The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro and the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex 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. Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is the longer of the two lenses at 118mm. The Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro with a length of 95mm, is 23mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to the Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro's 73mm 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 100mm f2.8 Macro weighs 540g, which means it is 125g (18%) lighter than the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex which has a weight of 665g.
Filter Threads
Both the Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro and the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex have the same Filter thread size of 55mm.
Below are links to the 55mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
The Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro has the Canon EF lens mount whereas the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex has the Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Blackmagic URSA 12K LF, Z CAM E2-F6 II 6K and Z CAM E2-S6 II 6K for the Canon EF Mount and Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II for the Sony Alpha Mount.
Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro is also available in the Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 100mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
160mm.
On the other hand, the Sony 500mm F8 Reflex is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 500mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 750mm.
