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 Panasonic 14mm F2.5 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. Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake is the longer of the two lenses at 22mm. The Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH with a length of 21mm, is 1mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake also has a larger diameter of 57mm compared to the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH's 56mm 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 14mm F2.5 ASPH weighs 55g, 22% (16g) lighter than the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake's weight of 71g.
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 Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake has a filter size of 37mm whereas the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH has a 46mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 37mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake:
And these are the 46mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake and the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 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-1 II, Panasonic G9 II and OM System OM-5.
Focal Range
Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake 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 14mm F2.5 ASPH is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 14mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.