A pancake camera for pancake lenses? I think this rumored “weird” super-thin mirrorless E-mount camera would be a hit

Both compact cameras and pancake lenses are trending – and rumors are calling for Sony to create an ultra-thin mirrorless camera that feels like the perfect fit for both trends. The latest installment of Sony rumors is that the Japanese company could be working on a super-thin APS-C camera that would still house the E-mount.

Sony Alpha Rumors (SAR), broke the rumor of a “weird” E-Mount camera that's thinner than the Sony ZV-E1. The reports speculate that it could pack a 24.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor, 14 stops of dynamic range, a BIONZ XR2 processor, a silent front curtain mechanical shutter, 4K 30fps (uncropped), 4K 60fps recording, and 10-bit color.

Looking at the concept image of this camera, the first thing that comes to mind are pancake lenses and, considering pancake lenses were a real trend in 2025, I think this rumored razor-thin camera could be a hit.

While I don’t have stats backing this up, I’d say there’s a decent amount of photographers, or at least people interested in photography, who want the compactness of a point-and-shoot camera, but the versatility of an interchangeable-lens mirrorless without the price tag of a standard APS-C model, such as the Sony a6700.

And if this newly rumored “pancake camera,” as I’m calling it, did feature the specs I just outlined, then I think Sony would certainly achieve this. In fact, I think the company did something similar with the RX1R III compact camera, albeit for full-frame, and certainly for bigger budgets.

SAR also stated that the rumored super-thin camera would not feature in-body image stabilization – to no surprise – however, I do wonder if that’s all Sony would need to sacrifice in order to create what would be the thinnest mirrorless camera ever. Speculation points to potentially axing the grip and the tilting screen, too.

Sony isn't a stranger to more compact mirrorless cameras. Beyond the ZV-E10 and ZV-E10 II, the Sony A6400 and A6700 are also fairly compact.

We don't know how trustworthy this rumor is; after all, SAR's source is new and unnamed. However, the idea of an affordable, pancake-style camera that takes professional-grade photos is an interesting one, and I don’t think consumers of this type of rig would be too bothered by some missing high-end specs.

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