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

This is the lens to get for your Nikon Digital (except the D3) Silent wave motor, ED glass, 77mm thread (same as most other Nikon Pro lenses) great range 17 (27mm) to 55 (80mm)awesome build quality though you must take into account its heavy (you combine it with a D300 a grip and a flash and you are lugging around quite a weight) I use it for wedding photography with great success very rarely having to reach for another lens. the only thing that causes this lens problems is the much cheaper Sigma 18-50mm 2.8 - this lens is just as sharp! Though the build quality is distinctly lacking however if you compare pricing on Ebay £210 for Sigma vs £500-£600 for Nikon you can see that it might be worth trying the Sigma first....

This is a professional standard "normal" zoom lens for Nikon cropped frame (DX) digital SLRs. It is built to the full professional standard that one would expect from Nikon at the full professional price at which it is retailed. If you want the best possible lens with this zoom range, without compromise, this fast, 17-55mm AF-S lens will not disappoint!

Build and Handling:
This is a heavy lens, made entirely of metal, making it very robust. The controls all work excellently! The zoom action is smooth and perfectly weighted. The front element cranks in and out during zooming, protruding most at the wide end. This is, however, shielded from view when the hood is in place, as this attaches to the non-moving part of the body.
Autofocus is fast and quiet, as is expected from an "AF-S" lens, and as such, one can switch to manual focus instantly by turning the focus ring.

Performance:
This lens is sharp, as you would expect, even from the widest aperture. This makes it a great lens for sports and low-light photography. In my opinion, it does get a bit soft above 35mm focal length. This is my main reason for rating this as a "good" product, rather than an "excellent" one. Although it will be fine for most users, especially if stopped down a bit, at this price, and for the market at which this lens is aimed, I do not expect this degree of softening at the long end. In comparison to an excellent consumer lens (the 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S VR) I found that from 35-55mm, the consumer lens came out slightly better. However, this is only when looking very closely at images blown up to 100%.
Distortion is not great with this lens, but it is present, with distinct barrel at the wide end. In this respect, it is not much better than the cheapest Nikon 18-55mm lens supplied bundled with the entry-level SLRs, which is also incredibly sharp.
This lens does produce ghosts and flares with bright light sources, so if you can, use the excellent hood that comes with it.

Summary:
Pros:-
- Excellent Build
- Very sharp below 35mm (best at 24mm)
- Fast f/2.8 aperture throughout range (excellent for stopping motion and low light)
- 77mm (pro standard) filter thread
- AF-S: Fast, silent autofocus, instantly overridable by turning focus ring (therefore works with every current Nikon DSLR, including D40/D40x/D60)
- Looks the part!

Cons:-
- Price and weight (these are not real drawbacks if you are looking for a professional lens...)
- Very slightly softer than expected above 35mm. Worse at 55mm.
- Flares and Ghosts with bright lights (eg. the Sun)
- Not much control of distortion at wide end.
- Only works on DX (cropped) sensors. (NOT a wide zoom for full frame or film)

Conclusion:
If you want a professional, fast, sharp lens, capable of stopping motion in low light conditions, this is an excellent choice! However, if neither of those requirements are important, then the few imperfections of this lens make it less suitable, especially considering the large price tag. Other cheaper lenses are able to offer almost the same quality of photo in good light, or offer greater versatility in terms of the zoom range.
Overall however, money no object, this is a beautiful and highly capable lens. Definately worth consideration!

pros: fast focusing, 2.8 through the range, feels solid, big step up in image quality from kit lens, for nikon dx there is no better option
cons: weight, size, size of hood, expensive (second hand are still more expensive than 3rd party equivalent) not as a big step up as you might expect in some situations, leave a 55-70mm gap in most kit bags (ony a problem if you are unable to move)
conclusion: Definately buy one!!! if you dont like it sell it, you are unlikely to loose much. i am keeping mine if the weight is an issue buy a battery grip for your camera it helps balance it a lot!
tip: if you are steping up to this level of kit dont put your old cheep uv filter on, get a decent one, you would be suprised the difference it makes!

After much deliberation I finally decided to buy this lens and was lucky enough to pick up an excellent secondhand UK lens for a very reasonable price off ebay. The lens is incredibly well built and clearly made to last. The contrast and colour of photos taken with this lens (on a D300) are an obvious improvement over the 17-80 Dx Kit lens that I was previously using. The bokeh is very pleasing and it really is a super portrait lens. Now I know what I have been missing I won't be going back - next on the shopping list is a 70-200 VR.....best start saving the pennies!

