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 4mm F2.8 L 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 4mm F2.8 L with a length of 26mm, is 77mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L also has a larger diameter of 85mm compared to the Venus Laowa 4mm F2.8 L's 61mm 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 4mm F2.8 L weighs 135g, 75% (415g) 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
Lens Mounts
Both the Viltrox AF 16mm f1.8 L and the Venus Laowa 4mm F2.8 L 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.
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 4mm F2.8 L is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 4mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 6mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
