The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Olympus 25mm f2.8 Pancake and the Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II 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 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II is the longer of the two lenses at 89mm. The Olympus 25mm f2.8 Pancake with a length of 24mm, is 65mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II also has a larger diameter of 75mm compared to the Olympus 25mm f2.8 Pancake's 64mm 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 25mm f2.8 Pancake weighs 95g, which means it is 345g (78%) lighter than the Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II which has a weight of 440g.
Filter Threads
The Olympus 25mm f2.8 Pancake has a filter size of 43mm whereas the Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II 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 43mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Olympus 25mm f2.8 Pancake:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II:
Lens Mounts
Both the Olympus 25mm f2.8 Pancake and the Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II has the same Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Four Thirds lenses are Olympus E-5, Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-620.
Focal Range
Olympus 25mm f2.8 Pancake is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 25mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
50mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Olympus 14-54mm f2.8-3.5 II has a focal range of 14-54mm and 3.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28-108mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
