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 Samyang 10mm f2.8 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. Samyang 10mm f2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 77mm. The Olympus ED 12mm f2 with a length of 43mm, is 34mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Samyang 10mm f2.8 also has a larger diameter of 86mm 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 450g (77%) lighter than the Samyang 10mm f2.8 which has a weight of 580g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus ED 12mm f2 and the Samyang 10mm f2.8 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.
Samyang 10mm f2.8 is also available in Canon EF , Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Nikon F (DX) and Four Thirds mounts.
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 Samyang 10mm f2.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 10mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 15mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.