Canon 24MM Pancake Lens - Budget Camera Challenge (Canon T2i)
Landscape Photography Budget Camera Challenge
Watch this video here: This "CHEAP" Tiny Lens Shouldn't Be This GOOD!
In this budget camera challenge I'm taking the Canon T2i out to the northeast Florida coast in attempt to capture some stunning landscape photography images.
The Gear I used in this budget camera challenge:
Camera - Canon Rebel T2i (550D)
Lens - Canon 24MM EF-S f2.8 Pancake Lens
Lens Filters - I used a cheap no name Variable ND Filter
Photography locations in this photography challenge:
Matanzas, Florida
Marineland, Florida
This week we upgraded our lens from the old 18-55mm kit lens to the Canon EF-S 24mm f2.8 pancake lens, to try and improve on last week's photos. But will this tiny pancake lens actually help get us any better image quality?
With a few crucial changes we finally start moving these images from snapshots to fine art.
All with a budget camera and lens setup!
The Canon T2i & the 24MM Pancake Lens!
All images and content by Paul Farace Photography
Paul Farace is an award winning Florida based landscape photographer and author with 20 years of experience, specializing in capturing the state's coastlines and waterways. Operating out of St. Augustine, he shares his expertise through fine art prints, adventure videos, educational workshops, and digital content. Explore his work and bio details at Paul Farace Photography.
Canon 24MM f2.8 Pancake Lens
Here are the issues we have to address from last week's budget camera challenge.
We started this series last week using the original kit lens and we had several issues we need to fix this time around.
Our first big issue was focusing. The auto focus on the kit lens is horrendous and manual focusing is very tough with the zoom lens and tiny manual focusing ring.
Second we quickly found out the limits of our 11.5 stops of dynamic range, and that is at ISO100 only. So we need to time our shoot perfectly and be sure to exposure bracket and high contrast photos. Our last photo in this session we shot straight into the sun to show how you can still capture dynamic light with the proper photography techniques.
And third we were shooting at f11 which was too high for this kit lens and APS-C sensor. It was causing diffraction (which cause soft images) and we should not have went over f8. This was making the already horrible lens even worse.
So to address the diffraction we go right to shooting at this lens sweet spot, which is usually 2-3 stops over wide open. Our range is f4-f5.6 and I chose to use f5.6 to maximize my depth of field. Making sure to focus stack whenever needed.
Here are the Pros and Cons of the Canon 24MM f2.8 Pancake Lens.
Pros
This lens is TINY and light weight, only 125 grams or 4.4 ounces.
Great sharpness from f4 up, great center sharpness at f2.8.
Excellent value. Cost is around $90-120 used and $170 if you buy new.
Cons
There is no image stabilization.
Small manual focus ring can be fiddly.
APS-C only so you cannot use it on full frame cameras.
Here is our first photo of the beach and sea oats in Matanzas.
After the above photo in Matanzas I headed south on A1A to my favorite beach in Marineland. I wanted to test out the lens on some rocky seascapes.
I arrived just in time for the light that was perfect for some painterly soft seascape photos.
To use my shutter speed creatively I put on a cheap variable ND filter. So I would be able to slow my shutter speed down to get silky water cascades over the rocks. Luckily I had a small one that I sometimes use for my phone and it fit the lens's 52mm filter threads.
Here are a couple photos I was able to capture during this photo shoot.
This little lens is holding up pretty well! A big improvement over the original 18-55mm kit lens
At that point I thought my photo shoot was over because the cloud bank was starting to really block out light. But As the sun came down it started to break under the clouds and give us an amazing sunset over the dunes and scrub.
This was a perfect chance to test out the dynamic range again and bracket a high contrast scene.
So I setup just on the edge of the seagrass and palms and started taking varying exposures.
I captured 4 total images and then blended them together in Lightroom.
Here is the resulting image.
And then as the sun dipped behind the horizon and the light softened, I was able to capture this following image in one frame.
If you would like to see how I put the image together check out the video where I go over how easy it is at the end.
I also quickly edit one of the seascapes images to show the process.
Watch Here: This "CHEAP" Tiny Lens Shouldn't Be This GOOD!
Thanks for reading! Drop me a comment and say hi!
Paul Farace
Paul Farace is an award winning Florida based landscape photographer and author with 20 years of experience, specializing in capturing the state's coastlines and waterways. Operating out of St. Augustine, he shares his expertise through fine art prints, adventure videos, educational workshops, and digital content. Explore his work and bio details at Paul Farace Photography.
