The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L 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. Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L is the longer of the two lenses at 103mm. The Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift with a length of 99mm, is 4mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L also has a larger diameter of 85mm 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. Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L weighs 550g, which means it is 25g (4%) lighter than the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift which has a weight of 575g.
Filter Threads
Both the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L and the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift have the same Filter thread size of 77mm.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L and the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has the same Leica L lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Leica L lenses are Nikon ZR, Nikon Z5 II and RED Komodo-X 6K Z.
Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is also available in Sony E , Nikon Z, Canon RF, Fujifilm X and Leica M mounts.
Focal Range
Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 16mm.
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.
