The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD and the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX 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 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX is the longer of the two lenses at 133mm. The Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD with a length of 100mm, is 33mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX also has a larger diameter of 90mm compared to the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD's 75mm 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 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD weighs 540g, which means it is 410g (43%) lighter than the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX which has a weight of 950g.
Lens Mounts
The Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount whereas the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount and Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount.
Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD is also available in Canon EF and Sony Alpha mounts.
Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX is also available in Canon EF mount.
Focal Range
Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has a focal range of 16-300mm and
18.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24-450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX has a focal range of 16-28mm and 1.8X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 24 - 42mm.