The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro and the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro 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. Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro is the longer of the two lenses at 125mm. The Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro with a length of 81mm, is 44mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro also has a larger diameter of 72mm compared to the Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro's 53mm diameter.
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Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro and Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
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. Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro weighs 291g, which means it is 347g (54%) lighter than the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro which has a weight of 638g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Macro Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Macro Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro has a filter size of 46mm whereas the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro has a 67mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 46mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro and the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony A9 III, Sony A7C Mark II and Sony A7CR.
Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro is also available in Leica M , Canon RF, Nikon Z and Leica L mounts.
Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro is also available in Canon EF , Nikon F (FX) and Pentax KAF2 mounts.
Focal Range
Laowa 85mm f5.6 2x Macro 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.
On the other hand, the Venus 100mm F2.8 2X Ultra Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 100mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 150mm.