The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 and the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye 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. Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye is the longer of the two lenses at 77mm. The Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 with a length of 71mm, is 6mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye also has a larger diameter of 75mm compared to the Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6's 66mm 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 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 weighs 210g, which means it is 233g (52%) lighter than the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye which has a weight of 443g.
Lens Mounts
The Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount whereas the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye 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 , and for the Four Thirds Mount.
Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF, Sony Alpha and Samsung NX mounts.
Focal Range
Panasonic 12-60mm F3.5-5.6 has a focal range of 12-60mm and
5.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24-120mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Rokinon 8mm f3.5 Fisheye is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 8mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 12mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
