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 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 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'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. Rokinon 14mm f2.8 weighs 552g, which means it is 18g (3%) lighter than the Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX which has a weight of 570g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 and the Tokina 12-24mm f4 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.
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 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 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.