The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 and the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake 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. Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 is the longer of the two lenses at 70mm. The Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake with a length of 22mm, is 48mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 also has a larger diameter of 58mm compared to the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake's 57mm 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. Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake weighs 71g, 82% (339g) lighter than the Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95's weight of 410g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Lenses in Micro Four Thirds Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake 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 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95:
And these are the 37mm filters that we recommend for the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake:
Lens Mounts
Both the Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 and the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake has the same Micro Four Thirds lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Micro Four Thirds lenses are OM System OM-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3.
Focal Range
Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 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.
On the other hand, the Olympus M 17mm f2.8 Pancake 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.