Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM
about 38 mm equivalent on APS-C
max. magnification 0.27x
Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is a compact wide-angle prime lens made by Canon for digital SLR cameras with the Canon EF-S mount. The lens is designed for Canon APS-C cameras; on such cameras its field of view is roughly equivalent to that of a 38 mm lens on a full-frame camera.[1]
The model belongs to the so-called pancake lenses: it is 68.2 mm in diameter, 22.8 mm long, and weighs 125 g.[2] Because of its small size, the lens is convenient for everyday photography, travel, street photography, and indoor shooting. The constant f/2.8 aperture helps in moderately low light and can produce visible background blur at close distances.
The lens uses a stepping STM motor designed for smoother and quieter focusing, including video recording on compatible Canon cameras.[3] Its closest focusing distance is 0.16 m, and the maximum magnification is 0.27x, so the lens can be used for close-up shots of small objects, although it is not a true macro lens.[2]
Questions, comments, and user impressions about this lens can be left on the article's discussion page.
Lens usage
Advantages
The main advantages of the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM include:
- Compact size and low weight. The lens barely increases the size of the camera, making it suitable for walks, travel, and shooting without a large camera bag.
- Versatile angle of view. On APS-C cameras, the 24 mm focal length gives a moderately wide but not extreme field of view. The lens is useful for street scenes, interiors, landscapes, product shots, and general views.
- f/2.8 aperture. The wide aperture helps with indoor and evening photography and can separate the subject from the background at close distances.
- STM focusing. The stepping motor provides relatively smooth and quiet autofocus, which is especially useful for video.
- Close focusing distance. The 0.16 m minimum focusing distance makes it possible to photograph food, flowers, small objects, and details.
- Metal mount. The mount is more robust than the plastic mounts found on many inexpensive lenses.
Limitations
The limitations of the lens include:
- Canon APS-C cameras only. The EF-S lens is not intended for full-frame Canon EOS cameras with the EF mount.
- No optical image stabilization. In low light, the photographer must use faster shutter speeds, increase ISO, or rely on a tripod or steady camera support.
- Single focal length. The lens has no zoom, so framing is done by moving the photographer or by cropping the image later.
- Narrow focusing ring. Manual focusing is possible, but the compact body makes it less convenient than on larger lenses.
- Possible distortion, vignetting, and chromatic aberration. These effects are common for many compact wide-angle lenses and are usually partly corrected in the camera or in image-editing software.
Lens characteristics
Lens focal length
The lens has a fixed focal length of 24 mm. On Canon APS-C cameras, this gives an angle of view close to a 38 mm full-frame equivalent. This field of view is convenient for everyday photography: it is wider than a classic 50 mm lens, but it does not produce the strong perspective exaggeration typical of ultra-wide-angle lenses.
Canon lists the angle of view as 59°10′ horizontally, 50°35′ vertically, and 34°55′ diagonally.[2] In practice, this makes the lens useful for interiors, walk-around photography, small landscapes, product photography, and environmental portraits.
Lens focusing
The Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM uses a stepping STM drive. This type of motor is intended to move the focusing group smoothly and quietly compared with simple micromotors. It is useful for video recording, especially when the camera supports continuous autofocus in movie mode.
The manual focusing ring is narrow because of the compact body. For precise manual focusing, it is easier to use live view magnification or the camera's screen. In most everyday situations the lens is normally used with autofocus.
Lens chromatic aberrations
Chromatic aberration is the appearance of coloured edges along high-contrast borders. It is often visible on branches, metal details, architecture, and other subjects photographed against a bright background. A compact budget lens may show such aberrations, especially at a wide aperture and in contrasty scenes.
The Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM handles this effect reasonably well for its class. In small and medium-size photographs, aberrations are usually hard to notice, but they may sometimes be visible when high-resolution images are enlarged. The gallery below shows examples of this effect.
- Chromatic aberrations of the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM
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The most visible example of chromatic aberration -
A less noticeable chromatic aberration effect -
Original image for the first example -
Original image for the second example
These images were taken with a Canon 60D at the maximum aperture of f/2.8. Stopping down the aperture, for example to f/8-f/11, often makes chromatic aberrations less noticeable.
Lens bokeh
Bokeh is the character of blur in areas of the frame that are outside the plane of focus. With the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM, background blur is most noticeable when shooting from a close distance at f/2.8. In general views and landscapes, depth of field is usually large, so strong background blur should not be expected.
The strongest bokeh effect appears when photographing small objects, flowers, and portrait details at close range. Because of the short focal length, however, the lens does not blur the background as strongly as fast 50 mm or 85 mm lenses.
Lens distortion
Distortion is a geometric defect in which straight lines may bend slightly. The Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM can show moderate barrel distortion, most visible in architecture, horizons, and frames with straight lines near the edges. In everyday scenes it is usually not distracting and can be corrected in software.
Lens vignetting
Vignetting is the darkening of the corners of an image. In compact wide-angle lenses it may appear at wide apertures, especially on even bright areas such as the sky or a wall. On the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM, vignetting is generally moderate and can be reduced by stopping down the lens or by correction in an image editor.
Lens close-up photography
The 0.16 m minimum focusing distance and 0.27x maximum magnification allow the lens to photograph small objects close up. However, it is not a specialized macro lens: insects, very small details, and 1:1 reproduction are better handled by dedicated macro lenses with a longer working distance.
Below are close-up photographs taken with the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM on a Canon 60D camera.
- Close-up photography with the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM
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Original close-up image, 1920 x 1280 -
Cropped version of the image -
Original close-up image, 1920 x 1280 -
Original close-up image, 1920 x 1280
When photographing small objects, cropping can be useful: the image can be captured at the highest available resolution and then cropped to show the desired detail.
Lens sharpness
For its class, the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM provides good centre sharpness. At maximum aperture the edges may be weaker than the centre, which is typical of many compact wide-angle lenses. When stopped down to middle aperture values, sharpness across the frame usually becomes more even.
The lens is not part of Canon's professional L-series, but as an inexpensive compact prime it is well suited for everyday shooting, learning photography, and lightweight travel kits.
Sample photographs
The first value (f) indicates aperture, the second is shutter speed, and the third (ISO) is sensor sensitivity.
- Sample photographs taken with the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM
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General daytime shot
(f/9; 1/250 s; ISO:100) -
General daytime shot
(f/8; 1/400 s; ISO:100) -
Evening shot
(f/6.3; 1/400 s; ISO:100) -
Evening panoramic shot
(f/6.3; 1/400 s; ISO:200) -
Night shot
(f/2.8; 2/1 s; ISO:200) -
Portrait shot
(f/2.8; 1/3200 s; ISO:100)
Overall assessment
The Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM is a good option for owners of Canon APS-C cameras who need a light and inexpensive lens for everyday photography. Its strengths are compactness, f/2.8 aperture, close focusing distance, and a convenient field of view. Its main limitations are the lack of stabilization, incompatibility with full-frame Canon cameras, and the absence of zoom.
The lens is especially useful as a light alternative to a kit zoom: it does not replace a telephoto lens, a macro lens, or a fast portrait lens, but it handles walk-around, indoor, product, and travel photography well.
Other articles about Canon lenses
References
- ↑ Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM. Canon U.S.A.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 EF-S24mm f/2.8 STM — Specification. Canon South & Southeast Asia.
- ↑ EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM. Canon U.S.A.