The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Venus 17mm F1.8 and the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 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 Leica 25mm F1.4 is the longer of the two lenses at 75mm. The Venus 17mm F1.8 with a length of 51mm, is 24mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 also has a larger diameter of 78mm compared to the Venus 17mm F1.8's 55mm 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. Venus 17mm F1.8 weighs 172g, which means it is 338g (66%) lighter than the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 which has a weight of 510g.
Filter Threads
Both the Venus 17mm F1.8 and the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 have the same Filter thread size of 46mm.
Below are links to the 46mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
The Venus 17mm F1.8 has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount whereas the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 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.
Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 is also available in Micro Four Thirds mount.
Focal Range
Venus 17mm F1.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 17mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
34mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Panasonic Leica 25mm F1.4 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 25mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 50mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
