The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Venus 8-15mm f2.8 and the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift 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 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is the longer of the two lenses at 99mm. The Venus 8-15mm f2.8 with a length of 76mm, is 23mm shorter. On the other hand, the Venus 8-15mm f2.8 has a larger diameter of 95mm compared to the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift's 80mm 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. Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift weighs 575g, 11% (75g) lighter than the Venus 8-15mm f2.8's weight of 650g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Fisheye Zoom Lenses in Canon RF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Canon RF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Venus 8-15mm f2.8 and the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has the same Canon RF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon RF lenses are Canon R6 V, Canon R6 III and Canon C50.
Venus 8-15mm f2.8 is also available in the Sony E , Nikon Z and Leica L mounts.
Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is also available in Sony E , Nikon Z, Fujifilm X, Leica L and Leica M mounts.
Focal Range
Venus 8-15mm f2.8 has a focal range of 8-15mm and
1.9X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
12.8 - 24mm.
On the other hand, the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a focal range of 12-24mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 18-36mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
