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Editorial Review Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras ... Read more Reviews 
Great for low light, great focal length for DX, and autofocus will also work with D40, D40x, D60, and D5000 cameras, May 24, 2009
This Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX lens produces sharp pictures and great color and contrast. It is also perfect for portrait and other general purposes (semi-macro etc). This lens also produces nice bokeh. The picture quality and bokeh quality are comparable with the other Nikon prime lenses (50mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4 AF-S etc) lens which are famous for being sharp. Overall, this is a very versatile lens. On a non full frame DSLR (such as D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D80, D90, D200, D300 etc), this 35mm focal length is equivalent to about 50mm which is considered a normal lens (normal as to being close to a person eye viewing angle perspective).
Many of us, including those who already own the 50mm prime, have been waiting for this lens (prime lens that has wider angle than the 50mm) for a long time, especially for non full frame DSLR owners that usually have about 1.5x magnification due to the smaller sensor size. Those 50mm lens on a non full frame DSLR is equivalent to 75mm which is often too much zoom for many situation. For example in a room where you can't keep backing up to compose your photos, or when taking picture of a group of people where you will need to move back a lot with the 50mm lens. This 35mm lens will solve that problem to some extent as this is a lot wider lens than the 50mm prime lenses. Having said that the 50mm prime lens is still a great lens. If you don't own any of the earlier version of the 50mm lens and wondering if you should get this 35mm or the 50mm, then I would recommend you to get this lens over 50mm, unless you know for sure that you need more zoom than the 35mm for your purpose, then you can go and buy the 50mm or 85mm (both available on f/1.4 or f/1.8).
This lens (DX lens) is not designed for a full frame camera (FX or Film). There will be light fall-off which is quite significant. If you have a full frame DSLR, you might want to get the 50mm f/1.4 AF-S, or the older 35mm f/2 AF-D lens instead.
Being a prime lens (this 35mm lens), you will need to move your feet a lot to compose your picture.
While this lens produces very sharp images at f/1.8, the corner show lower contrast. Sharpness and contrast increases further as you stop down to f/2, f/2.8 and f/4. Sharpness increases slowly after f/2.8 (i.e. at f/2.8 seems to be the optimal, without sacrificing too much speed)
The big plus with this lens over the older 35mm lens is the AF-S feature which is auto focus system that is internal to the lens, very fast and very silent. This lens will please a lot of people who currently own D40, D40x, D60, and D5000, as they now can benefit from the autofocus.
Another big win is the manual override on autofocus mode (M/A mode), which will allow us to change the focus without having to change the mode to manual mode (this is pretty standard to most Nikon newer lenses but it's quite new for Nikon prime lens series)
This lens doens't have image stabilization (VR), but that is kind of expected as Nikon also doesn't include VR on their new 50mm f/1.4 AF-S lens. It would be nice to have VR (for longer exposure handheld operation, and for people with less stable photography technique) but it will probably increase the size, weight and cost of this lens.
If you are wondering whether you should get a fast lens or a lens with VR (Vibration Reduction), here's my take: In overall, VR does help a lot (as it will reduce camera shake) and will produce better/sharper picture than equivalent lens without VR (especially if the object is static). If the object is moving fast (sports/action) then VR feature alone might not help (depending on how fast the object is moving and how much light is available), and a fast lens often end up being a far better solution, even without VR feature as it will allow much faster shutter speed to freeze motion. Using tripod (and a remote) will substitute for the need of VR feature. In general I would recommend getting a fast lens with VR feature (and usually it is expensive) such as the 70-200 f/2.8 VR, but if one can only get for one or the other, then find out what do you want to use the lens for and then use the guideline mentioned here.
If you are wondering whether you will get the benefit of buying f/1.4 lens over a f/1.8 lens, just remember that the f/1.4 lens is about 60% faster than f/1.8 at its widest aperture setting. With this information, you can decide if the additional speed will justify the additional cost. The bokeh is nicer as well in f/1.4 lens but I think speed is usually the main factor in deciding whether to get the more expensive f/1.4 lens.
Here are the summary of pros and cons for this Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S lens:
Pros:
1. AF-S AF-S AF-S (very fast focus, internal focus, and very silent)
2. M/A mode (manual focus override available on autofocus mode)
3. Very fast lens (f/1.8)
4. Very sharp pictures
5. Great for sport/action photography (though you might need more zoom)
6. Great for indoor and low light situation
7. Great for portrait
8. Bokeh is almost as good as many expensive Nikon tele-lens
9. Perfect for low light with no-flash event. However, also check out the following lens for low light photography: 17-35mm f/2.8, 24-70 f/2.8, 17-55mm f/2.8, 28-70mm f/2.8 or the the 50mm nikon prime lenses.
