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

Pros: Superb optics, solid built, super-fast AF and super-quiet operation
Cons: Expensive price tag may be the one and only objection in this lens

My first zoom lens in the extreme wide angle was the Nikon 20-35mm f/2.8D. For me, it was a dream lens. When I bought the 20-35mm lens, the 17-35mm zoom had already been introduced. At the time, I thought a difference of 3mm in focal length was not much....

Pros: very well built and useful lens with fast aperture and great viewing angle
Cons: heavy and not cheap, but we cant have everything

This lens continues to surprise me with its performance. Outdoors, it seems you can capture limitless wide angle shots with amazing depth of field, and then look down and get a picture of a flower from nearly 6" away from the end of the lens. Each...

Pros: sharpness, min focus, durability
Cons: size, weight, cost, no depth of field scale

Nikon put this lens out with the D1 for a reason,--to retain some wide angle coverage for the D1 crowd who had to factor in a 1.5X magnification factor in all their lenses. This lens, when used in the F5, is incredible with tremendous capability in...

Pros: Fast AF, minimal distortion, excellent resolution, excellent colour rendition, insignificant CA
Cons: Sample-to-sample variation, heavy and bulky

This lens has rewritten many a rule about wide-angle photography. In my opinion the shear complication of its construction makes it prone to sample-to-sample variation more than many other lenses. I had this problem - even though I sent my lens to Nikon for adjustment of focus and CA's, it didn't come back perfect. My D200 easily picks fault with it at 100% magnification. OTOH, in this focal range, this lens is a world apart from the competition (at least counting lenses compatible with Nikon bodies). There simply are too many laws of nature in the way of this lens. Taken for what it is - a truly professional lens with its inherent strengths and weaknesses - it faithfully produces wonderful pictures with a minimum of distortion. It's bright, lightning-fast in its AF and has the solid build of the Great Wall of China.