yes I own the 24-70 2.8. very good lens. just wanted to get a little wider than 24mm. on a full frame, my 24-70mm will be a bit wider and I might not need any wider than that may be. I can't see the 17-35 being much more heavier than my 24-70. but then I haven't read all the specs on it. thanks again for the info.
Hi Mike- I would suggest in holding off in getting an ultra-wide angle lens for now if your ultimate goal is to go FX. The reason being is that once you have a FX and DX camera, you'll quickly realize that the 24mm on FX, which has an equivalent 16mm FOV on your D7000, is actually wide enough on most situation.
I have the Nikon 16-35mm f4 VR which is much more updated, cheaper and sharper than the 17-35mm f2.8 but it is one of my least used lens since the 24-70-200 gets most of the action. But if you must have one, I would suggest the 16-35mm instead.
If you haven't invested in a good tripod and ballhead yet, that might be another expensive purchase that can equal the lens purchase.