The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang 20mm F1.8 and the Pentax 15mm F4 ED AL L 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. Samyang 20mm F1.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 88mm. The Pentax 15mm F4 ED AL L with a length of 40mm, is 48mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Samyang 20mm F1.8 also has a larger diameter of 83mm compared to the Pentax 15mm F4 ED AL L's 63mm 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 15mm F4 ED AL L weighs 189g, 61% (308g) lighter than the Samyang 20mm F1.8's weight of 497g.
Filter Threads
The Samyang 20mm F1.8 has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Pentax 15mm F4 ED AL L has a 49mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Samyang 20mm F1.8:
And these are the 49mm filters that we recommend for the Pentax 15mm F4 ED AL L:
Lens Mounts
Both the Samyang 20mm F1.8 and the Pentax 15mm F4 ED AL L has the same Pentax KAF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Pentax KAF lenses are Pentax K-3 III Monochrome, Pentax KF and Pentax K-3 III.
Samyang 20mm F1.8 is also available in Canon EF , Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), Samsung NX, Sony Alpha and Sony E mounts.
Focal Range
Samyang 20mm F1.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 20mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
30mm.
On the other hand, the Pentax 15mm F4 ED AL L is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 15mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 22.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.