Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S Zoom-Nikkor

Review Date
July 4, 2008

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by
bupa , Expert

Price Paid
$1300.00 at from nikon japan

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
i read a lot of this lens before i got one , its said to be a legendary lens , well , it is sure well built, very good looking , smaller than the 14-24mm , but ...nothing speacial about it , my 18-55 kit lense is equal or better sharp in day light than this , may be it is excellent on film camera ,but not omy d300 , plus its big and heavy , and i saw no legendary elements about it like the 85mm nikkor 1.4 which is really legendary by all means

Strengths
the way it is built

Weaknesses
heavy, soft at 2.8

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Review Date
December 27, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Reviewed by
mohawk51 , Expert

Price Paid
$1299.00 at Adorama

Photography Experience
21+ years , Outdoor

Summary
Well, after debating for a couple of years on this lens I bit the bullet and finally did it. I've been a big prime fan since the 70's. I can't count the amount of time I've spent looking at reviews and doing the reserach on this lens. A couple of times I got close to ordering it and said to myself, let's hold on. Recently when I got close to doing it again, the thought of holding on never came into my mind. Guess it was time! When I took the first shots I automatically went to the 17MM setting. The thought I had was "Holy Crap this thing is wide". I also thought, "so this is what everybody's been talking about". It is magnificent at 17MM!! It's also great at the 20, 24, and 28 settings also. Didn't shhot at 35MM. I shot the whole roll at F8 with an F3. I got the color saturation & contrast that I've had with the primes in a one lens package. Should've bought this sooner I thought. I'll keep my primes in this range however but this is an awfully convenient one lens package. If you've been thinking about buying this lens, DON'T do what I did and wait. GET IT!!!!!!

Strengths
Everything and I mean everything! It's 5 wide angle lenses wrapped in neat package. With excellent glass and if you have a love for shooting wide angle, this is the one. I will carry this lens and the 50MM F1.8 AIS and the 70-300MM F4-5.6 ED. That would be an 12 lens kit using 3 lenses. That should take care of just about everything for the landscape.

Weaknesses
None that I can see so far. I do wish it had a depth of field scale like the primes. One thing that I was for sure not used to was that when you turn the focusing ring past the indicators in the depth window, the ring continues to keep turning. That was too weird. For a split moment I thought I turned it too far and broke it. I understand that it's natural for that lens to continue to turn.. However, my stomach was in my throat.

Similar Products Used
Many countless Nikkors since the 70's.

Customer Service
Haven't needed Nikon since the 70's. Hopefully not on this one either.

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Review Date
August 3, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.60 of 5, 5 votes

Reviewed by
noeljep , Intermediate

Price Paid
$375.00 at sh

Photography Experience
21+ years , Outdoor

Summary
I got this lens at a bargain price on ebay.
I got it from a newspaper liquidation, it shows marks of use but is optically and mechanicaly perfect.

It is my standard lens on my D70.
I already have made great pictures using this lens.
Its picture quality is stellar in comparison with the 18-70 DX I formerly own.

I have the occasion to borrow the 17-55 1/2.8 DX. It shows more distortion & fall off than the 17-35... and is not compliant with film cameras...

I was formerly addicted to canon stuffs before going digital... I owned EF 24mm & 35mm prime lenses... None of them provide results like this zoom on films.

I've read somewhere that this lens provide about the same picture quality as the primes it replaces... In this case, this zoom is a bargain even at full price.

Strengths
-no light falloff in corners even wide open on D70 (crop factor), a bit more using F90 but still excellent
-very light & simple distortion between 19-35 mm
-Very sharp from center to border even wide open
-compliant with film cameras
-build quality
-well balanced with both D70 and F90 despite the weight
-has an aperture ring
-weight less than the set of primes it replaces

Weaknesses
-weight a ton for a single lens
-tricky zoom range

Similar Products Used
Canon EF 24 1/2.8
Canon EF 35 1/2

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Review Date
May 16, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by
Matthew , Intermediate

Price Paid
$800.00 at local camera shop

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
Sharp and fast. Constant f2.8 is very useful for low light shooting. Eventhough on DSLR it becomes a mind wild angle zoom (25.5 to 52.5) It is still a great lens to use.

Strengths
Sharp even at 2.8. But require good handheld skill because of narrow DOF
Color constrast is great
Focus fast, quiet and smooth.

Weaknesses
Watch out if you use UV filter - if you shoot at strong light souce, the len may focus on the flare on the UV filter itself. Sometimes I have to take the UV filter out to prevent this from happening.
Quite Heavy.

Similar Products Used
Sigma 10-20mm HSM EX DC
Nikon 18-70mm AFS DX

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Review Date
April 17, 2006

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.75 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by
Lou Cutrone , Intermediate

Price Paid
$1136.00 at Beach Camera

Photography Experience
21+ years , Other

Summary
Well, I too broke down and paid the big bucks for this Flagship DX lens. I have purchased the 12-24 DX 4.0 and was not all that impressed so I didn't expect that much from the 17-25. Was I wrong. This is now my favorite lens, period. It is super sharp from edge to edge even wide open. The color saturation is awesome and the pictures are nice and contrasty . . I mean I was really blown away at how this lens performs. I own several fixed lenses (24mm F2.8, 50mm F1.4, 85mm F1.4, 105mm F2.8) and this lens keeps up with and even surpases these fixed lenses. I highly recommend this lens. You wont' regret it.

Strengths
Superb optics, Very good handling, built to last and last.

Weaknesses
Big and heavy and therefore easier to bang around it you're not careful. Price is high but you definately get a great lens for the money.

Similar Products Used
See my Summary.

Customer Service
Beach Camera's prices can't be beat and their CS is great. They ship quick and for free and no tax unless you live in NY. Give them a try.

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