The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake and the Olympus M 17mm f1.8 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Olympus M 17mm f1.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 36mm. The Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake with a length of 22mm, is 14mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus M 17mm f1.8 also has a larger diameter of 58mm compared to the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake's 57mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake weighs 71g, which means it is 49g (40%) lighter than the Olympus M 17mm f1.8 which has a weight of 120g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake and the Olympus M 17mm f1.8 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-5, Panasonic GH6 and OM System OM-1.
Focal Range
Both lenses have the same focal range of 17mm but while Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake has the fastest aperture of F2.8, the Olympus M 17mm f1.8's widest aperture value is F1.8.