The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 and the Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II 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. Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 is the longer of the two lenses at 108mm. The Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II with a length of 80mm, is 28mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 also has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to the Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II's 69mm 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. Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II weighs 190g, 80% (760g) lighter than the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4's weight of 950g.
Filter Threads
The Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 has a filter size of 72mm whereas the Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II 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 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II:
Lens Mounts
The Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 has the Canon EF lens mount whereas the Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II has the Canon EF-S 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 Canon T8i, Canon 90D and Canon SL3 for the Canon EF-S Mount.
Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 is also available in the Nikon F (FX) mount.
Focal Range
Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
80mm.
On the other hand, the Canon 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II has a focal range of 18-55mm and 3.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 28.8-88mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
