This is exactly what the best pancake lens for Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and other camera brands will do. The best pancake lenses are small, light, and cheap. They come as both fixed focal length lenses and zoom lenses that need to be “telescoped out” before shooting. The name of the lenses comes from the fact that they are thin and flat.
They are made to stick out from the camera body as little as possible so that your setup is slim, unobtrusive, and easy to store. This makes them some of the best lenses for street photography, as well as for everyday shooting and travel photography.
Pancake zooms aren’t as common as prime lenses, but because smaller sensors mean smaller lenses, Panasonic and OM System/Olympus both make 14-42mm lenses, which are the same as 28-82mm on a full frame camera. Sony’s 16-50mm PZ (24-75mm) kit lens for its APS-C mirrorless cameras is also about pancake size. Below we mentioned the best pancake lenses.
Best Pancake Lenses
Olympus M.Zuiko 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ
Specifications
| Min focus distance | 0.2m (at 14mm) |
| Max magnification | 0.23x |
| Filter thread | 37mm |
| Dimensions (WxL) | 60.6 x 22.5mm |
| Weight | 93g |
The DCW team’s favourite lens is the Olympus M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5 f/5.6 EZ Pancake lens, which is incredibly thin and does great work. It is often used with slim PEN cameras and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. It is a slimmed-down version of the bigger 1442mm f/3.55.6 II R kit lens. So, if you want one of the best pancake lenses, we highly recommend this product.
Because this lens has a wide range of focal lengths, you can put it on the front of your camera and be ready to shoot in almost any situation. This makes it a great choice for street photography, travel photography, or just taking pictures while walking around. In fact, it’s so thin that you can leave it on your camera instead of a body cap, so you can always grab your camera and shoot without looking for a lens.
Pros
- Impossibly small and light
- Quiet, smooth electronic zoom
Cons
- Aperture isn’t the fastest
- Tricky to manual focus
Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM
Specifications
| Weight | 105g |
| Min focus distance | 0.15m |
| Max magnification | 0.21x |
| Filter thread | 43mm |
| Dimensions (WxL) | 61x24mm |
Because APS-C format EOS M bodies like the Canon EOS M50 Mark II have a 1.6x crop factor, the 22mm focal length of this lens is the same as 35.2mm on a full-frame camera. It gives the same 63-degree viewing angle as a 35mm lens on a full-frame camera, which is perfect for street photography. Even though it has a fairly fast f/2 aperture, its “pancake” shape makes it incredibly small and light, just 61x24mm and 105g.
Due to the smaller size of the EOS M bodies, the camera and lens together are very stealthy. The STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus system is fast and quiet, and all current EOS M cameras come with a focus peaking display that can be used for manual focus. Still, if you want one of the best pancake lenses, we highly recommend this product.
Pros
- Incredibly small and light
- Good build and fast AF
Cons
- No image stabilization
- Sharpness could be better
Fujifilm XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR
Specifications
| Elements/groups | 7/5 |
| Diaphragm blades | 7 |
| Autofocus | Stepping motor |
| Stabilizer | No |
| Weight | 84g |
| Dimensions (WxL) | 62x23mm |
Because APS-C format EOS M bodies like the Canon EOS M50 Mark II have a 1.6x crop factor, the 22mm focal length of this lens is the same as 35.2mm on a full-frame camera. It gives the same 63-degree viewing angle as a 35mm lens on a full-frame camera, which is perfect for street photography. Even though it has a fairly fast f/2 aperture, its “pancake” shape makes it incredibly small and light, just 61x24mm and 105g.
Due to the smaller size of the EOS M bodies, the camera and lens together are very stealthy. The STM (Stepping Motor) autofocus system is fast and quiet, and all current EOS M cameras come with a focus peaking display that can be used for manual focus.
By reducing spherical aberrations and improving image quality, an aspherical element in the optical path helps to reduce the size of the device. Ghosting and flare can also be cut down by using Super Spectra coatings. Overall, if you want one of the best pancake lenses, we highly recommend this product.
Pros
- Excellent center sharpness
- Weather sealed
Cons
- Very noisy autofocus
- Focusing could be faster
Sony E 20mm f/2.8
Specifications
| Elements/groups | 6/6 |
| Weight | 69g |
| Dimensions (WxL) | 63×20.4mm |
| Filter thread | 49mm |
| Max magnification | 0.12x |
| Min focus distance | 0.2m |
Some of Sony’s prime lenses might be on the big side, but this cute little pancake lens couldn’t be more different. This lens is very small, even by pancake lens standards. It weighs only 69g and is just a bit longer than 20mm. It was made for Sony’s APS-C mirrorless cameras, like the Sony A6400, and has a focal length of 30mm, which makes it a moderately wide-angle prime lens. This makes it great for taking pictures in general, but not so great for portraits.
