Review on Nikon 35mm f/2D AF Nikkor Lens by Boyan Malyakov ᠌

Name: Nikon 35mm f/2D AF Nikkor Lens
Item: Nikon 35mm f/2D AF Nikkor Lens
Rating: 4

July 06, 2023

Good and quality product, but there are flaws.

The lens was bought by me in Japan.
This is a reporter's fix - it focuses quickly, small and light.
Nice big picture.
May not suit sharpness on modern full-frame cameras, as well as misses on a fully open aperture.

Pros

1) Japanese embly on such an inexpensive lens. 2) Small and light. Does not outweigh the camera. At night, because of this, you can avoid stirring. 3) Very small MDF - about 15cm. 4) There is no frightening feeling of "disposability". 5) Lens fully expands at full frame. When switching from D90 to D700, the picture became softer and acquired a pleasant "volume". 6) The lens is not afraid of backlight or side light - in many cases a good UV filter is enough. In bright sunlight, you can not be afraid of hares, loss of sharpness and contrast. 7) Designed for cheap filters with a diameter of 52mm. 8) Fast focusing, but there is a nuance - there are misses in the open. 9) Very handy for reporting.

Cons

1) Not a very comfortable grip - the focus ring constantly rotates when the camera is in operation and do not put your palm from below, under the lens. 2) AF module misses at open f / 2.0 on full-frame cameras (on the D700, and even D3s). 3) May not suit "Nuts" in bokeh - a consequence of a small number of aperture blades. 4) Many old screwdriver (AF-D) fixes are not sharp (example Nikkor 28 / 2.8D). On 35 / 2D, on FF cameras, in order to get a sharp picture when shooting landscapes, you will have to twist the aperture. IMHO, working from f / 5.0 (better f / 5.6) and up to f / 9. When shooting cars or when reporting, sharpness is enough already from 4.0-5.0. Who has a modern FF camera and needs sharpness across the entire field of the frame - it's better to take the new Nikkor 35 / 1.8G (for FX) or 35 / 1.4G or fixes with this focal length from Tamron / Sigma. 5) The steel hood Nikon Lens Hood HN-3 for this lens is rare, it is NOT supplied with the lens (option! ) And it is not so easy to find it on sale. 6) An unpleasant and subjective nuance - during intensive work, when shooting several hundred frames a day in different conditions, there is a suion that the lens dust onto the matrix. The lens is not hermetic and fogs up during sudden changes in temperature and humidity.