These are the best pancake lenses for video when you want ultralight rigs, quiet focus, and smooth framing for travel vlogs, street B-roll, tabletop scenes, and handheld documentaries—without bulky glass—and here’s what to look for as you buy: prioritize silent/linear AF motors that play nicely with your camera’s subject detection, minimal focus breathing (or solid in-body breathing compensation), internal or very short focus throw for gimbals, de-clickable or finely stepped apertures (or bodies with electronic aperture smoothing), reliable stabilization (OIS/VR/OSS or strong IBIS pairing), and power-zoom options for buttery reframes; good close-focus is great for detail cutaways, and tiny fronts (39–52mm) make slim VND/CPL use easy—expect modest apertures and plan for a variable ND. Full-frame pocket picks (prime and compact “pancake-adjacent” with great video manners): Sony FE 24mm ƒ2.8 G and FE 40mm ƒ2.5 G (tiny, quiet AF, low breathing with body comp), Sony FE 28–60mm ƒ4–5.6 (shockingly small zoom that grades well), Canon RF 28mm ƒ2.8 STM (featherweight, quiet), RF 24–50mm ƒ4.5–6.3 IS STM (compact with IS for handhelds), Nikon Z 26mm ƒ2.8 and Z 28mm ƒ2.8 (ultra-thin, discreet street video), Sigma 24mm ƒ3.5 DG DN C and 45mm ƒ2.8 DG DN C (near-pancake feel with beautiful rolloff). APS-C pocket heroes (many with power zoom and OIS): Sony E PZ 16–50mm ƒ3.5–5.6 OSS (true pancake power-zoom—gimbal friendly, stabilized), Sony E 20mm ƒ2.8 and E 16mm ƒ2.8 (flat primes for stealth rigs), Nikon Z DX 16–50mm ƒ3.5–6.3 VR (collapsible, sharp, stabilized), Fujifilm XC 15–45mm ƒ3.5–5.6 OIS PZ (tiny PZ with useful 15mm wide), Fujifilm XF 27mm ƒ2.8 R WR (sealed pancake prime with snappy AF), Canon RF-S 18–45mm ƒ4.5–6.3 IS STM (collapsible walk-around with IS), and legacy Canon EF-M 15–45mm ƒ3.5–6.3 IS STM (flat, stabilized, great value). Micro Four Thirds mini marvels: Panasonic Lumix G 12–32mm ƒ3.5–5.6 OIS (credit-card small with OIS), Panasonic 14–42mm ƒ3.5–5.6 PZ “X Vario” OIS (pancake power-zoom with smooth motorized control), Panasonic 14mm ƒ2.5 and 20mm ƒ1.7 II (true pancakes—pair with strong IBIS bodies), and Olympus 17mm ƒ2.8 (older but ultra-flat). Practical buyer tips: if you punch-in and reframe mid-shot, choose a power-zoom pancake (Sony 16–50 PZ, Fuji 15–45 PZ, Panasonic 14–42 PZ); if you prioritize gimbal balance and AF, tiny linear-motor primes (Sony 24/2.8 G, 40/2.5 G; Nikon Z 26/2.8; RF 28/2.8) keep rigs featherweight; pair slower pancakes with bodies that offer breathing comp, electronic IS, and good high-ISO; standardize to a slim 49/52mm step-up for one VND/CPL; kit-pull pancakes are often undervalued used—great for multi-cam builds. Pancake-video shooting tips: follow the 180° shutter rule (e.g., 1/50s at 24p) and use IBIS/OIS for micro-jitter while a monopod or gimbal handles bigger moves, set AF-C with subject detect and limiters for reliable pulls, use power zooms for subtle reframes instead of “hand creep,” add a quality VND and keep aperture near sweet spot (often 2/3–1 stop down) for sharper corners, get close for dynamic foregrounds and parallax, watch flare—tiny hoods help or flag with your hand, record in 10-bit if available to preserve texture, and keep spare batteries/cards pocketed—the beauty of pancake lenses for video is that you’ll actually carry the camera everywhere, staying nimble, quiet, and ready for the shot.