The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Canon 16-35mm f4L IS USM 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 an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX is the longer of the two lenses at 133mm. The Canon 16-35mm f4L IS USM with a length of 113mm, is 20mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX also has a larger diameter of 90mm compared to the Canon 16-35mm f4L IS USM's 83mm diameter.
The 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. Canon 16-35mm f4L IS USM weighs 615g, which means it is 335g (35%) lighter than the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX which has a weight of 950g.
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 the Canon 16-35mm f4L IS USM and the Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX 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.
Tokina 16-28mm f2.8 Pro FX is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Canon 16-35mm f4L IS USM 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 a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 25.6 - 56mm.
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 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 25.6 - 44.8mm.