The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Lensbaby Burnside 35 and the Panasonic 42.5mm F1.7 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. Lensbaby Burnside 35 is the longer of the two lenses at 70mm. The Panasonic 42.5mm F1.7 OIS with a length of 50mm, is 20mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Lensbaby Burnside 35 also has a larger diameter of 70mm compared to the Panasonic 42.5mm F1.7 OIS's 55mm 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 42.5mm F1.7 OIS weighs 130g, 65% (244g) lighter than the Lensbaby Burnside 35's weight of 374g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Standard Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Lensbaby Burnside 35 has a filter size of 62mm whereas the Panasonic 42.5mm F1.7 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 62mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Lensbaby Burnside 35:
And these are the 37mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 42.5mm F1.7 OIS:
Lens Mounts
Both the Lensbaby Burnside 35 and the Panasonic 42.5mm F1.7 OIS 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.
Lensbaby Burnside 35 is also available in Canon EF , Fujifilm X, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF, Samsung NX, Sony Alpha and Sony E mounts.
Focal Range
Lensbaby Burnside 35 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 35mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
70mm when used on a 35mm FF format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 42.5mm F1.7 OIS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 43mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 86mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.