Nikkor 17-35/2.8 AF-S zoom ring stiffness question

The lens is about 2 months old and the zoom ring appears to be too

smooth, smoother than I would like it to be. On top of that the

resistance felt on turning the zoom ring is not uniform - its least

going from 17mm to 20mm, and increases gradually from 24 to 35.

Curiously, the orientation of the lens also matters. When held

vertically with the front element facing down, its stiff between 17

and 20, but loosens up a little going from 24 to 20. Facing upward,

the resistance uniformly decreases from 35 to 17. <p>

 

The other day I walked into a local camera store and handled another

sample of the 17-35. It appeared to have uniform resistance from end

to end. Anbody experienced this problem? Should I return it to B&H

and ask for a different sample ? <br>

Thanks.

I would suspect that after two months a store would tell you to send it to Nikon for warranty service.

Well I am not even sure there is anything wrong. It could just be sample variation. I would like to hear from others who have owned/handled this lens how the zoom ring felt in terms of stiffness.

I have a two year old lens that does the same thing. Never noticed it until you mentioned it. There are no problems that I've noticed with this lens. It could be a variation in production, or maybe just the way the internal focus system works.

I will tell you if mine handles the same.

The zoom operation is perfectly smooth in my 17-35/2.8, and other Nikon zoom lenses as well. This lens sounds like a candidate for factory repair or replacement. It may not affect optical performance (although I would be suspicious) but it is not the quality you'd expect in a lens of this class.

It's entirely normal. I've had 2 17-35f/2.8s, and they both do this. Not only is this normal, but unevenness and orientation dependency of zoom resistance is to be expected from a wide angle large aperture zoom like the 17-35. In this type of lens, 3 different element groups move independently and non-linearly during zoom. To achieve nonlinearity the zoom ring is coupled to the groups in a way as to vary the mechanical advantage depending on focal length. This is why the stiffness changes during zooming. If the movement of the groups can be assisted by gravity, the zoom ring will turn easier. This is why the zoom stiffness is dependent upon orientation. At least one group typically reverse its direction of movement during zoom, this adds to the unevenness of zoom resistance.

I just got mine, there is no difference at any focal length.

 

I cant wait to go shoot with this lens! :)

 

I would ask for another sample. For sure!

Thanks Chuck, it makes sense and is just what I wanted to hear.

Thanks to others for their responses too.

<p>Chuck Fan is dead on accurate!</p>

<p>Mine after not being used awhile showed uneven movement, this disappeared completely after some use and returned to regular smoothness. The motor whistles, though, but has not yet given up... </p>