A “pancake lens” is generally known as a “colloquial term for a flat, thin lens (short barrel), generally a normal or slightly wide prime lens for a camera.” For Micro Four Thirds, pancake lenses are popular because of the slender design allows for a much more compact setup. While most primes for Micro Four Thirds are relatively small, here are some of the most popular pancake lenses (in no particular order):
- Panasonic 12-32mm and 14-42mm
- Panasonic-Leica 15mm f1.7
- Panasonic 14mm f2.5
- Panasonic 20mm f1.7
- Olympus 17mm f1.8
- Olympus 12mm f2.0
- Also worth noting, Olympus has inexpensive body cap lenses, the Olympus 15mm and 9mm f8.
Personally, I think the body cap lenses could be fun (especially the 9mm), but I’d rather put the money towards a real lens. I’ve touted many times that the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is one of the best overall lenses you could buy, and right alongside that I’d add the Panasonic 14mm f2.5. It’s a great all around lens and rounds off my “holy trinity of lenses” alongside the Panasonic-Leica 25mm f1.4 and Olympus 45mm f1.8.
Of the two zooms, I favor the Panasonic 12-32mm because it can get a little wider. Most kit lenses start at 14mm (28mm equivalent), which some consider wide but not wide enough. The Panasonic 12-32mm offers a FoV as wide as 24mm. And while a mere 2mm might seem like a small difference, the wider you get the more dramatic the effect. I know the 12-32mm is a good lens, but for me, it just didn’t get enough shots as I favored the Olympus 12mm f2.0 and Panasonic Leica 8-18mm for the wider shots.
My Pick
As the winner of the “Best Overall Lens for Micro Four Thirds” it only makes sense that the Panasonic 20mm f1.7 is also your best bet here. I will say this though, if you own (or plan to own) the Panasonic-Leica 25mm f1.4 (or Olympus 25mm f1.8, Nokton f0.95), I’d say the best pick is the Panasonic 14mm f2.5, which goes for about $398 new. It gives you plenty of separation with FoV, it’s a fantastic all around lens and it’s the smallest lens on the system (though not by much).
Update – If I can find a good deal on the Panasonic-Leica 15mm f1.7, I’d probably bump that up to the winner.
Here’s a shot at Red Rock Canyon with the Panasonic 14mm f2.5:
Micro Four Thirds is a great platform that offers some of the smallest, compact lenses. Which are your favorites?