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 Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR 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 Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR with a length of 86mm, is 22mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 80mm.
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. Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR weighs 480g, 49% (470g) lighter than the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4's weight of 950g.
Filter Threads
Both the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 and the Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR have the same Filter thread size of 72mm.
Below are links to the 72mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
The Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 is also available in the Canon EF 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 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
75mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR has a focal range of 16-80mm and 5.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 24-120mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
