The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro and the Panasonic Leica Macro 45mm F2.8 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 Leica Macro 45mm F2.8 OIS is the longer of the two lenses at 63mm. The Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro with a length of 60mm, is 3mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic Leica Macro 45mm F2.8 OIS also has a larger diameter of 63mm compared to the Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro's 57mm 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. Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro weighs 128g, which means it is 97g (43%) lighter than the Panasonic Leica Macro 45mm F2.8 OIS which has a weight of 225g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Macro Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Macro Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
Both the Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro and the Panasonic Leica Macro 45mm F2.8 OIS have the same Filter thread size of 46mm.
Below are links to the 46mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro and the Panasonic Leica Macro 45mm F2.8 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-1 II, Panasonic G9 II and OM System OM-5.
Focal Range
Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 30mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
60mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic Leica Macro 45mm F2.8 OIS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 45mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 90mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.