I really don't know what the 17-55 is like. I bought one on e-bay in November and didn't receive the item. Of course, given the neglegible con-man prevention measures taken by e-bay, there is sod all I can do about this. If you want my advice - buy one from a shop.
I'm sure the lens is brilliant though.

This beast is the dog's bollocks. Built like the proverbial tank. Sharp as a tack, and autofocus so smooth, fast and quiet that on several occasions I've thought I had the autofocus switched off. What's not to like? It's a joy to use, and getting cheaper all the time as the hoards migrate to FX just because it's supposed to be the next best thing. This is probably the best reason for sticking with DX, and I'll be happy to do that for some time to come.

Fantastic lens, sharp quick to respond and bought for half the retail price! and the seller was competeley genuine.

My first foray in to pro lens, and very impressed I am too! Noticeable improvement in image quality compared to consumer kit lens, sharpness and colour/contrast especially. The hood in enormous and seems to do a pretty good job.
Must admit to being somewhat surprised at the size and weight of this lens; but it's a solid unit, all metal and glass with no plastic (as far as I can see anyway). The weight (~750g) sounds a lot but it works really well in the hands.
Why did I buy it? Well, I have two Nikon bodies shared with my son, but only one standard zoom. Obviously I needed another, and given that we're now starting to get the odd commission or two I wanted to ensure the best quality - and this is THE lens for Nikon DX cameras.

Likes: constant f/2.8; fast AF-s auto-focus; sharpness; handling (balances really well on my D200+battery grip); built to last

Dis-likes: none!

If you are looking for a fast zoom lens covering the most commonly used focus range, look no further, this is the one, only one. Optical performance will meet the most critical reqirement. Build quality is spot on. It is worth of every penny you have paid. A bit heavy and chunk, but hey, that looks also stunning!

Needed a lens for my new Fuji s5 Pro, this is the best zoom, very sharp,not that heavy really , still hunts a bit. not as good as the canon 24-70 L 2.8 which I use on a Canon 5D. The 17-55 is used for wedding work, and is never taken off ( more due to dust protection ) One of the best DX lenses.

What can I say about this lens? Well to start with I sold a Nikon 18-200 VR and a 70-300 Vr lens to fund the purchase and dont regret it one bit. The lens is pin sharp and always seems to lock onto the focus no matter how low the light is. I sometimes use a 10 stop B&W filter which is so dark you cant see through the viewfinder but the lens autofocuses every time. The lens is in a completely different league to the plastic kit lenses, this one is made from metal and has a good satisfying weight to it. It takes a standard 77mm filter, which most of the pro lens seem to take.
The lens is pretty expensive for the focal range but it makes the plastic lenses seem cheap and cheerful by comparison.
Would I buy another if something happened to it? In a heartbeat.

come on people be realistic about the image quality, I have owned just about every Nikon lens that you can think of and in my view the 35-70mm f/2.8 is absolutely fantastic far exceeding this one for sharpness and contrast. Its OK for first time buyers or amateurs. The ones that deserves 5 out 5 are: 14-24mm and 24-70mm for zoom lenses.....no ifs or buts

The 17-55 f/2.8 DX is designed for use on crop sensor Nikon/Fuji cameras like the D40,50,60,70,80,90,100,200,300. Using it on a full frame will result in the corners being cut off when wider than 24mm.

This is a beast of a lens. Metal bodied with a large hood which even has its own spring loaded metal locking release.

You won't forget this lens is on the front, it's slightly longer than an 18-200 VR (when the 18-200 is at 18mm), and it's wider than the 12-24 f/4. It has such presence on the front of the camera that small children will run for cover. Even on a D300 it looks menacing. On a smaller body like the D40 is must look crazy. Even without the hood it looks beefy. You won't need to ask people to move out of your way when you're composing a shot, the path will naturally clear. This lens just shouts "PRO!"

And you know what, I love it! It just oozes quality. The focus is fast, the zoom is firm and positive. The bokeh is smooth and natural. Even wide open at f/2.8 the image is very sharp, impressive for a zoom. The only lens I have that beats it is a 50mm prime.

I have no doubt this lens could take a lot of pro punishment. After the next world war this is the lens the cockroaches will be using to document their world domination... Assuming they can organise a big enough team to pick it up!

This is the best lens that i have ever bought and at £500 it was a bargin on a Nikon D200 it shoots pics as sharp as a straight razor, so yes i am very happy withn my purchase

Heavy - don't get it if you're limp wristed - but superbly balanced on D300. High pro-quality: very sharp, fast quiet focussing. Versatile range, fits well with other Nikon pro-quality lenses. Expensive, but worth it. Once you have it, you won't remember the price. Just superb.