The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS and the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS 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. Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS is the longer of the two lenses at 169mm. The Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS with a length of 27mm, is 142mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS also has a larger diameter of 85mm compared to the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS's 61mm 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. Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS weighs 95g, 92% (1250g) lighter than the Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS's weight of 1345g.
Filter Threads
The Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS has a 37mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS:
And these are the 37mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS:
Lens Mounts
The Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS has the Leica L lens mount whereas the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Leica TL2, Leica TL and Leica T Typ 701 for the Leica L Mount and OM System OM-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3 for the Micro Four Thirds Mount.
Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS is also available in the Sony E , Canon RF, Nikon Z and Fujifilm G mounts.
Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS is also available in Micro Four Thirds mount.
Focal Range
Laowa 55mm F2.8 TS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 55mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
82.5mm when used on a 35mm FF format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 OIS has a focal range of 14-42mm and 3.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28-84mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
