The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samsung 30mm F2 Pancake and the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH 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. Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH is the longer of the two lenses at 26mm. The Samsung 30mm F2 Pancake with a length of 22mm, is 4mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH also has a larger diameter of 63mm compared to the Samsung 30mm F2 Pancake's 62mm 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. Samsung 30mm F2 Pancake weighs 85g, which means it is 2g (2%) lighter than the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH which has a weight of 87g.
Filter Threads
The Samsung 30mm F2 Pancake has a filter size of 43mm whereas the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH has a 46mm 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 30mm F2 Pancake:
And these are the 46mm filters that we recommend for the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH:
Lens Mounts
The Samsung 30mm F2 Pancake has the Samsung NX lens mount whereas the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH 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-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3 for the Micro Four Thirds Mount.
Focal Range
Samsung 30mm F2 Pancake is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 30mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
45mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 II ASPH is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 20mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 40mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
