The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Zeiss Milvus 18mm F2.8 and the Samyang 16mm f2.0 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Zeiss Milvus 18mm F2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 93mm. The Samyang 16mm f2.0 with a length of 89mm, is 4mm shorter. On the other hand, the Samyang 16mm f2.0 has a larger diameter of 83mm compared to the Zeiss Milvus 18mm F2.8's 73mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Samyang 16mm f2.0 weighs 583g, 19% (138g) lighter than the Zeiss Milvus 18mm F2.8's weight of 721g.
Lens Mounts
The Zeiss Milvus 18mm F2.8 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Samyang 16mm f2.0 has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Zeiss Milvus 18mm F2.8 is also available in Canon EF mount.
Samyang 16mm f2.0 is also available in Canon EF , Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Four Thirds, Micro Four Thirds, Pentax KAF, Sony Alpha, Sony E and Samsung NX mounts.
Focal Range
Zeiss Milvus 18mm F2.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 18mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 27mm.
Samyang 16mm f2.0 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 16mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.