The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Canon 50mm f1.8 II and the Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD 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. Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD is the longer of the two lenses at 83mm. The Canon 50mm f1.8 II with a length of 41mm, is 42mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD also has a larger diameter of 72mm compared to the Canon 50mm f1.8 II's 68mm 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. Canon 50mm f1.8 II weighs 130g, which means it is 170g (56%) lighter than the Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD which has a weight of 300g.
Filter Threads
Both the Canon 50mm f1.8 II and the Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD have the same Filter thread size of 52mm.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Canon 50mm f1.8 II and the Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD 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.
Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD is also available in Nikon F (DX) and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Canon 50mm f1.8 II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
80mm.
On the other hand, the Tamron AF 55-200mm f4-5.6 II LD has a focal range of 55-200mm and 3.6X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 88-320mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.