The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro and the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS 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. Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS is the longer of the two lenses at 106mm. The Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro with a length of 99mm, is 7mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to the Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro's 75mm 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. Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro weighs 505g, which means it is 460g (47%) lighter than the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS which has a weight of 965g.
Filter Threads
The Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro has a filter size of 55mm whereas the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS has a 72mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 55mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro:
And these are the 72mm filters that we recommend for the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro and the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS 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.
Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS is also available in Canon EF , Pentax KAF and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Focal Range
Sony 100mm F2.8 Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 100mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
150mm.
On the other hand, the Hartblei Macro 120mm F4 TS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 121mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 181.5mm.