It doesn’t have optical stabilization, so you might want to pair it with a Sony Alpha like the A6600 that has image stabilization built into the body. However, it’s small and light enough that it’s easy to hold and shoot with even without any technology. For now, if you want one of the best pancake lenses, we highly recommend this product.
Pros
- Decent optics
- Small and light
Cons
- No stabilization
- Some barrel distortion
Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR
Specifications
| Autofocus | Stepping motor |
| Min focus distance | 0.25 m (at 16mm) / 0.2m (at 24mm) / 0.23m (at 35mm) / 0.3m (at 50mm) |
| Max magnification | 0.2x |
| Filter thread | 46mm |
| Dimensions (WxL) | 70 x 32mm |
| Weight | 135g |
The Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR is a pancake zoom lens that works perfectly with small cameras like the Nikon Z50. It’s small and easy to carry, and it’s sure to be a hit with both travel and street photographers. It’s pretty amazing that it can focus down to 0.2m, but the minimum distance gets farther away as the focal length gets longer. So, if you want one of the best pancake lenses, we highly recommend this product.
Even though this lens is made of plastic and doesn’t have a high-end feel to it, the addition of a silent control ring is a nice modern touch. Video shooters who want to change the aperture from the nose will appreciate this feature. The Z DX 16-50mm is not very fast, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in price, versatility, and ease of use. Most APS-C kit lenses are big and bulky, and many camera owners dream of a small kit lens like this one.
Pros
- Compact collapsable size
- Impressive minimum focus distance
Cons
- Max aperture only f/6.3 at full zoom
- Plastic build may disappoint some
Olympus 9mm f/8 Fisheye Body Cap Lens
Specifications
| Mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Elements/groups | 5/4 |
| Diaphragm blades | 1 |
| Autofocus | Stepping motor |
| Stabilizer | No |
| Min focus distance | 0.2m |
The Olympus 9mm f/8 Fisheye Body Cap Lens is another staff favorite. It’s one of the most unusual and brilliant lenses we’ve ever used, and it works perfectly as a pancake lens. On paper, it might look like a toy lens like one made by Lomography. Its parts are made of plastic, and it only has one aperture setting (f/8).
It’s a clever piece of engineering because the lens is only slightly thicker than a body cap lens. This means you can leave it on your camera instead of a cap and be ready to shoot at any time. Currently, if you want one of the best pancake lenses, we highly recommend this product.
When attached to a body like the Olympus PEN E-PL10, you get an amazing setup for street photography, right down to Weegee’s famous “f/8 and be there” motto. On the one hand, the small aperture can seem like it limits the lens, but it actually makes it better by increasing the depth of field, which makes it great for street, travel, and reportage photography.
Pros
- The thinnest, lightest lens ever!
- Brilliantly fun and genuinely versatile
Cons
- Aperture is stuck at f/8
- Easy to misalign focus switch
What is a 40mm pancake lens good for?
The 40mm is small, so it fits easily in almost any size of casual bag. Its size also makes it less noticeable, which makes it better for street or documentary photography than the popular 24-70 f/2.8 lens, which always stands out.
Are pancake lenses any good?
Most of the time, a pancake lens takes good or even great pictures. But sometimes a bigger, more expensive lens will give you a better picture. And pancake lenses are great, but you shouldn’t put only small lenses in your camera bag. Most pancake lenses can only come in focal lengths from wide to standard.
FAQs
What does pancake lens mean?
The term “pancake lens” refers to a lens that is shorter than it is wide, making it look like a pancake. Because pancake lenses are small, they always have a fixed focal length, or “prime.” They are also much smaller and lighter than a regular lens.
What is the thinnest pancake lens?
The world’s smallest lens! It’s a 7mm thin pancake lens that fits most cameras, covers full frame, and is ready when you are.
What is the best pancake lens for GH5?
If you want a pancake lens for micro four thirds, this Panasonic one is the best. The Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 II is fun to use with an Olympus OM-D EM-10 Mark III, a Panasonic GH5, or any other micro 4/3 camera.
