The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 and the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift 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 16-30mm f2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 102mm. The Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift with a length of 99mm, is 3mm shorter. On the other hand, the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to the Tamron 16-30mm f2.8's 75mm diameter.
Below you can find a scaled side-by-side image of Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 and Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift to get a better idea of how their sizes compare in real life.
Comparison image of the Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 and the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift 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. Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 weighs 440g, which means it is 135g (23%) lighter than the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift which has a weight of 575g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Sony E Mount
Filter Threads
The Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 has a filter size of 67mm whereas the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a 77mm 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 16-30mm f2.8:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift:
Lens Mounts
Both the Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 and the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has the same Sony E lens mount . Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony FX5 , Sony A7R VI and Sony A7 V .
Nikon Z , Canon RF , Fujifilm X , Leica L and Leica M mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 has a focal range of 16-30mm and
1.9X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
24 - 45mm .
On the other hand, the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a focal range of 12-24mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 18-36mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
