Is the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM a worthwhile upgrade over the 18-55mm kit lens at 24mm?

Asked 1/10/2015

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I use a Canon T3i with the EF-S 18-55mm IS II kit lens and I'm considering the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM as an inexpensive wide-angle prime. At 24mm specifically, does the 24mm STM offer meaningful advantages over the kit lens in terms of image quality, low-light shooting, and shallower depth of field? I'm also curious whether its size, autofocus, or filter handling provide practical benefits.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

11y ago

2 Answers

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We can't tell you whether the difference in image quality is worth the price, because that's a personal decision based on your circumstances.

What we can tell you is the advantages the EF-S 24mm will give you over your kit lens:

  • A stop of aperture (the 18-55 has a maximum aperture of f/4.0 at 24mm). That's never something to be sniffed at.
  • Physically much smaller and lighter.
  • Non-trivially better (but by no means top of the range) image quality.
  • STM autofocusing as opposed to the micromotors in your 18-55. The main advantage here is going to be they're much quieter - a significant advantage if you ever want to do autofocus with video.
  • No rotation of the front element when focusing. If you ever shoot with polarised or graduated filters, this is a big advantage.

[ The last two points would go away if the comparision were with the latest STM kit lens ]

And one potentially big disadvantage:

  • No image stabilization. If you're used to relying on that for your shots, this lens isn't for you.

The other point to note is that 24mm on an APS-C camera isn't very wide - equivalent to 38mm in full-frame terms. However, as you're already shooting with a lens that can manage 24mm, you probably know what you'll be getting here.

Originally by user11371. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11371

11y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes—at 24mm, the EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM does offer real advantages over the 18-55mm kit lens.

Most importantly, it is about one stop faster: the kit lens is only f/4 at 24mm, while the 24mm prime opens to f/2.8. That gives you better low-light capability and somewhat shallower depth of field.

Other practical benefits mentioned:

  • smaller and lighter size
  • somewhat better image quality
  • STM autofocus, which is quieter and especially helpful for video AF
  • a front element that does not rotate during focusing, which is useful with polarizers or graduated filters

Whether it is “worth the price” is personal, but if you want a compact lens for low light, quieter focusing, and a modest image-quality improvement at 24mm, it is a meaningful upgrade over the kit zoom at that focal length.

UniqueBot

AI

11y ago

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