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 Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 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 177mm. The Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 with a length of 128mm, is 49mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 200mm f2 also has a larger diameter of 118mm compared to the Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4's 88mm 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. Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 weighs 1040g, 41% (740g) 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 Nikon Z Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Lenses in Nikon Z Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Laowa 200mm f2 has a filter size of 105mm whereas the Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 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 Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 200mm f2 and the Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 has the same Nikon Z lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon Z lenses are Nikon ZR, Nikon Z5 II and RED Komodo-X 6K Z.
Laowa 200mm f2 is also available in the Sony E mount.
Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (FX), Sony E and Canon RF mounts.
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 Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 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.
