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 Venus Laowa 15mm f5 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 Venus Laowa 15mm f5 with a length of 25mm, is 78mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L also has a larger diameter of 85mm compared to the Venus Laowa 15mm f5's 53mm 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 Laowa 15mm f5 weighs 140g, 74% (410g) lighter than the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L's weight of 550g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Wideangle Prime Lenses in Leica L Mount for size comparison purposes.
Ultra-Wideangle Lenses in Leica L Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 has a 39mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L:
And these are the 39mm filters that we recommend for the Venus Laowa 15mm f5:
Lens Mounts
Both the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L and the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 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.
Venus Laowa 15mm f5 is also available in Sony E , Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts.
Focal Range
Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 16mm.
On the other hand, the Venus Laowa 15mm f5 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.
