The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 and the Lensbaby Velvet 56 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. Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 91mm. The Lensbaby Velvet 56 with a length of 86mm, is 5mm shorter. On the other hand, the Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a larger diameter of 72mm compared to the Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8's 65mm 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. Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 weighs 290g, which means it is 110g (27%) lighter than the Lensbaby Velvet 56 which has a weight of 400g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Standard Prime Lenses in Sony E Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Lenses in Sony E Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Lensbaby Velvet 56 has a 62mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8:
And these are the 62mm filters that we recommend for the Lensbaby Velvet 56:
Lens Mounts
Both the Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 and the Lensbaby Velvet 56 has the same Sony E lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony E lenses are Sony A6700, Sony FX30 and Sony ZV-E10.
Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 is also available in Fujifilm X mount.
Lensbaby Velvet 56 is also available in Canon EF , Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon F (FX), Pentax KAF3, Samsung NX and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
75mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Lensbaby Velvet 56 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 56mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 84mm.