The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the OM 50-200mm F2.8 and the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II 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. OM 50-200mm F2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 226mm. The Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II with a length of 100mm, is 126mm shorter. Besides being longer, the OM 50-200mm F2.8 also has a larger diameter of 91mm compared to the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II's 70mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of OM 50-200mm F2.8 and Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the OM 50-200mm F2.8 and the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II Size and Weight 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 45-200mm F4-5.6 II weighs 370g, 65% (705g) lighter than the OM 50-200mm F2.8's weight of 1075g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Super Telephoto Micro Four Thirds Mount
Filter Threads
The OM 50-200mm F2.8 has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II has a 52mm 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 OM 50-200mm F2.8:
And these are the 52mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II:
Lens Mounts
Both the OM 50-200mm F2.8 and the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II 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-3 Astro , OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3 .
Focal Range
OM 50-200mm F2.8 has a focal range of 50-200mm and
4.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
100-400mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 45-200mm F4-5.6 II has a focal range of 45-200mm and 4.4X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 90-400mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
