Customer Reviews

Nikon 35mm f/2D AF Wide-Angle Nikkor Lens for Nikon 35mm and Digital SLR Cameras

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really wanted to love this lens, but instead I just like it. Perhaps I can explain some of the reasons for that in a moment, but first the positives.

I think this is a beautifully-made little gem of a lens. I love the way it's put together and the way it feels in use. These AF-D lenses were strongly criticized for their build when they first came out, by photographers who were then used to the heavy, all-metal construction of the AI/AI-S Nikkors. A little time having now passed, the light, undamped, nearly frictionless feel of the focus ring seems just about perfect to me. The aperture diaphragm has a flawless, beautifully symmetrical action, and the overall heft and appearance of the lens is substantial and gives an impression of very good quality at this lens' modest price point. I very much like having it on my camera. It is small, unobtrusive, and gives the classic "normal" field of view on DX bodies such as my D90. It is, as others have said, a true "photographer's lens."

It is also sharp, in fact its single distinguishing characteristic in my opinion is its very good sharpness at wide-open aperture. All lenses lose acuity at wide apertures, but this lens loses less than most, being nearly as sharp at f/2.8 as it is at f/5.6, and still quite good wide open at f/2.0. I have no qualms at all about putting this lens on my camera in low-light conditions and using it at any aperture right up to the maximum, even if I might want to make fairly large prints of the resulting images. One could nitpick to a degree (always stop down when sharpness is paramount), but I find the results absolutely acceptable and then some. A very good performance.

Actual peak (stopped-down) sharpness is very good but not quite equal to the best I've seen. Taking a variety of test shots with this lens and with my excellent 16-85mm VR zoom set at 35mm (this has become my reference lens for such purposes), the 16-85mm VR has an appreciable edge over the 35mm at all apertures it is capable of (f/4.5+). It's really hard to see the relevance of small differences in sharpness like this unless you are going to be printing large reproductions and expecting critical perfection, but the difference is there, and it definitely favors the 16-85. The 16-85mm is as sharp at f/4.5 as the 35mm is at f/8, and the 35mm never reaches the slightly higher level of sharpness that the 16-85mm can attain by f/5.6. The difference is naturally larger at wider apertures, and the 16-85, shooting with VR "on," can make far sharper images of static subjects in low light than the 35mm is capable of producing. This advantage does not carry over to objects in motion, however, an advantage that goes to any "fast" prime lens like this 35mm.

The 35mm is not a high-contrast lens. It does not use Nikon's contrast-enhancing ED glass in any of its elements, and colorful scenes are subtly toned-down by this lens in comparison to Nikon's most contrasty lenses. Again my 16-85mm is my standard in this regard, and comparing the two against one another, colors that leap off the screen when photographed with the 16-85 are less brightly rendered by this 35mm, with the difference actually being fairly significant. Although this can be a good thing with some subjects, I prefer the more dramatic color rendition of the higher-contrast lenses for the types of general photography I am inclined to use a 35mm lens for.

Overall, this is a fine lens. It has similar characteristics to the also-very-good 85mm f/1.8 AF-D Nikkor, and yet I find myself much more attached to the 85mm, which I love, than to the 35mm. Why? It really has to do with the particular benefits of these lenses being more relevant in the longer focal length. Depth-of-field isolation, for example, is a very attractive creative possibility with an 85mm lens, yet almost a contradiction in a 35mm lens, which naturally has a very wide depth of field. Such isolation is particularly helpful in portraits, for which the 85mm is well suited, the 35mm less so. The less aggressive color renditions can likewise be beneficial in photos of people, as skin tones are nicely reproduced and distracting colorful elements within the frame are less noticeable: again, less relevant in the 35mm focal length.

The ability to stop action with short shutter speeds, another purview of fast lenses, also is of limited usefulness in a 35mm lens. Kids playing close by, perhaps, but animals and sports? Not really. Finally there is the realm of low-light photography, where for still subjects, a slower lens with VR remains the better choice, allowing the maintenance of smaller apertures for broader depth and improved sharpness.

The result: for me, at least, only a limited set of minor niches exist for which the 35mm becomes the best choice: low light photography of moving subjects, occasional uses where narrow depth of field might be desirable in its focal range, and scenes of a type which benefit from its subtler color rendition.

The reality is that prime lenses used to be a photographer's first choice because they simply gave better image quality than zooms - but zooms have come a long, long way and that is simply no longer the case today, at least not with this particular lens. What that means for my own photography is that I have to invent reasons to use this lens in place of my standard zoom, and when I do I invariably wind up taking it off again fairly quickly, because so much flexibility is lost with little compensation and because the less contrasty images simply don't have quite the impact that the 16-85mm VR can reliably produce.

