The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro and the Panasonic 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS 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 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS is the longer of the two lenses at 90mm. The Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro with a length of 70mm, is 20mm shorter. On the other hand, the Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro has a larger diameter of 63mm compared to the Panasonic 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS's 62mm 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 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS weighs 210g, 17% (44g) lighter than the Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro's weight of 254g.
Filter Threads
The Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro has a filter size of 58mm whereas the Panasonic 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS 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 58mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro:
And these are the 46mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro and the Panasonic 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS 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
Olympus ED 12-45mm F4 Pro has a focal range of 12-45mm and
3.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24-90mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 45-175mm F4.0-5.6 OIS has a focal range of 45-175mm and 3.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 90-350mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
