Samsung — 16mm f/2.4 wide-angle pancake prime for Samsung NX APS-C mirrorless bodies
Samsung introduced the NX 16mm f/2.4 pancake prime in 2011 for its NX-series mirrorless system, launched in 2010 as an early APS-C mirrorless rival to Micro Four Thirds. It targeted travel and street shooters wanting a compact, unobtrusive everyday lens rather than a kit zoom.
The lens mounts natively to Samsung NX bodies and gives a 24mm full-frame-equivalent field of view on the system's APS-C sensor, with a maximum aperture of f/2.4. Like other Samsung NX primes, it supports i-Function control, adjusting settings via a ring on the barrel linked to the camera body.
The flat pancake profile keeps an NX body pocketable, and f/2.4 is brighter than most pancake designs, useful in dim interiors or evening street scenes. Wide-angle rendering suits environmental shots more than tight framing, with autofocus driven by an internal motor rather than manual-only control.
Samsung exited the camera market in 2015, so this lens now reaches buyers only through used channels, tied to increasingly scarce NX bodies. Worth checking are the i-Function ring detents, autofocus speed at close range, and the front element for coating wear typical of pocket-carried pancakes.