The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 and the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 is the longer of the two lenses at 137mm. The Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD with a length of 100mm, is 37mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 also has a larger diameter of 79mm compared to the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD's 75mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD weighs 540g, 47% (480g) lighter than the Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6's weight of 1020g.
Filter Threads
The Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has a 67mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD:
Lens Mounts
The Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 is also available in the Canon EF mount.
Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD is also available in Canon EF and Sony Alpha mounts.
Focal Range
Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 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 a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
120 - 600mm.
On the other hand, the Tamron 16-300mm f3.5-6.3 II VC PZD has a focal range of 16-300mm and 18.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-450mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
