The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 LD and the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM is the longer of the two lenses at 143mm. The Tamron AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 LD with a length of 117mm is 26mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to Tamron AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 LD's 77mm 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. Tamron AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 LD weighs 435g, which means it is 615g (58%) lighter than the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM which has a weight of 1050g.
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 AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 LD and Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6L IS USM 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 AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 LD is also available in Nikon F (FX) , Sony Alpha and Pentax KAF mounts.
Focal Range
Both lenses have the same focal range of 70-300mm and the fastest aperture of F4.0 - F5.6.