The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Canon 14mm f2.8L II USM and the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX 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. Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX is the longer of the two lenses at 97mm. The Canon 14mm f2.8L II USM with a length of 94mm, is 3mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX also has a larger diameter of 84mm compared to the Canon 14mm f2.8L II USM's 80mm 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. Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX weighs 610g, 5% (35g) lighter than the Canon 14mm f2.8L II USM's weight of 645g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Canon 14mm f2.8L II USM and the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX has the same Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
Focal Range
Canon 14mm f2.8L II USM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 14mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
22.4mm.
On the other hand, the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX has a focal range of 16-50mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 25.6-80mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.