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 Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS 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 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS is the longer of the two lenses at 68mm. The OM System 17mm F1.8 II with a length of 36mm, is 32mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS also has a larger diameter of 64mm 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 Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS 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 Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS 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 163g (59%) lighter than the Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS which has a weight of 275g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Micro Four Thirds Mount
Filter Threads
The OM System 17mm F1.8 II has a filter size of 46mm whereas the Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS has a 58mm 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 58mm filters that we recommend for the Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS:
Lens Mounts
Both the OM System 17mm F1.8 II and the Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS 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 .
Canon EF-M , Fujifilm X and Sony E mounts.
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 Samyang 21mm F1.4 ED AS UMC CS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 21mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 42mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
