Nikon 17-35 mm AF-S Review for Documentary Photography -

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Basics

The AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35 mm f/2.8D IF-ED (to use its full name) covers an angle of view of 79 - 44 degrees on a DX sensor and incorporates a Silent Wave motor for fast, silent autofocus. Two types of aspheric lens element are included in the optical design to control distortion as well as Extra-low Dispersion glass elements to reduce chromatic aberration and increase resolution and contrast control. The remaining elements are specified to include Super Integrated Coatings to aid colour reproduction and minimize ghosting and flare.

The Internal Focussing (IF designation) allows the lens to be focussed down to a fantastic 0.28 m from the film plane (around 12 cm from the front of the lens) enabling dramatic compositions to be made. The AF-S allows manual focussing to be applied at any time - even when the AF servo is in operation resulting in great user control over selective focus and as you'd expect no power is required during manual focussing so there's a respite for the camera battery. The construction is very solid and designed to be water and dust "resistant" - despite constant use over many years mine has stood up well to the egress of dust.

Why wide angle is so suited to documentary photography

The angle of view created with wide focal lengths is traditionally associated with documentary subjects for good reason. The wide field of view allows you to work in close proximity while still capturing a large proportion of the background which is often essential in contextualising the main subject and creating a story-telling narrative that can be the main aim of a documentary image. By working close to the subject you're able to interact with people and can stay connected to how a situation is developing allowing you to anticipate the action and how the scene will develop. The wide angle of view also allows you to rapidly open up the scene by stepping back to include a large proportion of surrounding detail.

A wide angle zoom range offers a tremendous variety of perspective to be achieved, allowing me to work in very close, creating a sense of depth (left) or providing the scope to show a subject in a wider environment (right)

Working in close proximity with people can deliver a bold perspective, and has resulted in some of my most interesting photographic encounters. This way of working is rewarding but challenging due to the heightened awareness required being so close to the action.

Working in close with people also encourages a connection with them and an implied openness and honesty about your presence and what you're doing as opposed to the distance created (literally and figuratively) when using a longer focal length. Working with a wide angle of view can also communicate a greater sense of honesty to the viewer. By using a wide angle of view and showing a greater proportion of the scene a person viewing a photograph is provided with more information on the context of the subject.

Wide focal lengths have potential to create a dynamic perspective and offer dramatic compositional opportunities even when working close to a subject, this aspect is particularly aided by the close focussing of the 17-35 AF-S. In tight spaces such as room interiors and vehicles a large proportion of the subject can be included despite limited working space. The distortions that are common with very wide focal lengths can allow elements in the scene to be exaggerated to the benefit of the composition.

Wide angle work allows a great deal of control over composition and small movements; left, right, up or down can result in huge compositional changes. The image on the left demonstrates the usefulness of the 17-35 mm AF-S' close focusing ability - down to around 12 cm from the front of the lens and this is consistent throughout the zoom range

When the action of a scene is fast-paced and constantly changing a wide angle zoom means there's always the best possible chance of including all the important elements and selective cropping can always be used to tighten up framing and fine tune the composition. The wide angle perspective creates an angle of view that's more comparable to that of our eyes than the tight crop of a telephoto and therefore suits an open, honest story telling style.

When the subject is moving at fast pace I find the safety net offered by the perspective of a wide angle zoom very welcome in framing accurately.

All the images on this page were taken with the 17-35 mm AF-S, all were made with a D200.

You can link directly to the technical information for each image by clicking on each picture.