Are there any good pancake lenses for Canon EOS DSLRs?

Question

I've always liked the thought of having a super-thin ("pancake") lens for my Canon DSLR, for when I just want to take my camera out with as little bulk as possible. I'm not even too concerned about the focal length: I find I'm always more creative when I'm working with constraints. A wide aperture (f/2.8 or wider) would be good though.

So, does such a thing even exist and if so can anyone recommend one?

Asked by Mark Whitaker

Answer

Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 is available in Canon mount. Photozone review praises its build quality and dislikes its rough bokeh. There's also 20mm Color Skopar SL II, but it's almost a stop slower than what you asked for, f/3.5. Photozone review describes it as well-built, but optically a little soft and vignetted when wide open, decent from f/5.6 to f/11.

With an adapter, you could use Pentax Limited line lenses. I can personally vouch for the 40mm f/2.8. An even smaller (and cheaper, APS-C coverage) XS version of it was announced recently, but it could be awkwardly tiny to use with manual focusing on a Canon body. But that's probably somewhat true for any pancake lens. Missing any way to control aperture of an adapted lens is probably a more important factor steering away from this option.

Answered by Imre

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