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 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC 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 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC LD with a length of 101mm, is 6mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Canon TS-E 17mm f4L also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to the Tamron AF 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC LD'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. Tamron AF 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC LD weighs 560g, 31% (260g) 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 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC 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 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC LD is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
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 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II VC LD has a focal range of 18-270mm and 15.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28.8-432mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.