The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tokina 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX and the Tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 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 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 VC PZD is the longer of the two lenses at 96mm. The Tokina 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX with a length of 78mm, is 18mm shorter. On the other hand, the Tokina 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX has a larger diameter of 84mm compared to the Tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 VC 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 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 VC PZD weighs 540g, 11% (70g) lighter than the Tokina 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX's weight of 610g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the SuperZoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
SuperZoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both the Tokina 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX and the Tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 VC PZD has the same Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon T8i, Canon 90D and Canon SL3.
Tokina 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX is also available in Nikon F (DX) mount.
Tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 VC PZD is also available in Nikon F (FX) and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Tokina 16.5-135mm f3.5-5.6 DX has a focal range of 17-135mm and 7.9X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 27.2-216mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera. Tamron 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 VC PZD has a focal range of 28-300mm and 10.7X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 44.8 - 480mm.