The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II and the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX 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 35mm f2.8 Macro DX is the longer of the two lenses at 60mm. The Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II with a length of 25mm, is 35mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX also has a larger diameter of 73mm compared to the Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II's 63mm 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. Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II weighs 200g, which means it is 140g (41%) lighter than the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX which has a weight of 340g.
Filter Threads
Both the Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II and the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX have the same Filter thread size of 52mm.
Below are links to the 52mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
The Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX 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.
Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II is also available in Canon EF and Pentax KAF mounts.
Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX is also available in Canon EF mount.
Focal Range
Voigtlander 40mm F2 SL II is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 40mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
60mm.
On the other hand, the Tokina 35mm f2.8 Macro DX is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 35mm which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 52.5mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.