The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samsung 16mm F2.4 Pancake and the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 Mega OIS for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
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 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 Mega OIS weighs 70g, 22% (20g) lighter than the Samsung 16mm F2.4 Pancake's weight of 90g.
Filter Threads
The Samsung 16mm F2.4 Pancake has a filter size of 43mm whereas the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 Mega OIS 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 43mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Samsung 16mm F2.4 Pancake:
And these are the 37mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 Mega OIS:
Lens Mounts
The Samsung 16mm F2.4 Pancake has the Samsung NX lens mount whereas the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 Mega OIS has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Samsung NX1, Samsung NX3000 and Samsung NX30 for the Samsung NX Mount and OM System OM-1 II, Panasonic G9 II and OM System OM-5 for the Micro Four Thirds Mount.
Focal Range
Samsung 16mm F2.4 Pancake is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 16mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 12-32mm F3.5-5.6 Mega OIS has a focal range of 12-32mm and 2.7X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-64mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.