Compare lenses

Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM vs Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF

The Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM and the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF side by side, computed from this guide's catalogue.

Which to pick

Pick the Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM if you want optical stabilisation, which helps most on bodies without it; autofocus; and a lighter lens (150 g against 463 g). Pick the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF if you want a brighter f/3.5 (0.7 stops more light), for dim light and softer backgrounds; a wider view (from 12mm equivalent); and a fit on more cameras (106 against 18 in this guide).

Still torn? Ask the guide about the Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM and the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF

Specs side by side

Rows that differ are in full colour; the better value is marked where one is better by any measure.
SpecCanon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STMLaowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF
MakerCanonLaowa
Focal length10-18mm (zoom)8-16mm (zoom)
Full-frame equivalent15-27mm on APS-C12-24mm on APS-C
Maximum aperturef/4.5-6.3f/3.5-5brighter
Made forAPS-CAPS-C
MountsCanon RFSony E, Fujifilm X, Nikon Z, Canon RF
Stabilisedyesstabilisedno
Autofocusyesautofocusno, manual focus
Zoom range1.8×2.0×
Weight150 glighter463 g
Cameras it fits18 in this guide106 in this guidefits more cameras

Focal range, in full-frame terms

142435508513520040080015-27mm equiv.Canon
Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM: 10-18mm on APS-C, like 15-27mm.
142435508513520040080012-24mm equiv.Laowa
Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF: 8-16mm on APS-C, like 12-24mm.

Aperture

f/4.5
Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM: f/4.5 wide open.
f/3.5
Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF: f/3.5 wide open.

Each opening drawn to scale against f/1.4: a smaller f-number lets in more light and blurs the background more.

Field of view

Laowa at 8mm · 113°Canon at 10mm · 100°Laowa at 16mm · 74°Canon at 18mm · 67°
How wide each sees, at each end, on the sensor it was made for.

Cameras they fit

18 cameras in this guide take both, so either works on the same body. In all, the Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM fits 18 and the Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF 106.

Canon RF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM

and 8 more

Laowa 8-16mm f/3.5-5 Zoom CF

and 96 more

On their own pages