The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8 and the Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 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. Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 is the longer of the two lenses at 99mm. The ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8 with a length of 72mm, is 27mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 also has a larger diameter of 76mm compared to the ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8'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. ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8 weighs 394g, which means it is 130g (24%) lighter than the Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 which has a weight of 524g.
Filter Threads
The ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8 has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 has a 67mm 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 ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3:
Lens Mounts
Both the ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8 and the Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony A9 III, Sony A7C Mark II and Sony A7CR.
Focal Range
ZEISS Loxia 21mm F2.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 21mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
31.5mm.
On the other hand, the Sony E 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 has a focal range of 18-200mm and 11.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-300mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.