The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM 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. Lensbaby Velvet 56 is the longer of the two lenses at 86mm. The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM with a length of 63mm, is 23mm shorter. On the other hand, the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM has a larger diameter of 74mm compared to the Lensbaby Velvet 56's 72mm 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. Lensbaby Velvet 56 weighs 400g, which means it is 35g (8%) lighter than the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM which has a weight of 435g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Standard Prime Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
Both the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM have the same Filter thread size of 62mm.
Below are links to the 62mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM has the same Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is also available in Fujifilm X , Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF3, Samsung NX, Sony Alpha and Sony E mounts.
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM is also available in Nikon F (DX) and Sigma SA mounts.
Focal Range
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 56mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
89.6mm.
On the other hand, the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 30mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 48mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.