This lens does earn each of its four stars for its very solid performance in all areas, but unlike the 85mm f/1.8 I am not inclined to treat it any more generously than that. It is a fine lens, but, for me, does not quite have the "must have" status that some others give it.

Notes:

- Nikon has recently announced a 35mm f/1.8 AF-S prime for DX that will probably prove to be a much better choice for almost anybody shooting that format. Its optics will likely be optimized for high linear resolutions within the smaller DX image circle, and it may well turn out to be good enough to knock our socks off. No mention of ED glass in the literature, so we'll have to see if it turns out to be a high-contrast lens like many of the better/newer Nikkors. It's very reasonably priced. I have one on order and will likely post a review once I've had a chance to use it a while.

- Because this is not a "G" type lens (meaning it has an aperture ring), and because it fits the FX/film format as well as DX, those who use more than one of these formats or who have older film cameras could benefit from this lens' versatility and might find it to be an excellent choice.

- Focus is very quick and perfectly accurate on my sample.

- Early copies of this lens commonly suffered from a problem with oil on the diaphragm blades. I haven't heard any references to this being an issue on newer samples. Be particularly aware if you are buying this lens used, especially if the particular sample's age/history is uncertain.

- This lens has both a distance scale and a very good depth-of-field scale, unfortunately a rare feature on newer designs. The new DX version looks to have neither, which could be of some importance for anybody needing to choose between the two. On the other hand, the AF-S lens will allow immediate manual-focus over-ride, whereas the older AF-D lens requires that its user flip a switch on the camera body to go from auto- to manual-focus.

Light, fast, sharp, and as far as I'm concerned the perfect focal length.

I started out using 50mm primes, but quickly got tired of how tight they were indoors. All my shots were becoming head/shoulder shots, and forget about trying to get two or three people in the shot without them all being posed in an "everyone squeeze together now" shot. That gets real old, real fast.

Let me emphasize that:
This lens has a much better field of view at normal shooting distances (the distance that you normally stand from your subject).

That is often overlooked, but trust me, backing up 15 feet in a crowd or a house to get your shot is tedious at best, and often impossible. It is typically easier to move in towards your subject a little (or crop the photo later) than it is to keep backing up, especially while looking into the viewfinder. I realize it's not totally fair to rate other equally sharp, good quality lenses differently, based solely on their focal length, but it is my opinion that this lens is by far the most useful in the greatest number of situations.

I also used to be fixated on huge apertures, but have since realized that most real world shooting is not done below f/2 anyway. This lens is sharp as anything out there and is great in low light. Yes, I acknowledge that f/2 isn't quite as good in super low light as other lenses out there (I know because I have a 50mm f/1.2), but it is good enough for most shooting, and below f/2 the depth of field becomes tricky anyway; so again, not as useful.

Lastly, some people don't like the plasticy feel of new lenses, but I love them. They are so much lighter and silky smooth. I've seen enough heavy, gummy, brassed-up, metal lenses in my time to know there's nothing magical about all-metal builds either. So to me it's just another modern improvement that works like a charm.

Most that I've seen tend to resell online for 90%+ of full retail value, so even if you somehow didn't like it, your risk in buying and trying is very low.

...

The 35mm f/2 AF is something of a hidden gem among Nikon lenses. It's a moderate wide angle for 35mm film cameras and a 53mm-equivalent normal lens for APS-C format digital SLRs. Either way it's a great lens to have. If you're a traditionalist you will love it. Mounted on a DSLR it is just like owning a 35mm film camera with a 50mm lens. You may even wish to substitute the kit lens with one of these if you're buying a D80 or D200. If you are really set on a normal DSLR lens the only real alternative to the Nikon 35mm f/2 is the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, which is one stop faster, but is also larger, heavier, more expensive and optically less good at f/2 and beyond.

If you're a technophile the Nikon 35mm is a little harder to justify. It is a plastic-barrelled fixed focal length lens with no SWM or VR. For a bit more money you can get the excellent Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8, which is just about as sharp and only one stop slower. For a lot more money you can get the vaunted Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR. But the Nikon 35mm f/2 has a certain elegance to it nonetheless: it's fast, sharp, lightweight, focuses down to a very close 25cm and is relatively inexpensive. It's ideal for environments where you can move back and forth a bit to frame your subject and you don't feel like carrying around a lot of heavy gear.

I purchased this lens to use on my Nikon D300. On the D300 this lens gives a standard field of view close to 50mm. It is light weight and made of plastic and easy to keep in a vest pocket. Center sharpness is good, edge sharpness is not as good wide open. The construction is not professional grade; however, I've used it quite a bit and it seems to be okay in every situation I've tried. Autofocus speed is good and quiet. The manual focus mechanism is smooth and acceptable. Bokeh is acceptable but nothing dramatic. It has a manual aperture adjustment ring and ring lock. I've also tried this lens on my Canon bodies using an adapter. On a full frame body this lens is fairly sharp wide open and vignetting is well controlled, so if you own a Nikon D3, it should work fine. I did notice a bit of corner softness on the full frame bodies. It also has mild chromatic aberration on the edges, but not excessive. For the price, it's a good prime lens and will give you as good a result as any zoom lens at 35mm. If you need better optics, you'll have to spend quite a bit more, but shooting as a professional photographer, I'd have no qualms taking this lens to any job that required this focal length.

