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 Macro 30mm F2.8 OIS 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. Panasonic Macro 30mm F2.8 OIS is the longer of the two lenses at 64mm. The Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro with a length of 60mm, is 4mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic Macro 30mm F2.8 OIS also has a larger diameter of 59mm compared to the Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro'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 30mm F3.5 Macro weighs 128g, which means it is 52g (28%) lighter than the Panasonic Macro 30mm F2.8 OIS which has a weight of 180g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Macro Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Macro Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro and the Panasonic Macro 30mm 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-5, Panasonic GH6 and OM System OM-1.
Focal Range
Both lenses have the same focal range of 30mm but while Olympus 30mm F3.5 Macro has the fastest aperture of F3.5, the Panasonic Macro 30mm F2.8 OIS's widest aperture value is F2.8.