The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 and the Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z 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. Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 121mm. The Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z with a length of 56mm, is 65mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 also has a larger diameter of 90mm compared to the Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z's 65mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 and Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 and the Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z Size and Weight 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. Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z weighs 175g, 70% (410g) lighter than the Tamron 12-20mm f2.8's weight of 585g.
Filter Threads
The Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 has a filter size of 67mm whereas the Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z has a 58mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 67mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tamron 12-20mm f2.8:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z:
Lens Mounts
Both the Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 and the Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z has the same Nikon Z lens mount . Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon Z lenses are Nikon ZR , Nikon Z5 II and RED Komodo-X 6K Z .
Focal Range
Tamron 12-20mm f2.8 has a focal range of 12-20mm and
1.7X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
18 - 30mm .
On the other hand, the Viltrox 9mm F2.8 Z is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 9mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 13.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