Sharp as a tack wide open. The manual focus ring operates smooth as silk, unlike some other Nikon lenses. My copy backfocuses ever so slightly on test charts, but in the real world focuses flawlessly. Quality built in Japan. This is a must have for a DSLR.

I agree that Nikon should make a 35mm f/1.4D, or better yet a 28mm f/1.4D. The f/1.8 (the 50mm) and f/2.0 (the 35mm) just barely squeek by as usable for available light street photography at night, unless you go to an ISO over 400 (which on my D80 is at the limit of usable at night in terms of noise).

I needed a lens that is small and decreases the overall bulk of the camera. This lens is the one. It has a wide range of applications...I use it for candid photography, portraits, landscapes, and architecturals. It can even focus as close as 5 inches from the subject to the front of the lens barrel. It is moderately sharp compared to a 35mm Summicron lens, which is the very best there is. It's nowhere near as flat as the famous Pentax "pancake" lens, or the excellent Minolta 45mm pancake lens, but it weighs the same. I recommend this lens if you want to travel light and not give up any quality.

I typically don't bother writing reviews, but in this case I decided to since one reviewer felt compelled to "review" this lens and unfairly give it 1 star. The lens performs exactly as advertised, pictures are very sharp with good contrast. Focusing is a bit loud but I really don't care about that. Definitely soft at 2.0, but sharpness significantly increases as you stop down. I bought the Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens at the same time and I am currently testing both out to see which one I will keep. If it weren't for the fact that the 50mm is just too much zoom I would say it's a keeper hands down, but the 35mm is perfect for indoor and family shots. Amazon really needs to screen some of the reviews a bit better than they do. With 8 reviews, 7 of which give it 4-5 stars and 1 review gives it 1 star, that really throws off it's grade. Especially when the reviewer makes it so abundantly clear that they don't know what they are talking about. Anybody who has been in the dSLR world for any amount of time at all knows that there is a crop factor involved, as well as the fact that this lens isn't even compatible with the d40 (in the sense that it won't auto-focus). The lens performs great, but you have to do your homework before you buy something like this. It would be like me reviewing a roll of film and giving it one star becasue it doesn't work with my D200.

I purchased this excellent optic to fill the need for a fast lens that was less expensive than the great 17-55. The 35 f2 fits the bill superbly. The build is good, but not up to pro standards, the the optical performance is. This is a very sharp, lightweight lens with a very fast F2 maximum aperture.

The only thing is that you have to zoom with your feet a few steps forward or backward in most instances to equal a much more expensive zoom. For that trade-off, you get a slightly sharper, faster, lighter solution. Great for travel. Leave it on most of the time.

This lens focuses very close for a non macro allowing stunning flower shots with beautiful bokeh. I also use it along with my 85 f1.4 for portrait shots. You have to get really close, but that's a special perspective. It has a wonderful color rendition as well as being very contrasty. I would put it slightly less than the 85 f1.4, but it's a third the price.

The only downside is that it is an AFD lens and won't autofocus with the D40, D40x, or D60, but is extremely fast focusing on a D80 or D300. One upside is that if you decide to move to FX (full frame) digital photography, this lens will work nicely.

In summary, the Nikon 35 f2 is a real bargain, especially for those of us who prefer the quality of top notch prime lenses.

I love this lens on my D300. It is 52.5mm on a 1.5x crop factor camera and gives great colors and contrast. I prefer this lens over the 50mm f/1.8, and it is sharp and focuses fast. This lens has a 7 blade aperture and is able to produce a nice bokeh.

Seems that much of the discussion about this lens centers upon how sharp the 35 f2 D is wide-open. So as soon as mine arrived I put it to an informal test, setting the D300 to aperture priority and the lens at f2 and shooting more than 200 images at various distances. I opened them in Nikon Capture NX2 and examined them with a critical eye, looking for softness, both overall and in areas of detail. I found nothing - the images are beautiful, crisp and sharp at the point of focus, with smooth, out-of-focus backgrounds. I found it to be sharp hand-held in the 1/15-1/20 range, with the comfortable 'normal' angle of view of a 50mm on a film camera. At $300, it doesn't quite match the 50 1.8 in pro quality at a bargain price, but - along with the superb 85 1.8 and the 50 1.4 - is the next best bang for the buck in Nikon's lens line.