Pancake lens
Encyclopedia
A pancake lens is colloquial term for a flat, thin lens (short barrel), generally a normal or slightly wide prime lens
for a camera. There are pancake lenses for two kinds of cameras: Compact System Camera (CSC) and single-lens reflex (SLR).
of 1902. The design has seen a resurgence due to the growth of the mirrorless interchangeable lens digital camera (so-called EVIL camera) market, notably the Micro Four Thirds system
.
In the 1960s and 1970s the Nikon GN lens was a notable example, while in the 1970s and 1980s pancake lenses were used in compact single lens reflex (SLR) cameras.
File:SMC Pentax-M 40mm pancake.jpg|SMC Pentax-M 40mm
File:Pentax DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited.jpg| Pentax DA 21mm f3.2
Prime lens
In film and photography, a prime lens is either a photographic lens whose focal length is fixed, as opposed to a zoom lens, or it is the primary lens in a combination lens system....
for a camera. There are pancake lenses for two kinds of cameras: Compact System Camera (CSC) and single-lens reflex (SLR).
Motivation
Pancake lenses are primarily valued for providing quality optics in a compact package. The resulting camera and lens assembly may even be small enough to be pocketable, a design feature which is usually impractical with conventional SLR bodies and lens assembiles.History
An early example is the (Zeiss) TessarTessar
The Tessar is a famous photographic lens design conceived by physicist Paul Rudolph in 1902 while he worked at the Zeiss optical company and patented by Zeiss; the lens type is usually known as the Zeiss Tessar....
of 1902. The design has seen a resurgence due to the growth of the mirrorless interchangeable lens digital camera (so-called EVIL camera) market, notably the Micro Four Thirds system
Micro Four Thirds system
The Micro Four Thirds system is a standard created by Olympus and Panasonic, and announced on August 5, 2008, for mirrorless interchangeable lens digital cameras and camcorders design and development...
.
In the 1960s and 1970s the Nikon GN lens was a notable example, while in the 1970s and 1980s pancake lenses were used in compact single lens reflex (SLR) cameras.
File:SMC Pentax-M 40mm pancake.jpg|SMC Pentax-M 40mm
File:Pentax DA 21mm F3.2 AL Limited.jpg| Pentax DA 21mm f3.2
See Also
- Pentax K mountPentax K mountThe Pentax K mount, sometimes referred to as the "PK mount", is a lens mount standard for mounting interchangeable photographic lenses to 35 mm single-lens reflex cameras. It was created by Pentax in 1975, and has been used by all Pentax 35 mm and digital SLRs since...
- Micro Four Thirds Lenses
- Samsung NX Lenses
- Sony E-mount Lenses
- Nikon 1