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 Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 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 TS is the longer of the two lenses at 111mm. The Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 with a length of 104mm, is 7mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 17mm f4 TS also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to the Tamron 16-30mm f2.8's 75mm 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. Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 weighs 450g, 44% (360g) 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 Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 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 TS:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 16-30mm f2.8:
Lens Mounts
Both the Laowa 17mm f4 TS and the Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 has the same Nikon Z lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon Z lenses are Nikon ZR, Nikon Z5 II and RED Komodo-X 6K Z.
Laowa 17mm f4 TS is also available in the Leica L , Sony E and Canon RF mounts.
Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 is also available in Sony E mount.
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 Tamron 16-30mm f2.8 has a focal range of 16-30mm and 1.9X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 24 - 45mm.
