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 Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR 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 Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR with a length of 69mm, is 17mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Lensbaby Velvet 56 also has a larger diameter of 72mm compared to the Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR's 71mm 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. Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR weighs 283g, 29% (117g) lighter than the Lensbaby Velvet 56's weight of 400g.
Filter Threads
The Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a filter size of 62mm whereas the Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR has a 55mm 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 55mm filters that we recommend for the Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR:
Lens Mounts
Both the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and the Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR has the same Pentax KAF3 lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF3 lenses are Pentax K-3 III Mono, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is also available in the Canon EF , Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), 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 Pentax DA 20-40mm F2.8-4 ED DC WR has a focal range of 20-40mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 30-60mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
