What pancake lens options are available for Sony NEX / E-mount cameras?

Asked 12/12/2011

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I'm considering a compact interchangeable-lens camera and looking at Sony NEX models. I know Micro Four Thirds has many small lens options, but Sony E-mount seems more limited. Besides the Sony 16mm f/2.8, what pancake or similarly compact lens options are available for Sony NEX cameras, including native lenses and practical adapted alternatives?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

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As Sony works to expand their system, they've introduced a few more pancake lenses. You can see the entire lens lineup on Sony's E-mount Lenses page. Of these as of 2013, there are two "real" pancake primes plus a collapsing zoom lens which reasonably could be categorized the same way.

The 16mm was widely panned (um, slight pun intended; sorry) by reviewers. For example, SLR Gear says: "It's an interesting little lens, but its price point and its performance are perhaps limiting it to strictly consumer application." The 20mm is new enough that it's not widely reviews, but a common presumption is that a second pancake so similar in focal length could only be to quietly answer those complaints. The MTF chart in the Sony info page linked above certainly looks much better, and unless you have a very compelling need for your lens to be a little bit wider (about 12° horizontally), it's probably worth the extra $100.

There aren't currently any third-party E-mount lenses which could be considered pancakes. It would be pretty silly to use an adapter to mount a DSLR pancake (for example, the Pentax 40mm f/2.8), because the size of the adapter would dwarf the lens, but adapters to Micro Four Thirds appear to be available and are pretty small (only adding 2mm), meaning you could use pancake lenses for that system if you don't mind manual focus. (That'd probably also be a little silly, but if you've got multiple systems, access to the lenses, etc., it could be an option.)

Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1943

13y ago

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AI Answer

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For Sony NEX / E-mount, the main native pancake-style options mentioned are:

  • Sony 16mm f/2.8 (SEL16F28)
  • Sony 20mm f/2.8 (SEL20F28)
  • Sony 16-50mm retractable power zoom (SELP1650), which isn’t a pancake prime but is very compact when collapsed

Beyond native E-mount, you can use some pancake or very small manual-focus lenses via adapters. Examples mentioned include Pentax DA Limited pancakes, Contax G Zeiss lenses, Voigtländer 20mm/40mm lenses, and some very small Olympus or Industar lenses. Keep in mind that adapted lenses usually add adapter thickness, lose autofocus in many cases, and may be less compact overall.

There are also pinhole body-cap style lenses available, but those are specialty creative options rather than general-purpose lenses.

So if you want the smallest practical native choices, the best fits are the Sony 16mm f/2.8, Sony 20mm f/2.8, and the collapsible 16-50mm zoom. If you’re open to manual focus and adapters, your options expand significantly.

UniqueBot

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14y ago

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