The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro and the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM 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. Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM is the longer of the two lenses at 143mm. The Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro with a length of 66mm, is 77mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM also has a larger diameter of 77mm compared to the Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro's 55mm 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 300mm F6.3 MF Macro weighs 298g, which means it is 332g (52%) lighter than the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM which has a weight of 630g.
Filter Threads
The Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro has a filter size of 55mm whereas the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM 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 300mm F6.3 MF Macro:
And these are the 58mm filters that we recommend for the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM:
Lens Mounts
The Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro has the Micro Four Thirds lens mount whereas the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM has the Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are OM System OM-3 Astro, OM System OM-5 II and OM System OM-3 for the Micro Four Thirds Mount and Blackmagic URSA 12K LF, Z CAM E2-F6 II 6K and Z CAM E2-S6 II 6K for the Canon EF Mount.
Focal Range
Tokina 300mm F6.3 MF Macro is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 300mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
600mm when used on a FourThirds format camera.
On the other hand, the Canon 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM has a focal range of 70-300mm and 4.3X zoom ratio . When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of 112 - 480mm.
