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 Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
Size of a lens is an important deciding factor when comparing two lenses.Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD is the longer of the two lenses at 145mm. The Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF with a length of 134mm is 11mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD also has a larger diameter of 98mm compared to Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF's 89mm 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. Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF weighs 940g, which means it is 160g (14%) lighter than the Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD which has a weight of 1100g.
Below you can find the dimension and weight table of the 'Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for size comparison purposes.
Wideangle Zoom Lenses in Nikon F (FX) Mount for Size Comparison
Lens Mounts
Both Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF and Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD 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 Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF is also available in Canon EF mount.
Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD is also available in Canon EF and Sony Alpha mounts.
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 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 24 - 42mm.
Tamron 15-30mm f2.8 VC USD has a focal range of 15-30mm and 2.0X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 22.5 - 45mm.