The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS and the Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom 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 100mm F2.8 TS is the longer of the two lenses at 162mm. The Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom with a length of 95mm, is 67mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS also has a larger diameter of 85mm compared to the Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom's 77mm 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. Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom weighs 515g, 57% (700g) lighter than the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS's weight of 1215g.
Filter Threads
The Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom has a 72mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS:
And these are the 72mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom:
Lens Mounts
The Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS has the Sony E lens mount whereas the Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom has the Nikon 1 lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Sony ZV-E10 II, Sony A6700 and Sony FX30 for the Sony E Mount and Nikon 1 J5, Nikon 1 S2 and Nikon 1 J4 for the Nikon 1 Mount.
Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS is also available in the Canon RF , Nikon Z, Leica L and Fujifilm G mounts.
Focal Range
Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 100mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
150mm when used on a 35mm FF format camera.
On the other hand, the Nikon 1 VR 10-100mm f4.5-5.6 PD-Zoom has a focal range of 10-100mm and 10.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-270mm when used on a 1" format camera.
