The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 and the Samyang 12mm f2.0 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 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 is the longer of the two lenses at 64mm. The Samyang 12mm f2.0 with a length of 59mm, is 5mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 73mm.
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 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 weighs 220g, which means it is 40g (15%) lighter than the Samyang 12mm f2.0 which has a weight of 260g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
Both the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 and the Samyang 12mm f2.0 have the same Filter thread size of 67mm.
Below are links to the 67mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 and the Samyang 12mm f2.0 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.
Samyang 12mm f2.0 is also available in Canon EF-M , Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds and Samsung NX mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 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 Samyang 12mm f2.0 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.
