The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic Leica 15mm F1.7 and the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 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 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 OIS is the longer of the two lenses at 103mm. The Panasonic Leica 15mm F1.7 with a length of 36mm, is 67mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 OIS also has a larger diameter of 79mm compared to the Panasonic Leica 15mm F1.7's 58mm 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 15mm F1.7 weighs 115g, which means it is 375g (76%) lighter than the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 OIS which has a weight of 490g.
Filter Threads
The Panasonic Leica 15mm F1.7 has a filter size of 46mm whereas the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 OIS has a 72mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 46mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Panasonic Leica 15mm F1.7:
And these are the 72mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 OIS:
Lens Mounts
The Panasonic Leica 15mm F1.7 has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount whereas the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 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
Panasonic Leica 15mm F1.7 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 15mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
30mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5 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.
