The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro and the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 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. Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro is the longer of the two lenses at 160mm. The Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 OIS with a length of 93mm, is 67mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro also has a larger diameter of 79mm compared to the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 OIS's 75mm 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 Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 OIS weighs 434g, 42% (326g) lighter than the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro's weight of 760g.
Filter Threads
The Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 OIS has a 67mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 OIS:
Lens Mounts
The Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount whereas the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 OIS has the Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are OM System OM-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3 for the Micro Four Thirds Mount and Olympus E-5, Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-620 for the Four Thirds Mount.
Focal Range
Olympus ED 40-150mm F2.8 Pro has a focal range of 40-150mm and
3.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
80-300mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F3.8-5.6 OIS has a focal range of 14-50mm and 3.6X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28-100mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
