The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the OM System 17mm F1.8 II and the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH 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 9mm F1.7 ASPH is the longer of the two lenses at 52mm. The OM System 17mm F1.8 II with a length of 36mm, is 16mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH also has a larger diameter of 61mm compared to the OM System 17mm F1.8 II's 58mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of OM System 17mm F1.8 II and Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the OM System 17mm F1.8 II and the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH 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. OM System 17mm F1.8 II weighs 112g, which means it is 18g (13%) lighter than the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH which has a weight of 130g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The OM System 17mm F1.8 II has a filter size of 46mm whereas the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH has a 55mm 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 OM System 17mm F1.8 II:
And these are the 55mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH:
Lens Mounts
Both the OM System 17mm F1.8 II and the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH 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 System 17mm F1.8 II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 17mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
34mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 9mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 18mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.