The point-and-shoot has made a comeback – but the trend towards compact cameras may also be impacting the types of lenses photographers are choosing to twist onto their mirrorless camera. Search data from Google indicates that the point-and-shoot isn’t the only compact gear photographers are looking for as searches for pancake lenses reached a five-year high in 2025.
According to Google data, searches for “pancake lens” over the last five years have shown a dramatic climb in 2025, reaching a five-year peak in August 2025.
The rise of the pancake lens makes sense in the wake of the point-and-shoot's newfound popularity. The camera is only half the equation; the trick to getting a smaller camera system isn’t just about the camera but also about the lens.
Pancake lenses are small, relatively flat lenses that are highly travel-friendly.
The popularity of point-and-shoot cameras – at a time when many key manufacturers had put them on a backburner – has driven up prices, particularly for compact cameras with large sensors and pro specs. That price increase often means that it’s sometimes possible to get a mirrorless camera with a pancake lens for less than the trendiest compact cameras.
A mirrrorless with a pancake lens probably won’t fit in your pocket, but the small optic can help balance the need for something portable with the desire for something that still delivers high-end images. I took the new Fujifilm X-E5 with its new pancake kit lens on a trip and could almost forget that I wasn’t using a high-end compact like the Fujifilm X100VI.
Where pancake lenses really make sense, however, is for photographers who already have a mirrorless camera. The Fujifilm 23mm f/2.8 R WR may not be pocket change, but it’s easier to justify over the price of the Fujifilm X100VI.
I’m curious as we move into 2026, if the rise of the pancake lens will be a long-term or short-term trend. But, after trying Fujifilm's new pancake lens when I’m accustomed to carting around heavy optics, I think pancake lenses will continue to be a trendy photo accessory for travel.
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