sgingram wrote in message <35044C90.2C22@venus.uwaterloo.ca>...
>Tae Joon Park wrote:

>> I'm considering to buy new set of a camera and lenses and I'm interested in
>> wide angle lenses. I found canon is producing 17-35mm f2.8 zoom lens but
>> nikon doesn't. Is this because nikon doesn't have enough technology to make
>> one or some other reason(s)?

>Canon has a wider range of EOS AF lenses than Nikon, but Nikon is
>catching up (slowly with Silent Wave).

>If you like wide, then zooms are going to be more difficult to make,
>more prone to flare etc. The Tokina 17mm ATX is highly recommended if
>you are looking for this fl.


I recently had an opportunity to try a 17mm Tokina ATX, and to compare it
with the Nikkor 20mm f2.8. Alas, it was not up to my standards, and never
(at any stop) got as sharp as the Nikkor is by f5.6. Also, the area
covered (and angle of view) were so nearly identical in the two lenses
(which is why I sold my 18mm Nikkor when I bought the 20...), that I think
it makes more sense to go for high image quality and buy the Nikkor 20mm
f2.8 (used, these are not a lot more than the 17mm Tokina new, or the
various relatively poor off-brand short zooms). Heck, a moderately-priced,
really wide, really good lens exists for Nikon - why fight it? ;-)