The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD and the Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD is the longer of the two lenses at 199mm. The Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 with a length of 137mm is 62mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD also has a larger diameter of 86mm compared to Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6's 79mm 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 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 weighs 1020g, 10% (115g) lighter than the Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD's weight of 1135g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD and Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 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 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Tamron 100-400mm F4.5-6.3 Di VC USD has a focal range of 100-400mm and 4.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 160 - 640mm.
Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 has a focal range of 80-400mm and 5.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 128 - 640mm.