The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Venus Laowa 4mm F2.8 L and the Leica 16-35mm F3.5-4.5 ASPH 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. Leica 16-35mm F3.5-4.5 ASPH is the longer of the two lenses at 238mm. The Venus Laowa 4mm F2.8 L with a length of 26mm, is 212mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Leica 16-35mm F3.5-4.5 ASPH also has a larger diameter of 88mm compared to the Venus Laowa 4mm F2.8 L's 61mm 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 4mm F2.8 L weighs 135g, which means it is 855g (86%) lighter than the Leica 16-35mm F3.5-4.5 ASPH which has a weight of 990g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Venus Laowa 4mm F2.8 L and the Leica 16-35mm F3.5-4.5 ASPH has the same Leica L lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Leica L lenses are Leica TL2, Leica TL and Leica T Typ 701.
Focal Range
Venus Laowa 4mm F2.8 L is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 4mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
6mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Leica 16-35mm F3.5-4.5 ASPH has a focal range of 16-35mm and 2.2X zoom ratio .
