Nikon AF Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8D Lens
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- Min Aperture: f/22
- Camera Format: 35 mm SLR
- Focus Type: Autofocus
- Lens Max Aperture: f/2.8
- Focal Length: 20mm - 35mm
- Lens Type: Zoom Lens
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A Brief Update and the newer 17-35/2.8 AFS
Pros
Beautiful pictures and cheaper now that it has been replaced by 17-35/2.8
Cons
Expensive, heavy, no hyperfocal distance scale, big filter size
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A great lens if you can find a deal on it (under a grand, which is still a heckuva lot of change)!
This is one of my very favorite lenses in the world. That's the gist of it. However, there is a little more to the story. Nikon replaced this lens in late 1999, in favor of the 17-35 AFS lens, in part because of the emerging digital cameras, which need wider angle lenses to approximate the traditional 35mm film proportion. The AFS has wider angle (obviously) and internal focusing, with the same filter size as the 20-35.
But that takes nothing away from the 20-35. It is well-made, takes exceptional pictures, particularly for photojournalists because the wide angle lets the viewer be right there in the moment. It is also used for landscapes and some nature photography. As noted, it is as heavy and expensive as several prime lenses, there is no depth of field scale, and the 77mm polarizer cost me about $80 (that's a Tiffen, over $150 for the B+W filter).
While this forum really isn't on the beaten high-end photographic path, information is always helpful and I hope it helps you out. The 17-35 is now part of Nikon's lineup and can be found for about $1500-$1600, the old price of the 20-35. The 20-35 is still available new, from anywhere from $1000 to $1500. The bonus is that you can come across new ones for under a grand and certainly find used 20-35s well inside the thousand-dollar mark. And at this point, a year and a half after its introduction, you can find used 17-35s in the range of $1200-1400.
Both lenses are excellent and the 17-35 offers a bit more reach, but of course at the extreme wide end of a zoom you have light falloff and at f2.8 there will be visible soft corners. If you are ready to drop the $1500, you can replace three prime lenses in your kit (20, 28, 35) with this beauty.
But that takes nothing away from the 20-35. It is well-made, takes exceptional pictures, particularly for photojournalists because the wide angle lets the viewer be right there in the moment. It is also used for landscapes and some nature photography. As noted, it is as heavy and expensive as several prime lenses, there is no depth of field scale, and the 77mm polarizer cost me about $80 (that's a Tiffen, over $150 for the B+W filter).
While this forum really isn't on the beaten high-end photographic path, information is always helpful and I hope it helps you out. The 17-35 is now part of Nikon's lineup and can be found for about $1500-$1600, the old price of the 20-35. The 20-35 is still available new, from anywhere from $1000 to $1500. The bonus is that you can come across new ones for under a grand and certainly find used 20-35s well inside the thousand-dollar mark. And at this point, a year and a half after its introduction, you can find used 17-35s in the range of $1200-1400.
Both lenses are excellent and the 17-35 offers a bit more reach, but of course at the extreme wide end of a zoom you have light falloff and at f2.8 there will be visible soft corners. If you are ready to drop the $1500, you can replace three prime lenses in your kit (20, 28, 35) with this beauty.
