DX lenses are NOT recommended for use with 35mm, digital "full-frame" FX, or APS SLR cameras
The AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED is another high-quality zoom lens option customized for digital cameras, part of the new DX Nikkor series. Designed specifically for use with Nikon digital SLR cameras with the smaller DX size chip, it features wideangle zoom capability, ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass and Nikon's exclusive built-in SWM (Silent Wave Motor).
The lens is targeted at professional and advanced amateur Nikon D-SLR users who demand both the advantages of high optical performance and wideangle focal zoom range.
This G-type Nikkor lens is designed with no aperture rings, and offers easier, virtually mistake-free operation because the aperture does not need to be set to minimum. Equivalent focal length in 35mm is 25.5-85.5mm.
Note: AF-S feature is not supported by certain camera models. Please see here for a list of compatible models.
Note! DX lenses are NOT recommended for use with 35mm, digital "full-frame" FX, or APS SLR cameras
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Focal Length | 17 - 55 mm |
| Aperture |
Maximum: f/2.8 Minimum: f/22 |
| Camera Mount Type | Nikon F |
| Format Compatibility |
Nikon DX FX in DX Crop Mode |
| Angle of View | 79° - 28° |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 1.2' (36 cm) |
| Magnification | 0.20x |
| Maximum Reproduction Ratio | 1:5 |
| Groups/Elements | 10/14 |
| Diaphragm Blades | 9 |
| Features | |
|---|---|
| Image Stabilization | No |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Tripod Collar | No |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Filter Thread | 77 mm |
| Dimensions (DxL) | Approx. 3.4 x 4.4" (8.64 x 11.18 cm) |
| Weight | 1.66 lb (755 g) |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Most Liked Positive Review
Beautiful Glass
From the moment I unboxed this thing of beauty I was in love. I bought it so that I could have the quality I get from my 50 and 35mm primes but with the versatility...Read complete review
From the moment I unboxed this thing of beauty I was in love. I bought it so that I could have the quality I get from my 50 and 35mm primes but with the versatility of a zoom. This met the challenge quite easily. I wish I'd purchased this a few years ago when I bought the 14mm wide angle (which I've now sold to get this one, hehe). It has already replaced my 18-200 kit lens as my everyday lens. It's super fast and the images are amazing. I've used it in the studio quite a bit as well as out and about to include a recent trip to and old abandoned sanitarium in Beelitz, Germany.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Not What I Expected
This lens has excellent build quality and the expected weight of a pro level lens. I shoot mostly wedding and family portraiture and this lens does not deliver the sharpness I want. I also ...Read complete review
This lens has excellent build quality and the expected weight of a pro level lens. I shoot mostly wedding and family portraiture and this lens does not deliver the sharpness I want. I also own the Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR lens and it delivers outstanding picture quality. I expected the same from this pro level lens. I tried several different lighting situations and F-Stop ranges on my D300. It just doesn't deliver the quality I want for my images. My copy also tends to backfocus. Everyone seems to really love this lens so I may send it back to Nikon for recalibration and see if that helps. Hopefully, my copy of this lens just needs to be tweaked.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 289 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is super sharp. The lens compliments my 70-200mm f4 lens.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
amazing product it did what it was suppose to do
I would recomend it to anyone!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I work very well with this lens and its performance is fantastic.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
Photographed a wedding in low light, super sharp.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
The mechanical quality of this lens is outstanding. Although the IQ is good, it isn't 10x better than the 17-55mm f/3.5-5.6. The price, unfortunately, is 10x larger!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use this as my everyday lens and it is great!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use this as a walk around lens, if I don't have anything in mind this is the lens I grab.
This is my second version, I sold the first because I went FX but bought a D7000 and had to have another.
Only drawback I see is it's a little heavy but you get use to it.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This is my second example of this great lens
It is ideal for interiors, low light images, landscapes, and I find the range complements my Nikkor 70-200 2.8 lens perfectly. I find it to be very sharp and the autofocus instantaneous.
It is a heavy lens but feels "right" with the D300 camera body.
Because of the large diameter of the lens body, it can be challenging sometimes to stow in a backpack (I carry aboard aircraft), particularly if mounted on the D300.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is on my D7000 most of the time. Great one lens solution for travel
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is just what I expected: sharp and fast. No complaints!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I am into serious photography for the last 2 years and decided to have this for me. I generally go out to shoot nature photos.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
You pay for quality, this is an excellent lens. It's very sharp, heavy and expensive; if you make your living by shooting full-time or just have $ to blow; I defiantly would own this lens. No lens creep at all.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use it as my main lens for portrait work and general shooting. I have other lens, but this thing is such a tank I feel like I can take it anywhere safely. Is it heavy? Yes, but I can live with that. It may be too heavy for the casual shooter, but I like it as I transtition into making photography a second job. Great lens, it is worth the price.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
As an avid amateur, I recently decided to upgrade to real glass. This lens does not match the quality of the 70-200 2.8, but its close enough. Great, solid build and very high quality photos. The obvious negatives: its heavy on the camera and heavy on the pocket book.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I've only had this lens a few weeks, but I'm very pleased with its sharpness and responsiveness. I've been using it mostly for landscape and portrait situations and available, low-light scenes. It's a bit heavy and pricey, but well worth it.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
Upgrade from standard lens
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is amazing. Tact sharp and spot on. Does amazing in low light settings. The zoom ring is in a different place than my other lens, so that has taken some getting used to, but other than that I am very happy with my purchase and highly recommend this lens!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use the lens all the time for every porpes and its amazing!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I received this lens on Monday and on Wednesday our convention weekend started. On Wednesday night it went to work at our Diamond Dinner followed by Thursday night Dinner of Champions. The professionals hired by my company all asked to try the lens and were totally impressed.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use this lens primarily for walkabout shooting of people and scenery outdoors, but I also use it for low light shooting indoors as I despise using flash other than for the occasional fill. The only drawback to this lens, though it does not bother me, is its weight. For a DX-specific zoom it is heavy, but this is due to the professional build quality.
