The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 12.5mm / F12 and the Olympus 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 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 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 is the longer of the two lenses at 93mm. The Panasonic 12.5mm / F12 with a length of 21mm, is 72mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 75mm.
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 12.5mm / F12 weighs 45g, which means it is 440g (90%) lighter than the Olympus 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 which has a weight of 485g.
Lens Mounts
The Panasonic 12.5mm / F12 has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount whereas the Olympus 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 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 12.5mm / F12 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 13mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
26mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Olympus 11-22mm f2.8-3.5 has a focal range of 11-22mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 22-44mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
