The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Venus 12mm f2.8 MF and the Laowa 100mm F2.8 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. Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS is the longer of the two lenses at 162mm. The Venus 12mm f2.8 MF with a length of 80mm, is 82mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS also has a larger diameter of 85mm compared to the Venus 12mm f2.8 MF's 77mm 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. Venus 12mm f2.8 MF weighs 390g, which means it is 825g (67%) lighter than the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS which has a weight of 1215g.
Filter Threads
The Venus 12mm f2.8 MF has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS 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 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Venus 12mm f2.8 MF:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS:
Lens Mounts
The Venus 12mm f2.8 MF has the Nikon Z lens mount whereas the Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS has the Sony E 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 Sony ZV-E10 II, Sony A6700 and Sony FX30 for the Sony E Mount.
Venus 12mm f2.8 MF is also available in the Sony E , Canon RF and Leica L mounts.
Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS is also available in Canon RF , Nikon Z, Leica L and Fujifilm G mounts.
Focal Range
Venus 12mm f2.8 MF 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 Laowa 100mm F2.8 TS is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 100mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 150mm when used on a 35mm FF format camera.
