The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 and the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 is the longer of the two lenses at 117mm. The Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 with a length of 108mm is 9mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 also has a larger diameter of 93mm compared to Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4's 80mm 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. Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 weighs 950g, 14% (156g) lighter than the Samyang XP 35mm F1.2's weight of 1106g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Standard Prime Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Standard Prime Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 and Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 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 Opera 50mm F1.4 is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Samyang XP 35mm F1.2 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 35mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 52.5mm.
Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 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 an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 80mm.