Customer Reviews

Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8D AF Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Am a freelance journalist and some of my assignments require pictures along with text. Have been shooting and writing for a living for about 8 years.

Have had this lens since 1996 and have used it extensively for film. Since Nov 2006. I finally bit the bullet and made the transition to Digital (Nikon D80). In 35mmm film format, this lens was my "standard" on-camera lens on a Nikon N90s (had a Nikon 50mm f1.8 on a Nikon FM2 as backup). The 35-70mm produced really sharp images, especially above f5.6.

Was seriously considering the popular Nikon 18-200 VR but decided to test out my 35-70mm F2.8D before committing to DX glass.

Was pleasantly surprised at the quality this lens offers for the digital format.

It is razor sharp above f5.6 and even at f2.8, gives decent results. I have had no complaints from my clients in 8 years of shooting professionally with this lens. The new 10.2 mp sensor is supposed to be very demanding in terms of the optics it is mated with but I feel this lens has more than met expectations.

With the 1.5 telephoto effect of the digital sensors in current Nikon DSLRs, this lens acquires a 52.5mm to 105mm (in digital) focal range. It is a pretty decent portrait lens with very nice bokeh. Macro ability is an added bonus.

Colour capture is truly excellent, with little chromatic aberration and/or fringing. Contrast is outstanding and there is no noticeable distortion.

Build quality is excellent. This lens is constructed like a piece of military use hardware - tough tough tough; yet its heft only adds to the tactile experience that oozes Nikon quality. No major plastic bits to "cheapen" the experience. But I don't intend dropping this baby to test its robustness though!

All in all the real world results and build quality speak for themselves. Very good value for money.

I highly recommended this lens, if you have one, don't let it go. If you're looking to buy one, good luck.

I'm quite sure there'll be no regrets.

This is probably the best value out there for a professional level Nikon lens. It is my favorite lens and most of my best pictures have been taken with it. I consider it to be my lucky lens, in fact, for that reason.

Pros: Excellent contrast and clarity and virtually no pincushion at any focal length. Beautiful optics/output at a professional level. Market value extremely low, relatively speaking of course. (that last one of course is a pro for a buyer. for a seller I guess it would be a con)

Cons: Telescopic (AKA "push-pull") focal length adjustment takes more time and energy and is more herky-jerky, weighs about a ton, and the bokeh is so good it's almost too much in certain instances!

The cons here are really just getting into minutia for the sake of being thorough and objective. This lens is a slam dunk for the price it can be found regularly on the used market. I picked up this lens for exactly 1/5 of the price of the much lauded 17-35mm or 17-55mm "photojournalist" lenses. I realize the focal length range of 35-70mm is not as desired for many people as the 17-35mm or the 17-55mm, but at 1/5 the price c'mon! I am not able at this stage to afford the 17-35mm/17-55mm or I might have bought it instead, but I really don't feel like I got the short end of the stick by any means. This lens holds its own just fine thank you very much. Plus, I rarely have the need to shoot at a focal point less than 35mm. The vast majority of my work is between 35mm and 55mm. Also, I would be very surprised if the optics of the 17-35mm is noticeably better than this lens, at least by 99% of people looking at it. The output quality of this lens really is beautiful. When I first got the lens I spent several hours trying to find a place where I could be disappointed with the output, even zooming in with Photoshop to super close ranges. I was not able to disappoint myself. I found no negative issues with the optics/output of this lens then, and I still haven't at this point. If I do in the future I promise I will come back and edit this review, so if you are reading this now I haven't found any yet!

I got this lens 2nd hand at about USD$300, and I love it! This f/2.8 lens is sharp and contrasty. The 35-70mm range translates to 52.5-105mm in the 1.5 crop factor format. It is like having 3 portrait lenses in 1, i.e. the 50mm, 85mm and 105mm. At the 35mm end is the ability to press a knob and go into macro mode, which is useful when you need it. Compared to the Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 lens, this lens is a mere fraction of the price, may not have the silent wave motor, but it produces comparable pictures.

