Fix 17-35 or get 18-35?

[hotrod4x5]

My 17-35 f2.8 was dropped and now focus is sporadic, sometimes not working, other times, sort of working. It also has a slight dent in the front ring. I am trying to decide if it is worth fixing or should I get the new 18-35 which all the tests, like DxO, show it to be a better lens. 

I would  not miss the  2.8 as I mainly would use it for landscapes and when I used the 17-35 for events, I almost never shot it wide open. I shoot with a D300 and D800, so the extra sharpness of the newer lens would definitely be seen in my D800 shots.

I guess I need to get a free estimate on the 17-35 to decide...

Any experiences with the 18-35 that people would like to share?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The latest incarnation of the 18-35 is an excellent performer if the sheer speed of the 17-35 is not required.

[Erik Lund]

The dent in the aluminum housing says: New lens housing - Expensive these are old lenses by now also most of them,,, Don't drop lenses please

[hotrod4x5]

Thanks for the replies you guys. Yeah, I am afraid the repair cost will be over $300. I know that is still less than the new 18-35 but I would still not have the newest technology. I guess I need to send it in and get the estimate.

[PedroS]

The latest incarnation of the 18-35 is an excellent performer if the sheer speed of the 17-35 is not required.

+1

[Erik Lund]

Most likely they will change the AFS motor as it was troubled on the 17-35mm AFS 2.8 - many had the 'squeak',,,

[Jakov Minić]

Mine squeaked, and I changed the motor. It cost me about 600 Euros.
If I were to get something new, I wouldn't bother with a wide angle zoom, I would buy the 20/1.8G. One step forward - one step back and you've covered the zoom range more or less. The fact that it would be lighter and faster wouldn't hurt at all; not to mention the improved overall image quality

[pluton]

About two years ago, my 17-35 was not dropped, but the focus froze up while it sat in a drawer...(!?!).  Nikon did a "kitchen sink" overhaul and it cost US$450.

[Erik Lund]

"kitchen sink" overhaul what is that Sten?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

They called in a plumber to do the dirty work?

[richardHaw]

the 17-35 along with other earlier nikkors with AFS motors are expensive to fix because their motors are expensive 
it might be a misaligned drive, or better, just a ribbon or wire got stuck in between the cams or whatever. just listen for it and feel. the earlier nikkor AFS lenses are known to be weak (easily broken) so i avoid them. i am not sure if this has changed in later production models. such troublesome models are the 17-55 and the 80-200

[pluton]

By a "kitchen sink overhaul" is meant that nearly everything possible to have been done... was done.
In my case, I felt that the Nikon service center had done more service than perhaps was necessary.  Unfortunately, I am not allowed to talk with the actual technicians, so I'll never know why they replaced all the parts that they did.
It is my contraction of the well-known(in North America, sorry! ) idiom "...everything but the kitchen sink."
Explanation here:
http://www.knowyourphrase.com/phrase-meanings/Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink.html

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Ah. Nothing like the idioms to throw the uninformed off the track.

Still like the idea of calling for the plumber though to give the lens a thorough work-over.

[Edgy01]

When I see these sorts of posts I have to ask--do you guys fail to insure your gear?  If something of mine takes a tumble, gets drenched in salt spray, etc., I call my insurance company.

Dan

[richardHaw]

what puzzles me is that Nikon should have made an improved version of that motor. shouldnt the later production ones have an improved motor?