The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH and the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake 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 M 17mm f2.8 Pancake is the longer of the two lenses at 22mm. The Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH with a length of 21mm, is 1mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake also has a larger diameter of 57mm compared to the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH's 56mm 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 14mm F2.5 ASPH weighs 55g, which means it is 16g (22%) lighter than the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake which has a weight of 71g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH has a filter size of 46mm whereas the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake has a 37mm 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 14mm F2.5 ASPH:
And these are the 37mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake:
Lens Mounts
Both the Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH and the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake 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-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3.
Focal Range
Panasonic 14mm F2.5 ASPH is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 14mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
28mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 17mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 34mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
