The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 17mm f4 Shift and the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 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 17mm f4 Shift is the longer of the two lenses at 111mm. The Sony FE 16mm F1.8 with a length of 75mm, is 36mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 17mm f4 Shift also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Sony FE 16mm F1.8's 74mm 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. Sony FE 16mm F1.8 weighs 304g, 60% (466g) lighter than the Laowa 17mm f4 Shift's weight of 770g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Perspective Control Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Laowa 17mm f4 Shift has a filter size of 86mm whereas the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 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 86mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Laowa 17mm f4 Shift:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Sony FE 16mm F1.8:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 17mm f4 Shift and the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 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.
Laowa 17mm f4 Shift is also available in the Nikon Z , Canon RF and Leica L mounts.
Focal Range
Laowa 17mm f4 Shift is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 17mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
25.5mm.
On the other hand, the Sony FE 16mm F1.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 16mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 24mm.
