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 Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro 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 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro is the longer of the two lenses at 115mm. The Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro with a length of 95mm, is 20mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro also has a larger diameter of 76mm 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 10g (1%) lighter than the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro which has a weight of 550g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the Macro Prime Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Macro Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Filter Threads
The Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro has a filter size of 55mm whereas the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro has a 58mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 55mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro:
Lens Mounts
Both the Tokina 100mm f2.8 Macro and the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro 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 100mm f2.8 Macro is also available in Canon EF mount.
Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro is also available in Canon EF and Sony Alpha mounts.
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 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
150mm.
On the other hand, the Tamron 90mm F2.8 VC USD Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 90mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 135mm.