Nikon AF Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8D Lens

Of all the Nikon wide-angle zoom lenses I own, the AF Zoom-Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8D IF impresses me the most. Having the opportunity to handle such a lens makes me realize that Nikon really knows how to make a beautiful lens. I had my eyes on this one for a very long time, but never had the courage to purchase it. My first reason, the obvious reason, was that it was too expensive ($1500). My second reason was that I was satisfied with my 24-50mm zoom and later the 24-120mm zoom. What more could I need? At an angle wider than 24mm, images would appear distorted anyway. That was my view of wide angle until I have tried the AF Zoom-Nikkor 20-35mm f/2.8D IF (ASPH). I purchased this zoom initially for one particular reason only: for my trip to Asia. I knew that I would need a fast lens that would allow me to shoot in tight areas and in low light. So I sold my other zoom lenses to help finance this purchase.

I'm going to skip over the technical details, such as, how many blades this lens has, how many optical elements and groups it is constructed, and how many of them are aspherical, etc, etc, and instead talk about my views and practical experience as a result of using this wonderful lens, both its handling and performance.

I love this lens! The handling is superb! This is one prime example of a great lens built by Nikon. It has the same texture and a solid sturdy feel of the Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D (2-ring zoom). In fact, it feels much better than the Nikon 80-200mm; perhaps due to its small size and light weight. It also takes the same filter size (77mm) as the Nikon 80-200mm. The zooming ring is very smooth and well damp, and only takes about 1/5 of a clock-wise turn to zoom from 20mm to 35mm. It took me awhile to get used to this small turn, after using the 24-120mm zoom. Its focusing ring is also smooth and well damp, and focusing takes less than a quarter of turn. Both focusing and zooming rings are wide enough for big and small fingers. There is an M/A switch ring in between the focusing and zooming rings. The lens has a distance scale window, but no depth-of-field scale. Overall the lens is fairly light and it balances quite well. Even with its hood on it doesn't look that big, and looks great with the Nikon F100. The AF response is quite fast and quiet, and it focuses internally (only the inside optical elements move); hence, the "IF" designation.

During my trip, it turned out that I used this lens more than the other two lenses I brought with me. It seemed that every photographic opportunity I've encountered calls for an ultra-wide perspective. This is a great lens in one package, packed together all the useful wide angles. During my 4-week trip, the lens was rained on; it got bumped around; I carried it through dusty roads all day and every day. None of these were done to abuse the lens intentionally. I am very particular with all my photographic equipment. But this was unavoidable; I was in the middle of a tropical climate, in Thailand and Cambodia, documenting ancient buildings and sites. I was worried at times, but convinced (with hope) that the lens would not fail me. This lens is rock solid.

In terms of optical performance, this lens really lives up to its appeal and price tag. Images are very sharp and contrasty with excellent color. Even at f/2.8, the lens performs very well. It delivers a highly uniform image quality at all focal lengths and at all apertures. I mostly shoot with the lens stopped down to f/11 and f/16 and images are outstanding. Though, at the 20mm end there is a slight barrel distortion, but hardly noticeable. Also at the 20mm range, the image appears to be a tiny bit underexposed at the corner, possibly due to light falloff. But surprisingly there is no vignetting at all, even with a circular polarizing filter (but I used a Hoya Ultra-thin ring).

This lens has changed my perspective of ultra-wide angles permanently. I found that a lot of photographs from this trip were done in the 20-24mm range. However, this lens is quite vulnerable to ghosting and flare, if the bright sun is in or near the edge of the frame. Therefore, its matched lens hood HB-8 is recommended at all time. But this ghosting or flare is a common problem inherent with all zoom lenses anyway, especially when pointing straight into the bright sun, because of the many optical elements inside that produce internal reflection, and I have nothing to complain about.

In terms of price, I really don't think it is "expensive" like I previously thought, because it has all the four primes combined, namely, 20mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm lenses. It is priced at about the same price the four prime lenses combined, if you were to purchase them separately. However, the one great advantage with the 20-35mm zoom is that you have the ability to fine-tune your framing, because, for example, you have a continuous jump between 20mm and 24mm, and you don't have to change lenses or carry all four of them in your bag. And for a rare and far away trip like the one I took, carrying one lens is much easier and more convenient. But don't misunderstand me that this should be the ONLY one lens to bring for a one-in-a-life-time trip. Carry a backup!

Right now this lens is discontinued, being replaced by it successor: the AFS 17-35mm f/2.8D ED-IF, intended for digital SLR format, because of that 1.5x optical difference between the conventional 35mm film and digital. Therefore, this means that the 20-35mm lens can be found at a fairly reasonable price in a used market, well under $900. With an extra 3mm at the extreme wide angle, the AF-S 17-35mm appears to offer a lot. But is it better than the 20-35mm optically? Actually the 20-35mm and 17-35mm have an entirely different design. The former takes advantage of Aspherical optics, while the latter uses ED glasses in addition to aspherical. The AF-S seems to have an edge due to its AF-S operation. Nevertheless, I am very impressed with the smooth handling and quiet operation of the 20-35mm zoom. Its optical quality rivals those prime lenses. I really think the 20-35mm is still a better choice, and worthy of being the 17-35mm predecessor. This 20-35mm zoom lens is a first class. The price you pay for it is not only for its optical performance, but everything else that goes with it, and it is worth it.

Updated (November 2002): I recently acquired a Nikon 24mm f/2.8D and have made comparison between this lens and the 20-35mm zoom. At 24mm, I cannot tell the difference between the zoom and my Nikon 24mm f/2.8D fixed-focal-length lens, in terms of contrast or sharpness. This means that the 20-35mm zoom can easily rival prime lenses, like the 24mm one (and perhaps 20mm and 28mm as well!...I presume).