The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus ED 12mm f2 and the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 is the longer of the two lenses at 71mm. The Olympus ED 12mm f2 with a length of 43mm, is 28mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 also has a larger diameter of 66mm compared to the Olympus ED 12mm f2's 56mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Olympus ED 12mm f2 weighs 130g, which means it is 80g (38%) lighter than the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 which has a weight of 210g.
Filter Threads
The Olympus ED 12mm f2 has a filter size of 46mm whereas the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 has a 58mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 46mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Olympus ED 12mm f2:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus ED 12mm f2 and the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 has the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Micro Four Thirds lenses are OM System OM-1 II, Panasonic G9 II and OM System OM-5.
Focal Range
Olympus ED 12mm f2 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 12mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 has a focal range of 12-60mm and 5.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-120mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.