Hi guys,

i'm new here.... new because i just moved from Canon to Nikon.

Tempted by the darkside.. maybe so.

A little introduction, i've been shooting with canon for years. Started with the Xti then i got the 5D Mark II paired with a 24-70L f2.8 (constant).

About few days ago, i bought the Nikon D300s and now in process to buy the lense. Took me few days to sell all my Canon gears, lense, flash, etc..
Now that i have some green left, i need a Nikon lense but just 1. I don't need super zoom for what i do.

As i am typing this, i am negociating a price for a used AF DX 17-55 F2.8.
Sorry about the terms, i'm still not sure what all those AF-S DX mean..

The guy is selling a 2nd hand 17-55mm F/2.8 about 1 year old with the both caps, sunhood and the box for about 1K

The option i have is a used AF 35-70 F/2.8 (D version). There are some noticable dust inside, you can see that the lense is very old. probably over 12 years old. But i tried the lense and it seems nice. I didn't notice anything wrong in the picture.

But because i don't know how to use a Nikon body i couldn't test anything serious to detect anything.

I know that i will have to read the manual book, it just that i got the D300s like 2 days ago and will require sometime to relearn the stuff. Except that 2nd 17-55mm fly and i need to make a decision right now. Should i buy a 17-55 f2.8 for 1k or an old 35-70mm f2.8 that is 12+ years old.
The field is not an issue. I can live with both. I just need to know which one is has the best natural picture in the end.
As for the type of shooting. I do lots of portrait outdoor and indoor low light.
I also travel alot and i need something that can handle daylight (beach photo)
because i also shoot moving objects i need something that can focus and refocus quick.

money is a small factor in my decision. I do not consider any other lense.. just those 2 for now,

Any input would help me a bunch. Tnx