Pancake lens

Single-Lens Reflex

Pancake lenses are compact and lightweight and can fit onto single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras as an alternative to larger lenses when space or weight are important factors. Using a pancake lens means you can keep the lens on the camera ready to take photos because the camera casing is usually large enough to fit over the flat lens. A pancake lens usually has a fixed focal length, so you can't zoom in or out.



Pancake Lens Aperture
The aperture of a pancake lens is wider than larger camera lenses. This means it can take in more light than lenses with adjustable focal lengths. As more light is taken in, you can increase the speed of the shutter. This results is much less camera shake, especially in conditions of low light where you would normally need to use a tripod if you were using a longer lens.



Multi-Purpose Lens
A pancake lens can be used to take photos in various conditions. For example, it's capable of taking a reasonable landscape photo, but can also be used for portrait-type photos because it has a fairly wide angle and adequate depth of focus. It can also take quality interior photos without the need for a flash.



Balancing Limitations and Benefits
If you want to take wide scenic photos, then a pancake lens has its limitations, but for a standard photo of a vacation vista, it does the job perfectly. A pancake lens has a fixed focal length and cannot zoom in, but you can get surprisingly close to an object and have it remain in focus. Overall, a pancake lens allows you to take many types of photos quickly and simply without having to carry a selection of lenses.

 

Well, it's not something I would use to be honest, Sheal,, but there are two lenses [ the Pancake and the Tilt shift lens] that are being "pushed" by the marketing side of photography and the photography magazines at the moment. They are, to me, very specific use lenses and might get used for a while and then......................

 

Good morning Sheal I have used a pancake lens when doing wedding ,portraits in the past


A pancake lens is simply a lens that is shorter than it is wide. This is unusual in lens design and as a result a pancake lens is smaller and lighter than a regular lens.



The above photo shows the dimensions of the Canon 40mm pancake lens. As SLR lenses go it is tiny.

They are prime lenses. From an optical design point of view they are pretty simple, much like a 50mm prime lens. The Canon 40mm pancake lens has six elements, whereas zooms usually have ten to twenty elements. This translates to high image quality and lower manufacturing costs.

Price. Pancake lenses tend to be inexpensive. You get a lot of bang for your buck in terms of image quality.

Aperture. The maximum aperture of my 40mm pancake lens is f2.8. This is not especially impressive for a prime lens, but better than most zooms. If your main lens is a kit lens you will certainly appreciate the improvement.

Short minimum focusing distance. The 40mm pancake lens can focus on a subject within 28 centimetres of the camera. This is quite close, and you can get even closer by using extension tubes.

Just couldn't resist this

 

Good evening Sheal its not so bad if you lick it off slowlybut its a whole lot better if you use Marmite

 

Hi Woo, most of the reviews and opinions seem to rate the lens as "Okay", but only "Okay"

I don't!!