The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tokina 17-35mm f4 Pro FX and the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II 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 16-35mm f2.8L II USM is the longer of the two lenses at 112mm. The Tokina 17-35mm f4 Pro FX with a length of 94mm is 18mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 89mm.
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. Tokina 17-35mm f4 Pro FX weighs 600g, which means it is 35g (5%) lighter than the Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II USM which has a weight of 635g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Canon EF Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Tokina 17-35mm f4 Pro FX and Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II 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.
Tokina 17-35mm f4 Pro FX is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Tokina 17-35mm f4 Pro FX has a focal range of 17-35mm and 2.1X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 27.2 - 56mm.
Canon 16-35mm f2.8L II USM has a focal range of 16-35mm and 2.2X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 25.6 - 56mm.