7Artisans 18mm f/6.3 Mark II APS-C

£57/$59 https://7artisans.store

The smaller the pancake lens the batter, as far as we’re concerned… and budget-lens manufacturer 7Artisans has just released quite possibly the smallest pancake lens we’ve ever seen. Available in DX Z-mount form, this fixed aperture, manual lens is hardly the fastest optic in the world, but it does offer Z camera owners a cheap and cheerful wide-angle solution.

The little lens weighs just 58g, has a diameter of 56mm and protrudes at a rather incredible 15mm. To put that into perspective, glance at a picture of it mounted to a Nikon Z fc and it’s no wonder that the makers refer to it as a “slim chip prime”, compares it to the thickness of a biscuit and suggests using it as a “protective body cap”. It has a decent minimum focusing distance of 30cm and, within that minuscule body, 7Artisans has somehow managed to cram six elements in five groups.

Taking into account Nikon’s 1.5x crop factor on DX lenses, this 18mm prime’s equivalent focal length is 27mm, and the lens has a 76-degree field of view. Since the aperture cannot be changed and there’s no autofocus, it certainly has limited application, but it looks to have the hallmarks of a fun companion for architecture, street and stylized wide-angle portraits.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

We’re not expecting sublime image quality from a sub-£60 lens, but if you’re looking for a featherweight and fun alternative to your current crop of optics or something you can slip into a rucksack pouch for when inspiration strikes, then this 18mm pancake could be of interest and it won’t leave much of a hole in your wallet either.