DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Nikon releases the “new” 17-28mm f/2.8 Z mount lens but it looks an awful lot like a rehoused Tamron

Sep 20, 2022 by John Aldred 1 Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Nikon has announced the new Nikkor Z 17-28mm f/2.8 lens. We all knew it was coming, there have been several rumours that a “new” Nikon Z lens was on the way, and there were also rumours that this might be yet another rehoused and rebadged Tamron lens and it seems that the rumours were true. The optical makeup is pretty much identical to the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD for Sony.

While it’s a shame that Nikon doesn’t seem to be developing at least some of their own glass anymore, it does speak volumes as to the quality of Tamron today, if Nikon is willing to put their name on somebody else’s $1,200 lens. It’s also not much of a surprise that Nikon seems to be outsourcing Z mount lens development. Even though Nikon is starting to show a profit again, they’re not out of the woods yet.

The new full-frame Nikon lens offers a very wide angle of view with a maximum f/2.8 aperture throughout the focal range. Nikon says that it is “derived from the same mutual concept as the recent Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 lens” – the other Tamron rebadge – “establishing a series of affordable zooms that open a gateway to fast aperture performance and absolute versatility”. Billing it as ” a lens for storytellers”, the wide-angle focal length range offers a lot for things like landscapes, travel and even street photography.

Focal Length 17-28mm
Maximum Aperture f/2,8
Minimum Aperturef/22
Lens MountNikon Z
Format CompatibilityFull-Frame
Angle of View103° to 75°
Minimum Focus Distance19cm
Optical Design13 Elements in 11 Groups
Diaphragm Blades9, Rounded
Focus TypeAutofocus
Image StabilizationNo
Filter Size67 mm (Front)
Dimensions (ø x L)75 x 101 mm
Weight450g

Having a wide f/2.8 aperture, the 17-28mm zoom should also be ideal for things like astrophotography and event photography. You might even find it useful for things like vlogging, although, at 450g plus the weight of the camera body, I expect it’ll get rather heavy pretty quickly. That being said, for a lens of this aperture at this focal length range, it’s a pretty lightweight lens for carrying around in the bag when on your travels.

It features internal zoom to prevent it from extending during use – ideal for when balanced on a gimbal – and comes with a programmable control ring that’s set as a manual focus ring by default but can be programmed to adjust aperture or exposure compensation. It’s dust and moisture-resistant and features all of the usual Nikon coatings to minimise flaring, ghosting, vignetting, etc. as well as repelling dust and water.

I expect it’ll perform as well as its Tamron counterpart for Sony E mount cameras, and if there was any doubt that they are essentially the same lens, here are the optics for the two different lenses. As you can see, the Tamron E mount and Nikon Z mount makeup of 13 elements in 11 groups are basically identical. The only real differences between the two lenses are that the Nikon version has a Z mount instead of E mount, it has that programmable ring and it’s $400 more expensive. I’m not entirely sure where Nikon gets off calling this “affordable”, though, when it costs 50% more than the Sony version of the same lens. For what? A new mount and a programmable ring that will likely never be switched out of manual focus mode by the majority of its users?

It looks like Nikon is taking a leaf out of the Pentax playbook, by simply utilising Tamron’s designs and massively inflating the price. If Nikon really does want to turn the tide and start making money again, charging their users 50% more for Z mount versions of third-party E mount lenses probably isn’t the best way to do it. But, at least they’re not threatening other lens manufacturers.

The Nikon Nikkor Z 17-28mm f/2.8 lens is available to pre-order now for $1,199 and is expected to start shipping in late October.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Leica launches their new 24-70mm f/2.8 L and it looks like a rehoused Sigma Art lens Tamron launches the $900 17-28mm f/2.8 for Sony E-mount Interfit’s new Honey Badger strobe looks an awful lot like AlienBee’s DigiBee Nikon announces new 28mm f/1.4E wide lens, 8-15mm full frame Fisheye and budget friendly 10-20mm DX lens

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: 18-28mm f/2.8, Gear Announcement, Lens Announcement, Nikkor Z, Nikon, Tamron, Z Mount

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« This adorable tiny toy camera actually takes photos and video
The Panasonic GH6 will be able to record directly to a USB SSD one week from today »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Tourists fight over a photo spot at famous Pedra do Telégrafo
  • iPhone 15 Pro Max: First impressions
  • Blackmagic’s new app turns your iPhone into a cinema camera (kinda)
  • Nikon announces Zf shortage (Surprise!)
  • Finally! Sennheiser EW-DP SKP plug-on transmitter offers 32-bit float recording

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy