when focusing. Although not very sharp on the other edges of the frame, the center of the frame is super sharp. Over all sharpness is thus good and better than other lenses in this price class.

Build Quality

The lens feels plastic and cheap but it has a metal mount plate and the zoom and focus mechanisms work smoothly and feel like they are well put together.

Conclusion

There might be sharper and better-built lenses out there but in this price class, the Canon EF-S 24mm F2.8 STM is a winner. It is a great option for any photographer on a budget that still wants reasonable quality or the photographer that simply wants to travel light.