The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 and the Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX II 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. Rokinon 14mm f2.8 is the longer of the two lenses at 96mm. The Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX II with a length of 90mm, is 6mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 also has a larger diameter of 87mm compared to the Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX II's 84mm 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 12-24mm f4 DX II weighs 540g, 2% (12g) lighter than the Rokinon 14mm f2.8's weight of 552g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 and the Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX II 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.
Rokinon 14mm f2.8 is also available in Nikon F (FX) , Four Thirds, Pentax KAF, Sony Alpha and Samsung NX mounts.
Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX II is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
Focal Range
Rokinon 14mm f2.8 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 12-24mm f4 DX II has a focal range of 12-24mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 19.2-38.4mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.