NOTE: This article was first published over at nikonglass (https://goo.gl/BRNj8P) on the 28th May 2008
Back in the days when I was shooting Velvia film, the AF 35mm f/2D lens was one of my favorite lenses. Even with my first digital bodies (D70, D200) I used it as a low-light normal lens with great success. On DX, there is no visible distortion and it produces crisp images with clean colors. Easy to carry all day long while producing excellent images. Today things are a little different - digital cameras are more demanding and most cheap zooms covering the 35mm range seem to perform just as well if not better. Lets take a closer look at this old timer and how it performs on modern DX and FX bodies!
Notice how the inner barrel extends when focused close
First let’s get some specs out of the way. The AF 35mm f/2D lens has 6 elements in 5 groups and has shown to be a better optical performer than the earlier, manual-focus eight-element design which it replaced. It also focuses closer (0.25m) than the manual version. Like most of the small primes built in the 90’s, the AF 35mm f/2D lens is mainly made of plastic and is unobtrusive when mounted. Plus at 205gr it’s also very lightweight. The mount is chrome plated brass and the outer shells are polycarbonate and the inner shell protrudes when focusing up close without rotating so filters can be used. When compared to my wobbly Thailand built AF 50mm f/1.4D lens, the construction of the Japanese built AF 35mm f/2D lens feels much better with tighter tolerances and has no noticeable wobble. The manual focus ring feels OK, though to be able to use manual focusing effortlessly you would need a bright and clear 100% viewfinder as found in the D700 or D3. With darker viewfinders such as those on the smaller DX cameras, focusing is best performed by the cameras autofocusing. Overall the construction is good and has proven over the years to be very rugged. I once dropped my first copy of this lens 1.5 meters onto the ground (hard dirt and pebbles) and it survived without any hiccups.
There are a lot of reports of this lens having a problem with sticky aperture blades due to a change in the lubricant used. Some production runs of various Nikkor lenses between 1999 and 2000 used this faulty oil. I haven’t had this problem with this particular lens, but any authorized Nikon repair center can clean the blades and replace the lubricant. (Update 27/01/2011: My 35mm after a long time of storage is now showing signs of oil on the blades and is sticky resulting in overexposed images!)
Τhe AF 35mm f/2D lens has 6 elements in 5 groups and has shown to be a better optical performer than the earlier, manual-focus eight-element design which it replaced.
Wide open the performance doesn’t impress since some softness and light fall-off are evident towards the edges. Also contrast is low up to about f/2.8. Wide open produces a soft image resembling the effects of a dream filter. One click of the aperture dial to f/2.2 and the effect disappears with a large improvement both in contrast and in sharpness, but still far from being very good. Most users may want to avoid using this lens wide or near wide open and limit its range between f/4 and f/11 for best performance (for DX my range is f/4-f/8). From f/2.8 the optical performance starts to improve with f/4 being very good and excellent from f/5.6 to f/8. Also worthy of note, the smooth bokeh, which is very attractive with this lens even stopped down as far as f4.
Flaring: This little lens also performs very good in the flaring department with very little flaring and when it does flare, its only in a mild manner. For maximum performance when shooting towards the sun, it doesn't hurt to use the optional HN-3 hood and to remove any filters you may have fitted.
Chromatic aberrations: No CA’s to worry about, though most evident wide open.
Sharpness: As already mentioned, between f/5.6 and f/8 this lens can produce some stunning images, but then again most modern cheap zooms can do the same. Wide open results are a bit soft, though quite acceptable. One click to f/2.2 improves sharpness and from f/2.8 results are much better.
Distortion: You don't need to worry about distortion with this lens since its non detectable unless you shoot a brick wall. In such a case you may notice some slight barrel distortion that in most cases will go unnoticed. On the DX format cameras distortion becomes even less noticeable.
Vignetting: On the FX format cameras there is heavy light fall off when shooting wide open but it improves as you close down and isn't a problem once at f/4. On the DX format cameras, the darkening is noticeable wide open. It mostly goes unnoticed so I wouldn’t worry about it. From f/2.8 onwards it’s totally gone.
A quick grab shot at f/2.2 looks promising, but others perform better at this distance and aperture
A 100% screengrab at f/2.2. The result is pretty good after some contrast and sharpness have been added.
Today most small lenses are valued for their lightweight and unobtrusiveness as long as they can perform well. Unfortunately the AF 35mm f/2D lens, although sharp cannot compete. If you don’t already own the AF 35mm f/2D prime and are shopping for a low light wide angle performer to shoot your kid or pet, you are probably better off with the newer DX version. Yes, the AFS 35mm f/1.8DX on a D700/D3 body is quite usable for wide open shots when focused close up - take note of what I just wrote: up close! If you want to focus further away and close down the aperture then the DX version is definitely not for you, but for subjects within a couple of meters from the lens and shooting wide open then the DX 35mm f/1.8 lens can really perform on full frame!
If you are mainly into shooting landscapes then you are probably better off looking for a modern zoom. Even though it costs a couple hundred euro more, the AF 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D produces much better results (not considering the distortion). Overall, most modern Nikkor zooms that cover the 35mm focal length perform just as good if not better. Personally, I have replaced this old favorrite landscaping lens, first with the AFS 17-35mm f/2.8D and more recently with the AFS 16-35mm f/4 zoom. As you probably have figured out by now, this once lovely lens has aged gracefully and retired!
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