The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift and the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM 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 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is the longer of the two lenses at 99mm. The Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM with a length of 71mm, is 28mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift also has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM's 65mm 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. Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM weighs 350g, 39% (225g) lighter than the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift's weight of 575g.
Filter Threads
The Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM has a 58mm 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 12-24mm f5.6 Shift:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift and the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM has the same Leica M lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Leica M lenses are Pixii+, Epson R-D1x and Epson R-D1.
Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is also available in the Sony E , Nikon Z, Canon RF, Fujifilm X and Leica L mounts.
Focal Range
Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a focal range of 12-24mm and
2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
18-36mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Carl Zeiss Distagon T4/18 ZM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 18mm.
