The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III and the Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III is the longer of the two lenses at 128mm. The Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD with a length of 87mm is 41mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD's 83mm diameter.
Weight of a lens is as important as its external dimensions, especially if you are planning to hand hold your camera and lens combination for longer periods. Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD weighs 440g, 44% (350g) lighter than the Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III's weight of 790g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III and Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 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.
Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Canon 16-35mm F2.8L III has a focal range of 16-35mm and 2.2X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 25.6 - 56mm.
Tamron 17-35mm f2.8-4 LD has a focal range of 17-35mm and 2.1X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 27.2 - 56mm.