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Photojournalistas.com |
| Jan-Feb, 2006 |
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Nikon 17-35 f/2.8 AF-S Page 2
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 When I bought my first Nikon 17-35 f/2.8 AF-S, I didn’t think that I’d use it very often at the 17mm setting when doing work with my Nikon F5s in the traditional 35mm film format. But one way that I like to frame photos is to get somewhat close to my subjects while showing a lot of the environment and conditions around them. As it turned out, I ended up using this lens extensively at the 17mm setting. There is image distortion from the extreme wide angle when pointing the lens up or downward at the subject, but the return for this is a type of photo that is often not possible lenses in the 24mm or 28mm range. While working on an upcoming Photojournalistas story on hunting, I was in a goose hunting boat that limited my movement and put me close to my subject. This is where a very wide angle zoom lens with a low light capability comes in handy. Some of the best photos that I got showed the hunter and his dog sitting in a reed covered boat draped with a light snow, in the background were snow covered hills. A lens with less wide angle capability would not have been wide enough to get this shot. On top of this, the f/2.8 maximum aperture setting still gives good depth of field, especially at the 17mm end of the zoom. This combination also means that I can hand hold the camera and get photos at some very slow shutter speeds. Quite simply, I’ve gotten many photos that I consider some of my best with this lens due to the ability to shoot at 17mm on a traditional 35mm film camera.Aside from rugged construction and versatility, the Nikon 17-35 also functions well. It is sharper than a lot of fixed focal length lenses in this range. Even at 17mm shot at f/2.8 the images are still quite sharp and image color is vibrant and accurate, as it is all of Nikon’s pro glass. It is also quiet enough that it does not attract any attention while using the autofocus, and has a decent sized manual focus ring that has a firm, yet not tight, feel when focusing with it. This ring, in addition to being sufficiently wide, has a good grip; all this makes manual focusing a less painful experience. Autofocus doesn’t have to be turned off to use manual focus and vise versa, just release the autofocus control (either through the shutter or the autofocus button on the back of many cameras) and turn the manual ring. My guess is that no one will be using the manual focus on this much any ways. The autofocus is lightning fast and is usually extremely accurate. The Nikon 17-35 f/2.8 AF-S is an incredible lens that has a near perfect zoom range for its type. I suspect that the Nikon digital SLRs’ sensor size will eventually return to the 35mm size format that their film cousins use, making this lens, or its predecessor, behave exactly the same way in regards to angle of view on both type cameras. Currently, for both film and digital, I use this lens far more than all my other lenses combined. This lens is also widely used by most pro Nikon shooters on both film and digital cameras. I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about it, and for a lens that has been on the market for around six years, this says a lot. For these reasons, it is a modern classic. |
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