Sorry, but you don’t need a retro compact camera. This US$98 / £94 pancake lens makes a mirrorless feel both more film-like and more compact

The PolarPro LightLeak 28mm lens on an old book

(Image credit: Hillary K. Grigonis / Future)

Retro compact cameras are one of the trendiest types of cameras right now, but the genre’s popularity has driven up the cost. But when I want something that’s both retro and compact, I don’t reach for a compact camera; instead, I grab my mirrorless with a tiny pancake lens with unique retro flare: The PolarPro LightLeak 28mm.

Light Leaks are a film phenomenon that happens when light finds its way into the camera from somewhere other than where it’s supposed to. This imperfection, however, creates an iconic film look with bursts of color and light on the edge of the image.

TA close up of the light leak window on the PolarPro LightLeak 28mm lens — Here, you can see the window that opens to create light leaks (Image credit: Hillary K. Grigonis / Future)

Digital cameras can’t really get light leaks the way that a piece of film can accidentally be exposed to light – or at least, that was the case before the PolarPro LightLeak came along. This series of lenses has a window in the side that I can open and close to create light leaks on digital.

My Fujifilm mirrorless has never felt more retro than when I twisted on a PolarPro LightLeak lens. And the lens is available in several mounts to turn almost any mirrorless to a more retro camera, including Sony E, Nikon X, Canon RF, and L Mount. (Sorry, Micro Four Thirds shooters.)

The other reason that I love the PolarPro LightLeak 28mm is that it’s rather small, so it makes my mirrorless feel far more portable (albeit, not pocketable).

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An image sample from the PolarPro LightLeak 28mm — Shot with the PolarPro LightLeak 28mm(Image credit: Hillary K. Grigonis / Future)

The PolarPro LightLeak 28mm isn’t perfect – in fact, it’s designed specifically NOT to be perfect. The optics are softer, and the aperture is a fixed f/11 – but that creates the grainy, softer film-like look, even when that LightLeak window is closed. (If you want a brighter aperture and sharper optics but something similar to a light leak, I recommend the colored gels in this special effects kit.)

Depending on your camera mount, you can find the PolarPro LightLeak 28mm at an unusually affordable price right now.

Even if the mount that you need isn’t on sale, that’s far more affordable than a retro compact camera if you already have a mirrorless body to pair it with. The lens isn’t for pixel peepers, but it’s a fantastic pancake for getting that old school look on a digital camera.

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