The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 17mm f4 TS and the Venus 15mm f4.5 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 TS is the longer of the two lenses at 111mm. The Venus 15mm f4.5 with a length of 48mm, is 63mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 17mm f4 TS also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Venus 15mm f4.5's 70mm 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 15mm f4.5 weighs 308g, 61% (502g) lighter than the Laowa 17mm f4 TS's weight of 810g.
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 TS has a filter size of 86mm whereas the Venus 15mm f4.5 has a 62mm 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 TS:
And these are the 62mm filters that we recommend for the Venus 15mm f4.5:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 17mm f4 TS and the Venus 15mm f4.5 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 TS is also available in the Leica L , Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts.
Venus 15mm f4.5 is also available in Nikon Z , Canon RF and Leica L mounts.
Focal Range
Laowa 17mm f4 TS 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 Venus 15mm f4.5 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.
