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 Samyang 20mm F1.8 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 Samyang 20mm F1.8 with a length of 88mm, is 11mm shorter. On the other hand, the Samyang 20mm F1.8 has a larger diameter of 83mm compared to the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift's 80mm 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. Samyang 20mm F1.8 weighs 497g, 13% (78g) lighter than the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift's weight of 575g.
Filter Threads
Both the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift and the Samyang 20mm F1.8 have the same Filter thread size of 77mm.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift and the Samyang 20mm F1.8 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.
Samyang 20mm F1.8 is also available in Canon EF , Canon EF-M, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF, Samsung NX, Sony Alpha and Sony E 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 Samyang 20mm F1.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 20mm.
