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 Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF 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 Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF with a length of 76mm, is 10mm shorter. On the other hand, the Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF has a larger diameter of 73mm 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 20g (4%) lighter than the Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF which has a weight of 420g.
Filter Threads
The Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a filter size of 62mm whereas the Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF 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 62mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Lensbaby Velvet 56:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF:
Lens Mounts
The Lensbaby Velvet 56 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is also available in the Canon EF , Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Pentax KAF3, Samsung NX, Sony Alpha and Sony E 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 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
84mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 18-70mm f3.5-4.5G ED-IF has a focal range of 18-70mm and 3.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-105mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
