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 Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye 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 Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye with a length of 77mm, is 22mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift also has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to the Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye's 75mm 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. Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye weighs 443g, 22% (132g) lighter than the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift's weight of 575g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift and the Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye has the same Fujifilm X lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Fujifilm X lenses are Fujifilm X-T30 III, Fujifilm X-E5 and Fujifilm X-M5.
Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is also available in the Sony E , Nikon Z, Canon RF, Leica L and Leica M 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 Rokinon 8mm f2.8 Fisheye is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 8mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 12mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
