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 28-70mm f2.8 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. Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 ED-IF is the longer of the two lenses at 122mm. The Lensbaby Velvet 56 with a length of 86mm, is 36mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 ED-IF also has a larger diameter of 89mm 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 535g (57%) lighter than the Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 ED-IF which has a weight of 935g.
Filter Threads
The Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a filter size of 62mm whereas the Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 ED-IF 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 62mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Lensbaby Velvet 56:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 ED-IF:
Lens Mounts
Both the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and the Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 ED-IF has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
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 28-70mm f2.8 ED-IF has a focal range of 28-70mm and 2.5X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 42 - 105mm.
