A pancake lens is a camera lens that is very thin and flat. This type of lens is often used in photography because it is easy to carry around and takes up very little space. They are a popular option for many travel photographers because you don’t look like a typical tourist carrying around a DSLR with a giant lens on it. If you want to remain more inconspicuous, pancake lenses allow you to take great photographs without drawing too much attention to yourself.
While they may be small in form-factor, Fuji pancake lens options deliver high performance with solid build-quality. Let’s take a look among the best Fuji lenses at what pancake lens options are available to you as a Fujifilm photographer.
Best Fuji Pancake Lenses for X Mount Cameras
Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR
The Fujifilm XF27mmF2.8 R WR lens is a fast, wide-angle prime lens that's perfect for landscapes, street photography, and everyday shooting. It's also great for travel because it's lightweight, compact, and weather-resistant. The lens features an all-metal construction with a smooth manual focus ring and a bright f/2.8 aperture that lets in a lot of light.
- Compact, pancake lens
- Weather-resistant
- Good focal length for everyday shooting
- Bright f/2.8 aperture
- No optical image stabilization, but not a deal breaker
The Fujinon XF27mmF2.8 R WR is the best Fuji pancake lens available for X mount cameras such as the X-T4, X-H2S, or X-S10. It has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 41mm. It is only 23mm deep and weighs a mere 84g, making it easy to fit in almost any bag or backpack. You’ll hardly feel the weight of the lens while it is on the camera body.
While the minimum focus distance won’t allow you to take macro shots, you’ll still be able to take advantage of its speedy autofocus to shoot street or daily life scenes with ease.
If you plan to shoot frequently in the outdoors, you’ll be happy to know that this lens features weather sealing to protect against dust, dirt, moisture, and cold temperatures.
Fujfilm XF18mmF2 R
While the XF27mmF2.8 R WR is probably the better pancake lens for Fujifilm X Mount cameras, the XF18mmF2 R is great if you prefer something a bit wider. It's missing weather sealing, but still a solid option if you want a compact setup with a wider field of view to capture landscapes, street scenes, or daily life.
- Compact, pancake lens
- Wide f/2 aperture
- No weather sealing
- Not as wide as 14mm or 16mm Fuji primes
The Fujinon XF18mmF2 R is another Fuji pancake lens available for X mount cameras. It has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 27mm, so you’ll be able to capture more of a scene compared to the 41mm equivalent on the XF27mmF2.8 R WR.
It has a shorter minimum focusing distance of 18cm versus 34cm on the 27mm lens. This will allow you to get closer to your subjects, but with a wider field of view, don’t expect amazing macro shots or anything.
Keep in mind that there are no weather seals on this lens, so you will have to be mindful of when you decide to use this lens.
Best Fuji Pancake Lens for G Mount Cameras
Fujinon GF50mmF3.5 R LM WR
The GF50mmF2.5 R LM WR lens from Fujifilm is a portable lens that delivers a 35mm equivalent focal length of 40mm, making it another great option for street photography or everyday shooting. Its compact form and light weight make it a desirable option for photographers.
The FUJINON GF50mmF3.5 R LM WR is a compact, lightweight lens with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 40mm. This is just 1mm difference in effective focal length compared to the X Mount option above.
The 50mm lens is the Fuji pancake lens for G Mount camera bodies, coming in at 48mm long and weighing 335g. While that is significantly heavier than the X Mount pancake lens, it is still very light compared to the rest of the GFX line. It has a maximum aperture of f/3.5, but since most GFX camera sensors are large format, you’ll find the depth of field quite shallow.
The GF50mmF3.5 has a linear motor for autofocusing. This keeps the lens portable, while still maintain the silent and quick autofocus you expect from Fujifilm. It is also weather resistant like all G Mount lenses to keep you protected no matter where you’re shooting.
As with all three lenses on this list, the GF50mmF3.5 doesn’t have OIS, but the latest GFX cameras have in-body image stabilization to help combat vibration reduction when you’re shooting at lower shutter speeds or handheld.
Conclusion
So there you have it, a quick review of the three Fuji pancake lens models on the market today. If you hate lugging around loads of photography equipment and live more in the moment, I highly recommend considering a pancake lens. After a long day of shooting, you’ll have a memory card filled with incredible images without the arm soreness the following day.
For more lens recommendations, be sure to check out my roundup of the best Fuji lenses.