The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Venus 12mm f2.8 AF and the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM 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. Venus 12mm f2.8 AF is the longer of the two lenses at 80mm. The Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM with a length of 72mm, is 8mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Venus 12mm f2.8 AF also has a larger diameter of 77mm compared to the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM'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. Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM weighs 240g, 38% (150g) lighter than the Venus 12mm f2.8 AF's weight of 390g.
Filter Threads
The Venus 12mm f2.8 AF has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM has a 67mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Venus 12mm f2.8 AF:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM:
Lens Mounts
The Venus 12mm f2.8 AF has the Nikon Z lens mount whereas the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM has the Canon EF-S lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon ZR, Nikon Z5 II and RED Komodo-X 6K Z for the Nikon Z Mount and Canon T8i, Canon 90D and Canon SL3 for the Canon EF-S Mount.
Venus 12mm f2.8 AF is also available in the Sony E mount.
Focal Range
Venus 12mm f2.8 AF is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 12mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
18mm.
On the other hand, the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM has a focal range of 10-18mm and 1.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 16-28.8mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
