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 Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 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 Venus Laowa 15mm f5 with a length of 25mm, is 39mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 also has a larger diameter of 73mm 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 82g (37%) lighter than the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 which has a weight of 220g.
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
The Venus Laowa 15mm f5 has a filter size of 39mm whereas the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 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 39mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Venus Laowa 15mm f5:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2:
Lens Mounts
Both the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 and the Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M1:2 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 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.
