The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II OIS and the Olympus ED 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. Olympus ED 8mm f3.5 Fisheye is the longer of the two lenses at 77mm. The Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II OIS with a length of 49mm, is 28mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Olympus ED 8mm f3.5 Fisheye also has a larger diameter of 79mm compared to the Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II OIS'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 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II OIS weighs 110g, which means it is 375g (77%) lighter than the Olympus ED 8mm f3.5 Fisheye which has a weight of 485g.
Lens Mounts
The Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II OIS has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount whereas the Olympus ED 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 Olympus E-5, Olympus E-600 and Olympus E-620 for the Four Thirds Mount.
Focal Range
Panasonic 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 II OIS has a focal range of 14-42mm and
3.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
28-84mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Olympus ED 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 16mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
