The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM and the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 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 16-50mm f2.8 DX is the longer of the two lenses at 97mm. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM with a length of 39mm, is 58mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX also has a larger diameter of 84mm compared to the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM's 69mm 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 EF 50mm f/1.8 STM weighs 159g, which means it is 451g (73%) lighter than the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX which has a weight of 610g.
Filter Threads
The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM has a filter size of 49mm whereas the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX has a 77mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 49mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM:
And these are the 77mm filters that we recommend for the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX:
Lens Mounts
Both the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM and the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX has the same Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Blackmagic URSA 12K LF, Z CAM E2-F6 II 6K and Z CAM E2-S6 II 6K.
Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
Focal Range
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
80mm.
On the other hand, the Tokina 16-50mm f2.8 DX has a focal range of 16-50mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 25.6-80mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
