The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Canon TS-E 17mm f4L and the Tamron AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 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. Canon TS-E 17mm f4L is the longer of the two lenses at 107mm. The Tamron AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 II LD with a length of 84mm, is 23mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Canon TS-E 17mm f4L also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to the Tamron AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 II LD's 74mm 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. Tamron AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 II LD weighs 430g, 47% (390g) lighter than the Canon TS-E 17mm f4L's weight of 820g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Canon TS-E 17mm f4L and the Tamron AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 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 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 II LD is also available in Nikon F (DX) , Sony Alpha and Pentax KAF mounts.
Focal Range
Canon TS-E 17mm f4L is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 17mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
27.2mm.
On the other hand, the Tamron AF 18-250mm f3.5-6.3 II LD has a focal range of 18-250mm and 13.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28.8-400mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.