The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang 14mm F2.8 and the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 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. Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX is the longer of the two lenses at 97mm. The Samyang 14mm F2.8 with a length of 96mm, is 1mm shorter. On the other hand, the Samyang 14mm F2.8 has a larger diameter of 87mm compared to the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 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. Samyang 14mm F2.8 weighs 552g, which means it is 58g (9%) lighter than the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX which has a weight of 610g.
Lens Mounts
Both the Samyang 14mm F2.8 and the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 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.
Samyang 14mm F2.8 is also available in Nikon F (FX) , Four Thirds, Pentax KAF, Sony Alpha, Sony E and Samsung NX mounts.
Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
Focal Range
Samyang 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 16-50mm f2.8 DX has a focal range of 16-50mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 25.6-80mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.