I am very pleased with the soft, creamy bokeh it produces and the razor-sharp in-focus areas. The f/2.8 throughout the zoom range is critical for me because I frequently shoot handheld and need the ability to keep the shutter speed fast. If you use this lens correctly, you will not miss the lack of VR.
If you can afford this lens and frequently shoot in the 17-55 range, pick up this lens. You will not be disappointed.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
Cons
Best Uses
Most Liked Positive Review
Beautiful Glass
From the moment I unboxed this thing of beauty I was in love. I bought it so that I could have the quality I get from my 50 and 35mm primes but with the versatility...Read complete review
From the moment I unboxed this thing of beauty I was in love. I bought it so that I could have the quality I get from my 50 and 35mm primes but with the versatility of a zoom. This met the challenge quite easily. I wish I'd purchased this a few years ago when I bought the 14mm wide angle (which I've now sold to get this one, hehe). It has already replaced my 18-200 kit lens as my everyday lens. It's super fast and the images are amazing. I've used it in the studio quite a bit as well as out and about to include a recent trip to and old abandoned sanitarium in Beelitz, Germany.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Not What I Expected
This lens has excellent build quality and the expected weight of a pro level lens. I shoot mostly wedding and family portraiture and this lens does not deliver the sharpness I want. I also ...Read complete review
This lens has excellent build quality and the expected weight of a pro level lens. I shoot mostly wedding and family portraiture and this lens does not deliver the sharpness I want. I also own the Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR lens and it delivers outstanding picture quality. I expected the same from this pro level lens. I tried several different lighting situations and F-Stop ranges on my D300. It just doesn't deliver the quality I want for my images. My copy also tends to backfocus. Everyone seems to really love this lens so I may send it back to Nikon for recalibration and see if that helps. Hopefully, my copy of this lens just needs to be tweaked.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 289 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-20
Previous | Next »
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is super sharp. The lens compliments my 70-200mm f4 lens.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
amazing product it did what it was suppose to do
I would recomend it to anyone!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I work very well with this lens and its performance is fantastic.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
Photographed a wedding in low light, super sharp.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
The mechanical quality of this lens is outstanding. Although the IQ is good, it isn't 10x better than the 17-55mm f/3.5-5.6. The price, unfortunately, is 10x larger!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use this as my everyday lens and it is great!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use this as a walk around lens, if I don't have anything in mind this is the lens I grab.
This is my second version, I sold the first because I went FX but bought a D7000 and had to have another.
Only drawback I see is it's a little heavy but you get use to it.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This is my second example of this great lens
It is ideal for interiors, low light images, landscapes, and I find the range complements my Nikkor 70-200 2.8 lens perfectly. I find it to be very sharp and the autofocus instantaneous.
It is a heavy lens but feels "right" with the D300 camera body.
Because of the large diameter of the lens body, it can be challenging sometimes to stow in a backpack (I carry aboard aircraft), particularly if mounted on the D300.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is on my D7000 most of the time. Great one lens solution for travel
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is just what I expected: sharp and fast. No complaints!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I am into serious photography for the last 2 years and decided to have this for me. I generally go out to shoot nature photos.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
You pay for quality, this is an excellent lens. It's very sharp, heavy and expensive; if you make your living by shooting full-time or just have $ to blow; I defiantly would own this lens. No lens creep at all.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use it as my main lens for portrait work and general shooting. I have other lens, but this thing is such a tank I feel like I can take it anywhere safely. Is it heavy? Yes, but I can live with that. It may be too heavy for the casual shooter, but I like it as I transtition into making photography a second job. Great lens, it is worth the price.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
As an avid amateur, I recently decided to upgrade to real glass. This lens does not match the quality of the 70-200 2.8, but its close enough. Great, solid build and very high quality photos. The obvious negatives: its heavy on the camera and heavy on the pocket book.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I've only had this lens a few weeks, but I'm very pleased with its sharpness and responsiveness. I've been using it mostly for landscape and portrait situations and available, low-light scenes. It's a bit heavy and pricey, but well worth it.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
Upgrade from standard lens
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
This lens is amazing. Tact sharp and spot on. Does amazing in low light settings. The zoom ring is in a different place than my other lens, so that has taken some getting used to, but other than that I am very happy with my purchase and highly recommend this lens!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use the lens all the time for every porpes and its amazing!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I received this lens on Monday and on Wednesday our convention weekend started. On Wednesday night it went to work at our Diamond Dinner followed by Thursday night Dinner of Champions. The professionals hired by my company all asked to try the lens and were totally impressed.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX Lens:
I use this lens primarily for walkabout shooting of people and scenery outdoors, but I also use it for low light shooting indoors as I despise using flash other than for the occasional fill. The only drawback to this lens, though it does not bother me, is its weight. For a DX-specific zoom it is heavy, but this is due to the professional build quality.
I am very pleased with the soft, creamy bokeh it produces and the razor-sharp in-focus areas. The f/2.8 throughout the zoom range is critical for me because I frequently shoot handheld and need the ability to keep the shutter speed fast. If you use this lens correctly, you will not miss the lack of VR.
If you can afford this lens and frequently shoot in the 17-55 range, pick up this lens. You will not be disappointed.