The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM and the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro 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 35mm f2.8 Macro DX is the longer of the two lenses at 60mm. The Canon 40mm f2.8 STM with a length of 22mm, is 38mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX also has a larger diameter of 73mm compared to the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM's 68mm 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. Canon 40mm f2.8 STM weighs 130g, which means it is 210g (61%) lighter than the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX which has a weight of 340g.
Filter Threads
Both the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM and the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX have the same Filter thread size of 52mm.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
Both the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM and the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro 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.
Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
Focal Range
Canon 40mm f2.8 STM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 40mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
64mm.
On the other hand, the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 35mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 56mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.