The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro and the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro 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. LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro is the longer of the two lenses at 134mm. The Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro with a length of 125mm, is 9mm shorter. On the other hand, the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro has a larger diameter of 72mm compared to the LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro's 68mm 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. LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro weighs 521g, which means it is 117g (18%) lighter than the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro which has a weight of 638g.
Filter Threads
The LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro has a filter size of 62mm whereas the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro 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 62mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro:
Lens Mounts
The LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro has the Nikon Z lens mount whereas the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro has the Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon ZR, Nikon Z5 II and RED Komodo-X 6K Z for the Nikon Z Mount and Blackmagic URSA 12K LF, Z CAM E2-F6 II 6K and Z CAM E2-S6 II 6K for the Canon EF Mount.
LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro is also available in the Sony E , Canon RF and Leica L mounts.
Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro is also available in Nikon F (FX) , Pentax KAF2 and Sony E mounts.
Focal Range
LAOWA 180mm f4.5 Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 180mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
270mm.
On the other hand, the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 100mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 160mm.
