The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 and the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM 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. Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM is the longer of the two lenses at 100mm. The Venus Laowa 15mm f5 with a length of 25mm, is 75mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM also has a larger diameter of 83mm compared to the Venus Laowa 15mm f5's 53mm 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 Laowa 15mm f5 weighs 138g, which means it is 322g (70%) lighter than the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM which has a weight of 460g.
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
Lens Mounts
Both the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 and the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM 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.
Venus Laowa 15mm f5 is also available in the Nikon Z , Canon RF and Leica L mounts.
Focal Range
Venus Laowa 15mm f5 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 15mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
22.5mm.
On the other hand, the Sony FE 14mm F1.8 GM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 14mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 21mm.