I wanted a good mid range zoom that offered speed and low light capability for action photography. I shoot mainly martial arts and in our studio the lighting can get a little tricky. I did my research and dreamed of buying the Nikon 24-70mm at $1800 or the 28-70mm f2.8 at about $1400. What I discovered is that this lens the 35-70mm f2.8 was Nikon's best mid range zoom for over a decade throughout the 90's. Also, at a fraction of the price (bought mine used for $320) offering the same optical performance and image quality as the lenses mentioned above. I just couldn't resist. Yes the lens is a little old school with the push/pull type zoom. Also, it doesn't have the zoom range, but for the money who cares? The macro feature is kind of cool but I don't really use it. This a great all around carry lens and I consider it pretty light compared to the others mentioned above. Don't get me wrong this lens is built like a tank and it's reassuring knowing that there's nothing but quality Nikon glass inside. If money is an issue this is the best bang for your buck!

Just an update to the review I recently covered an NBA basketball game. It was the Clippers vs Pacers. To my surprise I was given a full press pass and was allowed to sit on the floor under the basket with the pro photogs. Needless to say this lens more the exceeded my expectations. Super fast focusing and was able to capture all the action.

I got this lens as a functional and economical alternative to the AF-S 24-70mm and 28-70mm Nikkor lenses as my standard lens. Boy, did I underestimated the value I was getting into; this thing is a beauty both performance as well as construction.

Cons - Slower and not as quiet AF without sonic motor (AF-S), 62mm vs the standard 77mm for contemporary Nikkor pro lenses, a tad heavy (heavier than it looks), doesn't go below 35mm focal length.

Pros - Sharp pictures, metal and sturdy construction, macro mode with extreme close-ups (<10")

As with all Nikkor lenses, this thing is built solid and great optics. Being a new amature photographer, this thing brought both pride of ownership to a piece of art as well as being able to appreciate the craftmanship of another era (90's). I love the pictures I've gotten from this lens, and it has become de facto lens for portraits and general use. For the money I saved from going to the 28-70 or 24-70, I'm ready for a ultra wide-angle lens to complete my lens kit.

Superb image quality, amazing sharpness, excellent contrast and colors. Focuses quickly on my D50 and with little trouble. The macro mode works great and is a nice addition. The focal range makes it nice for a walkaround lens. Sharp even at f/2.8.


My only complaint is the weight of it, the lens is a tank. But all the good things definitely outweigh the bad. Well worth the $$$.

I've posted a bunch of images taken with this lens here on this page. I am a big fan of prime lenses and very picky about the image quality. I have been seriously taking picture for 40 years and this is my first zoom lens that I purchased and I am not disappointed.

Although I saw quite a few very good reviews on the new Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 ED IF lens which can cover more area, After serious considerations, I still will not letting this one go. The full size images look a lot better than the ones that got shrinked (re-sized) and posted here. If I need to cover more area, I will use my 20mm lens for that.

Other than the optic quality, the lens is very well built. It feels heavy given that it doesn't look that big. I usually carry two cameras. This one is now attached to one of my cameras at all time.

Marvelous lens. It is wonderfully sharp and gives colors depth and density rather than lollipop saturation.

First off, I didn't buy this lens on Amazon, but got it cheaper used through ebay. This lens is great. I used it on my D40 to take shots at Christmas. Took absolutely amazing and sharp pictures, and I'm only a beginner. The 2.8 aperture meant I didn't need the flash indoors and still got decent shutter speeds. It is a little soft wide open, but honestly, what lens isn't. This lens does add some weight to your camera, but that's only because of it's solid metal body. The macro setting does an OK job. It's not as good as a dedicated macro obviously, but gets the job done if you need it. I highly recommend purchasing this lens soon. They have been discontinued and the price is only going to go higher the longer you wait.

I got this lens on a whim off Ebay for a "buy it now" price of $250 and originally thought that I had spent too much for an old looking, old-school Nikon lens. Boy, was I wrong! The previous owner must have underestimated this lens' value because I would've paid twice that amount if I had known then what I know now about this lens. I have used this on a D90 & D50 and this little fella shines on both. I love shooting portraits, group shots, and more creative subjects with this lens. Wide open, the bokeh is amazing for portraits, and stopped down slightly, the pictures are razor sharp. It just goes to show that you can still get great glass on a budget if you are smart, and in my case, sometimes wisdom comes accidentally. I can't imagine that the newer & extremely expensive Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens can do much better.