The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II PZD and the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses. Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD is the longer of the two lenses at 100mm. The Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II PZD with a length of 88mm, is 12mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD also has a larger diameter of 75mm compared to the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II PZD's 74mm diameter.
The 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. Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II PZD weighs 450g, which means it is 90g (16%) lighter than the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD which has a weight of 540g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the SuperZoom Lenses in Sony Alpha Mount for size comparison purposes.
SuperZoom Lenses in Sony Alpha Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II PZD and the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD 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 Canon EF and Nikon F (DX) mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 18-270mm f3.5-6.3 II PZD has a focal range of 18-270mm and 15.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27-405mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera. 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.