The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II and the Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II 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. Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II LD is the longer of the two lenses at 84mm. The Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II with a length of 29mm, is 55mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II LD also has a larger diameter of 74mm compared to the Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II's 63mm 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. Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II weighs 205g, which means it is 193g (48%) lighter than the Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II LD which has a weight of 398g.
Filter Threads
The Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II has a filter size of 52mm whereas the Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II LD has a 62mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II:
And these are the 62mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II LD:
Lens Mounts
Both the Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II and the Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II 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.
Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II is also available in Nikon F (FX) and Pentax KAF mounts.
Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II LD is also available in Nikon F (DX) , Sony Alpha and Pentax KAF mounts.
Focal Range
Voigtlander 20mm F3.5 SL II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 20mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
32mm.
On the other hand, the Tamron AF 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 XR II LD has a focal range of 18-200mm and 11.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28.8-320mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.