Coming back to this — looks like most people agree: true native L-mount pancakes in 24–40mm basically… arent a thing, and the “compact” AF primes are still normal-sized.

What I learned after a few years chasing tiny setups:
- MF tiny lenses can be fun, but distortion/vignetting can get spicy (and profiles arent always there)
- reliability check: mount fit, wobble, and dont force threads (cheap caps/filters can bind)
- street/travel: center sharpness is usually fine, corners are the gamble

Honestly I stopped chasing perfect pancake and just optimized handling on my body (worked for me). gl!

Ok so… afaik there aren’t really any true “pancake” native AF options in L-mount in that 24–40mm FF range. Most of the “compact” L primes are still like… normal prime size. Been there, i get it.

If you can live with manual focus, the smallest legit everyday setup I’ve used is the TTArtisan 25mm f/2.0 L-Mount (tiny, fun, center sharpness is actually decent stopped down a bit). Distortion/vignetting is there, but for street/travel it’s totally workable if you’re not doing architecture all day. Another small-ish MF option is the 7Artisans 35mm f/2.0 L-Mount — not a pancake pancake, but it keeps the camera from feeling like a brick, and 35mm is just easy mode for walking around.

If you really want AF and still keep it light, you might want to consider the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary (L-Mount) even tho it’s outside your 40mm target. It’s not a pancake, but it’s one of the few L lenses that makes the whole rig feel balanced and “carryable,” and it doesn’t have the wild distortion some tiny MF glass can.

So yeah: L-mount is kinda starved for true pancakes. If tiny is the priority, MF is basically the trade-off. good luck

Ok so, been there… L-mount’s kinda weak on true pancakes. I’d suggest sticking with small manual-focus third-party glass, but be careful: check distortion/vignetting and make sure it supports L-mount *natively* (no adapter).

Sooo yeah, native L-mount “true pancakes” are basically nonexistent… best tiny daily picks are MF like TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 L-Mount or 7artisans 35mm f/5.6 L-Mount (cheap + tiny), but expect distortion/vignetting—check profiles before buying!

Building on the earlier suggestion, it looks like we have covered the main manual pancakes and that ultra-slim Panasonic body cap. Personally, I prefer a bit more reliability for my travel kit, so I have been very happy with the Sigma 24mm f/3.5 DG DN Contemporary. It isnt a true flat pancake, but it is remarkably small and the all-metal build feels much safer than the budget third-party stuff. I have no complaints at all regarding the sharpness or AF performance, which stays snappy even when light gets a bit low. Quick tip: if you end up with a small lens like this, I suggest using a B+W 55mm Master UV Filter. It is super slim and keeps the front element safe without adding any real bulk to the setup. Definitely helps when you are tossing the camera in a bag without a dedicated case and dont want to worry about scratches. I am always glad to share more info if you need help choosing between the different focal lengths!

Nice, didn't know that

Just saw this thread and honestly its such a fun hunt! Like someone mentioned earlier, the native L-mount options are usually pretty beefy, so finding a true pancake is tricky. It seems the group has narrowed it down to:

• Ultra-slim body cap lenses that are amazing for size but have slow, fixed apertures.
• Budget manual focus glass that keeps things tiny but might have some corner smearing.
• Slightly larger premium compacts that actually give you reliable autofocus. One thing to really watch out for with the super cheap manual lenses is the mount fit and how they interact with the sensor stack. Sometimes those really thin designs dont play nice with the microlenses on certain L-mount sensors, which leads to weird colors or softness in the corners. Tbh, its always a bit of a gamble when you go that small! I love the idea of a tiny kit tho. To help narrow this down, I have two quick questions:
• Are you mostly shooting in bright daylight or do you need a wider aperture for night street stuff?
• What is your actual budget for this lens?

Jumping in here... what body are you actually shooting on? It makes a big difference for how the balance feels. If you're using something like the S9 vs an S5II, your definition of pancake might change a bit. If you want autofocus and that specific range, you should look at the Panasonic Lumix S 18-40mm f/3.5-6.3. It's a newer pancake zoom that's surprisingly small for what it is. If that's too slow for you, maybe the Brightin Star 28mm f/2.8 L-mount is worth a look? It's manual focus but legit tiny and fits the focal length you want. Quick tip: if you go the manual route, just set your focus peaking to a bright color and leave it on. Makes these tiny lenses way easier to use for snapshots without hunting.

Honestly, I've been shooting L-mount for a long time and realy think going the budget route is the best way to keep things small. After using a few of these for years, here are my thoughts from an owner's perspective: * Have you seen the Panasonic Lumix S 26mm f/8? It is realy tiny, like a body cap wierdly enough. It’s fixed at f/8 which might be slow, but for street shooting in the sun it’s basically perfect, you know? * I always tell people to check for used deals or "open box" stuff on the cheap manual lenses. You can get them for almost nothing and then you dont have to worry about scratching them up during travel. It saves a ton of money.
* Just be careful with the realy cheap ones because after a year or so the mounts can feel a bit loose, right? I mean, you get what you pay for, but for a tiny pocket setup it’s usually worth it. Does the fixed aperture thing bother you? I havent found it to be a huge issue for casual day shots, and it's honestly the only true pancake I've seen that doesnt need an adapter.

bump

100% agree