Introduction
 |
Earlier today, Nikon announced its new Nikkor Z 17-28mm F2.8, a new wide-angle lens for the company’s line of full-frame and APS-C Z-mount cameras. We’ve gone hands-on with it and shot a few samples to get a clearer picture of what Nikon’s latest zoom lens has to offer.
This looks familiar
 |
The Nikkor Z 17-28mm F2.8 is the second in Nikon’s range of more affordable full-frame F2.8 zoom lenses for its Z-mount mirrorless cameras. It essentially acts as a more approachable, less ambitious alternative to the 14-24mm F2.8 in the company’s premium ‘S’ series of lenses.
It also notably pairs well with the Nikkor Z 28-75mm F2.8 and, just like that lens, there are plenty of reasons to suspect it has more than a little in common with Tamron’s 17-28mm F2.8 Di III RXD. Sure enough, the Nikkor is listed as having 13 elements in 10 groups, essentially all of the same specialized elements and identical close-focus specs to Tamron’s E-mount lens.
These two lenses aren’t the first instances of Nikon buying-in and selling on ‘own label’ versions of third-party lenses. The DSLR-era 70-300mm F4.0-5.6D ED was widely thought to be a re-badged Tamron, for instance.
This approach not only takes pressure off the company’s lens development resources, it also allows Nikon to expand its range without fully opening-up the mount (though, interestingly Tamron has just announced it will be introducing the first third-party zoom for the system).
Size and weight
 |
Despite its constant F2.8 aperture, the Nikkor Z 17-28mm F2.8 is relatively compact. It measures approximately 75mm (3″) in diameter by 101mm (4″) in length, effectively the same as Tamron’s E-mount version.
The lens weighs approximately 450g (15.9oz). This is 30g (1oz) more than Tamron’s E-mount counterpart, but the ‘Nikonized’ casing feels a little more solid and the extra weight doesn’t noticeably change the way it balances with Nikon’s Z Series camera bodies.
Design
 |
The body of the 17-28mm has been re-worked, relative to the Tamron version, so that the focus ring has the same ~8mm width as the other wide and standard Nikkor zooms. But, whereas the rubber ribbing on the wide zoom ring is a match for the other lenses in the range, the 17-28mm shares the pyramidal ridged texture we saw on the 28-75mm.
The layout, orientation and operation of the focus rings (thanks to its focus-by-wire design) is a match for other lenses in Nikon’s lineup. Despite its (slightly) more modest price tag, the 17-28mm F2.8 uses seven rubber gaskets throughout its design to keep it safe from the elements, as well as a gasket at the mount to help keep moisture and dust out of the camera.
Other features include a 67mm front filter thread, that matches that of the 28-75mm, and a minimum focusing distance of just 19cm (7.6″) on the wide end, which makes for a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.19x.
More to come?
 |
The 17-28mm F2.8 makes a useful addition to the Nikon lens range, though it’s reasonable to wonder what’s been done to justify the 33% markup, relative to the Tamron version’s list price. The launch of the second Tamron-like ‘budget’ F2.8 zoom raises the possibility that Nikon might consider a Nikkor version of the 70-180mm F2.8 Di III VXD, and it’s notable that a lens with this rather distinctive focal length range was added to its most recent lens roadmap.
Given Tamron’s version has a list price of $1200, there’s plenty of scope for such a lens to undercut Nikon’s own premium $2700 Nikkor Z 70-200mm F2.8 S. In the case of the 17-28mm and 28-75mm, neither lens goes as wide as its ‘S’ counterpart, meaning there’s substantial differentiation between these and the more expensive lens, wheres 70-180mm isn’t significantly different to 70-200mm, in terms of reach. Nikon is seemingly confident enough in the pro-grade appeal of its 70-200 ‘S’ to also provide a more accessible option for Z-mount shooters on tighter budgets.
Sample gallery
 |
We had a chance to shoot some preliminary sample photos with the Nikkor Z 17-28mm F2.8 in New York. Because it was a pre-production lens, we are only permitted to post out-of-camera JPEGs, but we hope they’ll do enough to give a glimpse of what to expect.
Click here to view our Nikkor Z 17-28mm F2.8 pre-production sample gallery
Author:
This article comes from DP Review and can be read on the original site.
