The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF and the Canon 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 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.Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF is the longer of the two lenses at 134mm. The Canon 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 USM with a length of 69mm is 65mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF also has a larger diameter of 89mm compared to Canon 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 USM's 84mm diameter.
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. Canon 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 USM weighs 340g, 63% (600g) lighter than the Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF's weight of 940g.
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 Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF and Canon 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 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 Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF is also available in Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF has a focal range of 16-28mm and 1.8X 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 - 44.8mm.
Canon 20-35mm f3.5-4.5 USM has a focal range of 20-35mm and 1.8X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 32 - 56mm.