The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake and the Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 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. Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 80mm. The Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake with a length of 23mm, is 57mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 also has a larger diameter of 78mm compared to the Sony E 16mm F2.8 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. Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake weighs 74g, which means it is 256g (77%) lighter than the Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 which has a weight of 330g.
Filter Threads
The Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake has a filter size of 49mm whereas the Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 49mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony E 16mm F2.8 Pancake and the Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony A6700, Sony FX30 and Sony ZV-E10.
Focal Range
Sony E 16mm F2.8 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 Zeiss Batis 18mm F2.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 18mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 27mm.