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 Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM 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. Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM is the longer of the two lenses at 114mm. The Samyang 20mm F1.8 with a length of 88mm, is 26mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 83mm.
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. Samyang 20mm F1.8 weighs 497g, which means it is 403g (44%) lighter than the Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM which has a weight of 900g.
Filter Threads
Both the Samyang 20mm F1.8 and the Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM have the same Filter thread size of 77mm.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Samyang 20mm F1.8 and the Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM has the same Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II.
Samyang 20mm F1.8 is also available in the Canon EF , Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF, Samsung NX 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 Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM has a focal range of 16-35mm and 2.2X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 24 - 52.5mm.
