The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 200mm f2 and the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II 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 200mm f2 is the longer of the two lenses at 175mm. The Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II with a length of 107mm, is 68mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 200mm f2 also has a larger diameter of 118mm compared to the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II's 85mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Laowa 200mm f2 and Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the Laowa 200mm f2 and the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II Size and Weight 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. Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II weighs 642g, 63% (1138g) lighter than the Laowa 200mm f2's weight of 1780g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Laowa 200mm f2 has a filter size of 105mm whereas the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 105mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Laowa 200mm f2:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 200mm f2 and the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II has the same Sony E lens mount . Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony FX5 , Sony A7R VI and Sony A7 V .
Laowa 200mm f2 is also available in the Nikon Z mount.
Focal Range
Laowa 200mm f2 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 200mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
300mm .
On the other hand, the Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 85mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 127.5mm .