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 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC 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. Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC is the longer of the two lenses at 258mm. The Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 with a length of 137mm, is 121mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC also has a larger diameter of 106mm compared to the Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6's 79mm 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. Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 weighs 1020g, which means it is 931g (47%) lighter than the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC which has a weight of 1951g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Telephoto Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Super Telephoto Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC has a 95mm 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 95mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC:
Lens Mounts
Both the Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 and the Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC 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.
Tokina 80-400mm f4.5-5.6 is also available in the Canon EF mount.
Tamron 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC 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 150-600mm f5-6.3 VC has a focal range of 150-600mm and 4.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 225 - 900mm.
