The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sigma 12mm f1.4 and the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 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. Sigma 12mm f1.4 is the longer of the two lenses at 67mm. The Venus Laowa 15mm f5 with a length of 25mm, is 42mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sigma 12mm f1.4 also has a larger diameter of 69mm compared to the Venus Laowa 15mm f5's 53mm 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. Venus Laowa 15mm f5 weighs 158g, 36% (92g) lighter than the Sigma 12mm f1.4's weight of 250g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Canon RF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Canon RF Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Sigma 12mm f1.4 has a filter size of 62mm whereas the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 has a 39mm 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 Sigma 12mm f1.4:
And these are the 39mm filters that we recommend for the Venus Laowa 15mm f5:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sigma 12mm f1.4 and the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 has the same Canon RF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon RF lenses are RED Komodo-X 6K, RED Komodo 6K and Canon EOS C70.
Sigma 12mm f1.4 is also available in the Sony E and Fujifilm X mounts.
Venus Laowa 15mm f5 is also available in Sony E , Nikon Z and Leica L mounts.
Focal Range
Sigma 12mm f1.4 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 12mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
18mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 15mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 22.5mm.
