The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 45mm F1.8 Di VC USD and the Canon 50mm f1.8 II 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 45mm F1.8 Di VC USD is the longer of the two lenses at 92mm. The Canon 50mm f1.8 II with a length of 41mm is 51mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 45mm F1.8 Di VC USD also has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to Canon 50mm f1.8 II's 68mm 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. Canon 50mm f1.8 II weighs 130g, 75% (410g) lighter than the Tamron 45mm F1.8 Di VC USD's weight of 540g.
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 Tamron 45mm F1.8 Di VC USD and Canon 50mm f1.8 II 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 45mm F1.8 Di VC USD is also available in Nikon F (FX) and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 45mm F1.8 Di VC USD is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 45mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 72mm.
Canon 50mm f1.8 II 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.