Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G

Review Date
July 23, 2009

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by
ahmtyldrm , Intermediate

Price Paid
$310.00 at istanbul

Photography Experience
6-10 years , Outdoor

Summary
Photos of this lens are not as deep contrasted clean as those of Sigma 30mm f/1.4's.
I had quite some troubles also with that one because of it's focusing dilemmas. When I tried manual focusing it could give stunning photos. I didnt expect that much from Nikkor 35mm but my mind was set to the expectancy of a regular lens. Nikkor 35mm works smooth. But I had to coreect its front focusing with fien tuning.

Strengths
Light weight fast rugged lens.

Weaknesses
Mine was front focusing. I fine tuned it 10+. As a prime I would like it to be more ambitious as regards to IQ. But money kils everything.

Similar Products Used
Sigma 30mm F/1.4

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Review Date
July 22, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.50 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by
aghaffari , Intermediate

Price Paid
$210.00 at malaysia

Photography Experience
2-5 years , Outdoor

Summary
This lens is great. you can use it as a light weight kit lens. from the time I got this lens I don't use my 18-70. I carry my camera everywhere and having a lens like this is a gift. you can use without worrying about blured photo in 1.8.
for Sigma 1.4 you need to go to f 2 even 4 to get a sharp photo. for this lens you can have a razor sharp photo in f 2.
It doesn't look a cheap lens like 18-55 series. the built quality is not same is high end Nikons but is still very good.

Strengths
Light weight
Cheap price
built quality

Weaknesses
I wish it was a FX not DX but in that case we had to pay more that 1000 USD

Similar Products Used
Nikon 60 macro
Nikon 50 1.8

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Review Date
June 4, 2009

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.75 of 5, 4 votes

Reviewed by
Franglais , Expert

Price Paid
$220.00 at Photo Cirque Paris

Photography Experience
21+ years , People

Summary
I was very pleased when Nikon released this “normal-available-light” for DX format. This is the equivalent of a 50mm on 24x36 film, as used by generations of street photographers, usually on Leica (example: Henri Cartier-Bresson).

This is my favorite sort of lens for going people hunting in cities. A city is a fascinating place, a melting pot of cultures with interesting faces on every street, inside exhibitions, shops, houses, subways, during the day, at night. Getting an image of just part of this is delicate. It needs a small, non-aggressive camera and lens able to work in low light at a distance a 6-10 feet. (BTW the same technique works also for impromptu snapshots of family without flash)

The 35mm f1.8 DX is short and surprisingly wide but it fits perfectly on a small-bodied DSLR like the D60 and makes the camera look much classier than it really is. The lens hood is excellent – for carrying about it fits snugly over the lens in reversed position. If you need to be really quick in taking a shot you can use the lens without reversing the hood – the hood covers the focusing ring but not the zoom ring (there isn’t one). Focusing is fast and silent, with the possibility to retouch manually instantly.

In real-life shooting the 35mm always seems to be sharp all across the frame with no light fall-off or flare. I have only once noticed a violet fringe (chromatic aberration) shooting against the light at full aperture.

When I testes the lens against my huge 28-70 f2.8 AF-S the 35mm has better resolution at all apertures in the center but is less good in the corners. It also seemed that there was some light fall-off in the corners at f1.8 which disappeared at f2? I would say the performance is excellent but not perfect

Strengths
Cost
Size and weight
Image quality
Speed (and silence) of autofocus
Maximum aperture
Lens hood
The look of the thing

Weaknesses
Chromatic aberration in extreme conditions
Definition falls off towards the edges
Light fall-off at f1.8?

Similar Products Used
50mm f2 Leica (on film)
28mm f2.8 Nikon
35mm f2 Nikon (broken - can't compare)
28-70mm f2.8 AF-S Nikon

Customer Service
Haven't needed it

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