The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 LD and the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR 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 70-200mm f2.8 LD is the longer of the two lenses at 194mm. The Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR with a length of 171mm is 23mm shorter. On the other hand, the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR has a larger diameter of 91mm compared to Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 LD's 90mm 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 70-200mm f2.8 LD weighs 1330g, which means it is 10g (0%) lighter than the Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR which has a weight of 1340g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 LD and Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR has the same Nikon F (FX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Nikon F (FX) lenses are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500.
Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 LD is also available in Canon EF , Sony Alpha and Pentax KAF mounts.
Focal Range
Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 LD has a focal range of 70-200mm and 2.9X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 105 - 300mm.
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6D ED VR has a focal range of 80-400mm and 5.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 120 - 600mm.