The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD and the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex 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. Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is the longer of the two lenses at 118mm. The Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD with a length of 100mm, is 18mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD's 75mm 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. Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD weighs 540g, which means it is 125g (18%) lighter than the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex which has a weight of 665g.
Filter Threads
The Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has a filter size of 67mm whereas the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex has a 55mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 67mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD:
And these are the 55mm filters that we recommend for the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex:
Lens Mounts
Both the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD and the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex has the same Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A68, Sony A77 II and Sony A58.
Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD is also available in the Canon EF and Nikon F (DX) mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has a focal range of 16-300mm and
18.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
24-450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 750mm.
