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 Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 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 Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 with a length of 45mm, is 66mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 17mm f4 TS also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3's 69mm 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. Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 weighs 150g, 81% (660g) lighter than the Laowa 17mm f4 TS's weight of 810g.
Filter Threads
The Laowa 17mm f4 TS has a filter size of 86mm whereas the Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 has a 49mm 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 49mm filters that we recommend for the Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 17mm f4 TS and the Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 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.
Laowa 17mm f4 TS is also available in the Leica L , Sony E and Nikon Z 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 Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 has a focal range of 10-18mm and 1.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 16-28.8mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