Canon 24MM EF-S f2.8 Pancake Lens FAQ
Q. What is the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM lens best used for?
A. The Canon EF-S 24mm f2.8 is best used for street photography, travel, landscapes and casual documentary shooting. Its ultra compact "pancake" design and wide 38mm equivalent focal length make it an excellent, inconspicuous choice for candid street portraits, tight interior shots, and lightweight day-trip setups.
Q. Does the Canon EF-S 24mm work on full-frame cameras?
A. No, the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM does not work on full-frame DSLR cameras. It is an EF-S lens, which means it is designed exclusively for Canon APS-C crop sensor DSLRs (such as the Rebel series, 80D, and 90D). Mounting it on a full frame camera can cause physical damage to the camera's mirror box.
Q. Can you use the Canon EF-S 24mm on mirrorless cameras?
A. Yes, you can use this lens on mirrorless cameras by using an official or third party lens adapter.
Canon EOS R System (RF Mount): Use the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R to mount it on bodies like the EOS R50, R10, or R7. It will automatically shoot in crop mode on full-frame mirrorless bodies.
Canon EOS M System (EF-M Mount): Use the Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS M to use it on cameras like the EOS M50.
Q. What is the crop factor equivalent of the Canon EF-S 24mm?
A. Because Canon APS-C sensors have a 1.6x crop factor, the Canon EF-S 24mm provides a 38.4mm field of view equivalent in 35mm full-frame terms. This lands perfectly in the sweet spot between a standard wide lens (35mm) and a normal perspective lens (50mm).
Q. What does the "STM" mean in Canon lenses?
A. STM stands for Stepping Motor. This technology provides smoother, quieter, and more continuous autofocus transitions. It is highly beneficial for video recording and vlogging because it prevents loud autofocus motor clicking sounds from being picked up by internal camera microphones.
Q. Does the Canon 24mm pancake lens have image stabilization (IS)?
A. No, the Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM does not feature Optical Image Stabilization (IS). However, due to its wide 24mm focal length, camera shake is less noticeable compared to telephoto lenses. Users can easily shoot handheld at relatively low shutter speeds without introducing too much blur.
Q. What is the minimum focus distance of this lens?
The lens has an incredibly close minimum focusing distance of under 6 inches (0.16 meters / 0.52 feet). This allows for unique macro-style close up photography, creating a dramatic background blur (bokeh) despite the relatively wide focal length.
Q. Canon EF-S 24mm vs. EF 50mm f/1.8 STM: Which should you buy?
A. Choose the 24mm Pancake if: You want a wider field of view for landscapes, street shooting, indoor spaces, and vlogging. It is physically smaller and easier to carry around. Choose the 50mm "Nifty Fifty" if: You primarily shoot portraits, want a shallower depth of field (more bokeh), or shoot in extreme low-light conditions due to its wider f/1.8 aperture.
Q. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of this lens?
A. Pros: Ultra lightweight (only 4.4 oz / 125g), exceptionally sharp image quality across the frame, affordable price point, and silent STM autofocus.
Cons: Plastic lens mount body (though the internal mount ring is metal), lack of optical image stabilization, and incompatibility with full-frame DSLRs.
Q. What filter size does the Canon EF-S 24mm use?
A. The lens uses a tiny 52mm filter thread size. This makes buying accessories like circular polarizers, UV protectors, or neutral density (ND) filters highly affordable compared to larger glass.
Q. Why is my Canon EF-S 24mm lens not focusing?
A. If your lens stops focusing, check the following steps: Verify that the focus switch on the side of the lens barrel is flipped to AF (Autofocus) and not MF (Manual Focus).
Clean the gold electronic contacts on the rear of the lens mount with a microfiber cloth.
Ensure your camera battery is sufficiently charged, as weak power can slow down or freeze the STM focus mechanism.
Remember that STM lenses utilize "focus-by-wire," meaning the manual focus ring will not move the internal elements unless the camera body is powered on.
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My Stuff
My Website: https://www.paulfaracephotography.com/
100+ Ideas for Landscape Photographers Book: https://amzn.to/4cinISm
How to Extreme Focus Stack Ebook: https://amzn.to/48wEgon
North East Florida Guide: https://www.paulfaracephotography.com/florida-photo-guide
Marineland Seascape 1on1 Guide: https://www.paulfaracephotography.com/marineland
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My circular polarizer: https://amzn.to/41XllQ0
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