Pancake lenses get their name due to the thin and flat size. The other distinctive features are fixed focal length and light weight.
First pancake lenses appeared in the 1950s and were standard prime lenses based on the famous Tessar design – a brilliantly simple design which was developed by Paul Rudolph in 1902, patented by Zeiss company and provided a good optical performance.
With the improvement of optical technologies in the 1970s the optical design of pancake lenses became more complicated and the latest generation has overcome the limitations of traditional designs. As a result, pancake lenses are now also available in wide-angle and even short telephoto variations.
Due to the increasing demand for cameras with a compact form factor, pancake lenses are experiencing a second wave of popularity while having reasonable prices, which makes them accessible to a wide range of photographers. Such lenses are especially useful for those who enjoy travel photography.
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| Asahi Fisheye-Takumar 18mm F/11 [356, 43560] • Pancake lens | 1963 ● | ||||||||
| Asahi Takumar 50mm F/3.5 Type 1 • A32 • Pancake lens | 1952 ● | ||||||||
| Asahi Takumar 50mm F/3.5 Type 2 • A32 • Pancake lens | 1953 ● | ||||||||
| Canon EF-S 24mm F/2.8 STM • ⌀52 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2014 ● | ||||||||
| Canon EF-M 22mm F/2 STM • ⌀43 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2012 ● | ||||||||
| Canon RF 28mm F/2.8 STM • ⌀55 • Pancake lens | 2023 ● | ||||||||
Canon EOS system (1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon EF 40mm F/2.8 STM • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | 2012 ● | ||||||||
Canon FL system (2) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canon FL 19mm F/3.5 • ⌀58 • Pancake lens | Pro | 1964 ● | |||||||
| Canon FLP 38mm F/2.8 • ⌀48 • Pancake lens | 1965 ● | ||||||||
| Canon 25mm F/3.5 • S.VI • Pancake lens | 1956 ● | ||||||||
| Canon Serenar 28mm F/3.5 I • S.VI • Pancake lens | 1951 ● | ||||||||
| Canon 28mm F/3.5 II • ⌀40 • Pancake lens | 1957 ● | ||||||||
| Canon 28mm F/2.8 • S.VI • Pancake lens | 1957 ● | ||||||||
| Canon Serenar 35mm F/3.2 • S.VI • Pancake lens | 1951 ● | ||||||||
| Canon Serenar 35mm F/2.8 I • S.VI • Pancake lens | 1951 ● | ||||||||
Contax G system (1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Zeiss Hologon T* 16mm F/8 • Pancake lens | Pro | 1994 ● | |||||||
| Carl Zeiss Tessar T* 45mm F/2.8 [AE, MM] • E49 • Pancake lens | 1982 ● | ||||||||
| Fujifilm Fujinon XF 27mm F/2.8 • ⌀39 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2013 ● | ||||||||
| Fujifilm Fujinon XF 27mm F/2.8 R WR • ⌀39 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2021 ● | ||||||||
Konica AR system (1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Konica Hexanon AR 40mm F/1.8 • ⌀55 • Pancake lens | 1978 ● | ||||||||
Leica CL system (2) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leitz Wetzlar Summicron-C 40mm F/2 • S.5.5 • Pancake lens | 1973 ● | ||||||||
| Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm F/2 for CL • ⌀40.5 • Pancake lens | 1973 ● | ||||||||
| Leica Elmarit-TL 18mm F/2.8 ASPH. • E39 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2017 ● | ||||||||
Leica M system (2) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leica Summaron-M 28mm F/5.6 • E34 • Pancake lens | 2016 ● | ||||||||
| Leitz / Leica Summicron-M 35mm F/2 [IV] • E39 • Pancake lens | 1980 ● | ||||||||
| Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm F/2 for CLE • ⌀40.5 • Pancake lens | 1981 ● | ||||||||
| Minolta W.Rokkor-PI 21mm F/4.5 • ⌀55 • Pancake lens | Pro | 1962 ● | |||||||
| Minolta W.Rokkor-QH 21mm F/4 • ⌀55 • Pancake lens | Pro | 1963 ● | |||||||
| Minolta Rokkor-TD 45mm F/2.8 • ⌀46 • Pancake lens | 1964 ● | ||||||||
Nikon F system (5) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikon Nikkor-O 21mm F/4 • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | Pro | 1959 ● | |||||||
| Nikon GN Auto Nikkor[·C] 45mm F/2.8 • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | 1968 ● | ||||||||
| Nikon AI-S Nikkor 45mm F/2.8P • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | 2001 ● | ||||||||
| Nikon Series E 50mm F/1.8 Type 1 • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | 1979 ● | ||||||||
| Nikon Series E 50mm F/1.8 Type 2 • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | 1981 ● | ||||||||
Nikon Z system (1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikon Nikkor Z 26mm F/2.8 • Pancake lens | 2023 ● | ||||||||
| Olympus OM Zuiko Auto-S 40mm F/2 • ⌀49 • Pancake lens | 1983 ● | ||||||||
| smc Pentax-DA 21mm F/3.2 AL Limited • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2006 ● | ||||||||
| HD Pentax-DA 21mm F/3.2 AL Limited • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2013 ● | ||||||||
| smc Pentax-DA 40mm F/2.8 Limited • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2004 ● | ||||||||
| HD Pentax-DA 40mm F/2.8 Limited • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2013 ● | ||||||||
| smc Pentax-DA 70mm F/2.4 Limited • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2006 ● | ||||||||
| HD Pentax-DA 70mm F/2.4 Limited • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2013 ● | ||||||||
Pentax K system (3) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| smc Pentax-M 40mm F/2.8 • ⌀49 • Pancake lens | 1976 ● | ||||||||
| smc Pentax-FA 43mm F/1.9 Limited • ⌀49 • Pancake lens | 1997 ● | ||||||||
| HD Pentax-FA 43mm F/1.9 Limited • ⌀49 • Pancake lens | 2021 ● | ||||||||
Ricoh K system (2) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricoh XR Rikenon 28mm F/3.5 Aspheric • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | 1996 ● | ||||||||
| Ricoh XR Rikenon 45mm F/2.8 • ⌀52 • Pancake lens | 1994 ● | ||||||||
| Samsung 10mm F/3.5 Fisheye • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2013 ● | ||||||||
| Samsung 16mm F/2.4 • ⌀43 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2011 ● | ||||||||
| Samsung 20mm F/2.8 • ⌀43 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2010 ● | ||||||||
| Samsung 30mm F/2 • ⌀43 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2010 ● | ||||||||
| Sony E 16mm F/2.8 [SEL16F28] • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2010 ● | ||||||||
| Sony E 20mm F/2.8 [SEL20F28] • ⌀49 • APS-C • Pancake lens | 2013 ● | ||||||||
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