Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens

Nikon's 17-55mm lens is designed for Nikon DX (APS-C) sized sensors. With a fast continuous aperture of f/2.8...

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  Good build quality, Sonic Wave Motor, fast f/2.8 aperture

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  Slower Sonic Wave Motor than comparable Canon lens

The 17-55mm DX lens is a lot larger than you'd expect, only slightly smaller than the 17-35mm f/2.8 FX lens. That's despite producing a smaller image circle. The minute you pick up this lens, you're going to be curious why it is as large as it is. (Hint: it's all about performance.

Nikon recommend this lens for use as a standard on their top end cameras and with an approximate 30% improvement on performance over the 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 we can see why. With lens quality fast becoming the limiting factor where top end digital imaging is concerned, 30% is a big step, but the...

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  Excellent wide-open performance, especially at the wider focal length, Good build quality., Excellent contrast and colour rendition., Good hood included

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  Disappointing control of distortion at the wide end., Price, although value for money is relative., Hood useless with on board flashes.

Nikkor brings us a top-quality gold-ring (professional-grade) lens with the AF-S DX 17-55mm F/2.8 G IF-ED. Sharp as a tack with exceptional build quality, its metal-body and rubber sealing to prevent against dust and humidity speak to its quality.

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  Extremely sharp;, Amazing auto-focus accuracy and speed;, Excellent build quality.

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  Extremely sharp;, Amazing auto-focus accuracy and speed;, Excellent build quality., Hefty price tag;, Hefty weight (for some).

If you are looking to invest in some serious glass, then I have to say that the Nikkor AF-S DX 17-55 F/2.8 G IF-ED is a fantastic choice for the serious hobbyist to the professional photographer.

If you require professional build, including weather sealing and fast autofocus with full time manual override on your f/2.8 standard zoom lens, then you need not look any further than this Nikon optic. The sharpness it delivers in the centre from maximum aperture is excellent.

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  Very good sharpness in the centre at f/2.8, Excellent across the frame when stopped down, Tank-like build quality, Fast autofocus, Low falloff for a f/2.8 zoom

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  High CA levels, Not as sharp towards the edges of the frame at f/2.8, Expensive

Handling and features This professional grade optic for Nikon DX format digital SLRs provides an angle of view equivalent to a 25.5-82.5mm lens on a 35mm camera. This lens also sports a constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the range, a silent wave focusing motor and costs around £1065.

The Nikkor AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED DX is a professional grade lens and it certainly shows up regarding its exceptionally high build quality as well as very fast AF speed. Optically it is, without doubt, a very good lens but it has a few issues.

This professional quality, mid-range zoom lens has been designed specifically for the 'APS-C' sized sensors used in all of Nikon's DSLR cameras and is quite a different beast from the 18-55mm lens supplied with the D50 camera reviewed in this issue.

I am basically a street photographer. I've used this lens almost exclusively on D7000 for 5 years. It is super sharp and the 2.8 allows low light shooting. It is heavy, no question.

I have owned this lens for about 14 months now, and have taken almost 5000 photos with it. Yes -- it was expensive. Yes -- it is heavy. But the images that this lens produces are remarkable. Sharpness, contrast and color are always excellent. And autofocus is fast and accurate.

I originally thought my Tamron 17-50mm F/2.8 VC, which everyone claims is 95% as good as the 17-55 , could get me through whatever I encountered. Didn't happen. I purchased a Nikon 80-200mm F/2.8 two ring right before a wedding, and was blown away by the quality.

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  Super Sharp, great color and contrast. No contest vs Tamron 17-50 F/2.8 VC

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  Some people may be put off by the size/weight of a pro lens (not me :D )

This lens is great. I use the lens 95% of the time. The quick sharp focus is fantastic and can soak up so much light for low light shots. It is a tad heavy in comparison to some lenses I've had, however it's far better than those also. Well worth the price in my opinion.

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  Consistent Output, Durable, Easily Interchangeable, Quick Focus, Rugged, Sharp Focus, Strong Construction

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  Kinda heavy

Good quality. Fast focus.

I bought this lens after several months of using the do it all Nikon 18-200VR which I found useful but quite disappointing for critical use. I wished that I had bought this fine lens a long time ago. With its fast aperture, sharpness and tough build quality it is a perfect picture taking tool.

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  • Build quality, • Image quality, • Sharpness, • Fast aperture at all focal lengths, • No significant distortion, • Its heavy and stable to hold

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  • None

it will be full potential unlock with d500. Love it