The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH and the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro 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 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro is the longer of the two lenses at 117mm. The Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH with a length of 52mm, is 65mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro also has a larger diameter of 78mm compared to the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH's 61mm diameter.
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Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH and Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
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 9mm F1.7 ASPH weighs 130g, which means it is 431g (76%) lighter than the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro which has a weight of 561g.
Filter Threads
The Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH has a filter size of 55mm whereas the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro 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 55mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH:
And these are the 72mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro:
Lens Mounts
Both the Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH and the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro 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
Panasonic 9mm F1.7 ASPH is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 9mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
18mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Olympus 12-100mm F4.0 IS Pro has a focal range of 12-100mm and 8.3X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-200mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.