9. Great focal length (35mm). About 50mm equivalent which is a normal lens (If you need more zoom, you can get the Nikon 50mm or 85mm prime lens or 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens).
10. Did I already mention very fast and very silent focus? :)
Cons:
1. Being prime lens, you need to move your feet a lot to adjust/compose
2. Being a G lens (no aperture ring available), this lens will not work on manual focus camera where you need to set the aperture from the lens)
3. No VR. As VR will be useful for taking handheld shots on low light (especially if the object is somewhat static or if the photographer doesn't have steady hands when taking photograph)
4. Not designed for full frame cameras (FX or Film) where there will be siginificant light fall-off.
Bottom line: This lens is so versatile that I think everyone should own this lens in addition to all the lenses that they already have (even if they alredy have the 50mm prime lens). Being a very fast lens, it will allow people to take action shot in low light that otherwise wouldn't be able to be do. And now, with AF-S, there is nothing to dislike about this lens (though in my opinion, this lens might attract even more interest if it has a VR feature).
Happy Photographing!
Sidarta Tanu
Unassuming humble little jewel of a lens, October 23, 2009
Nikon has absolutely nailed it with this lens. A modest sum gets you exactly what you need in a lens, nothing you don't, and it works beautifully. It is relatively feature-rich at its price: cheap lenses, even from Nikon, often lack important features - but not here. Unlike other recent DX bargains this lens has Nikon's M/A focus setting, which allows automatic focus with instant manual over-ride. This is a simple and intuitive method of combining the ease and accuracy of AF with sometimes-necessary manual control, and Nikon has done users of this lens a great favor by including it, despite the low price. It also features, less importantly, a proper metal mount and a gasket to keep dust ingress from occurring through the camera/lens interface. A couple of items do remain absent: there is no focus distance scale, and as a consequence there is no depth-of-field scale, an unfortunate omission that is nevertheless justified at the price point. This is a bargain lens, a no-brainer for any photographer aspiring beyond the point-and-shoot level, and the lack of distance and depth scales are a reasonable trade-off.
What is clear to me in using this lens is that Nikon has put its money in exactly the right places to make this lens a star despite its price. There may be nitpicks here and there, but the optics, the coatings, the engineering, and perhaps most importantly the quality of the focusing system, are exactly what they need to be to allow this lens to make photographs that are the equal of those made by professional zooms costing in the thousands.
The important thing to keep in mind with this lens is that it is a relatively fast prime lens, and the most important quality of a fast prime is its ability to take photographs using a large aperture: without this ability there are any number of excellent consumer and professional zooms that are capable of doing the same job. Its essential distinguishing quality, then, is its ability to make images at apertures wider than f/2.8 or so, and at such large apertures there are two hurdles that a lens must overcome. The first is simply a matter of optics: most lenses, historically at least, have been made from an assemblage of spherically-ground lens elements. Spherical elements do a good job of approximating the perfect shape for a lens at smaller apertures and are used because they can be manufactured inexpensively - but at larger apertures, their spherical nature varies optically from perfection, leading to something called spherical aberration. This results in a lack of acuity, and sharpness, in the resulting image. The 35/1.8 uses an aspherical element (actually a hybrid aspherical for what it's worth) to correct this imperfection. The result, in this well-engineered example, is a lens that performs nearly as well at a wide-open f/1.8 aperture as at an optimal f/5.6 or f/8 aperture.
The other important hurdle in performance for a modern fast lens is the quality of the focusing system. This is more complicated than simply the lens itself, as it relies on electronics in both the lens and the camera body. Nevertheless the more I use Nikon's AF-S lenses - and have the opportunity to compare them with older and third-party technology - the more I am impressed by their performance. The difficulty is that at f/1.8, even with a "normal" (35mm for DX) lens, the depth of field is very narrow. The focusing system needs to be able to find focus within a very small margin of error, and just as importantly it needs to be able to alter focus in very small increments in response to minor changes in the position of the camera or subject. The requirement for accuracy is stringent enough that earlier generations of AF lenses, those which relied on motors in the camera body, tended to be somewhat clumsy in their ability to consistently maintain perfect focus. They would "hunt," requiring several back-and-forth adjustments to find perfect focus, and they would often either fail to respond or lose focus altogether when small adjustments were needed. Nikon's AF-S lenses comprise a significant technical advance in that they largely eliminate these problems. The AF-S motors, in combination with the in-camera focusing logic of Nikon's contemporary bodies, are able to make the small adjustments necessary to find and maintain focus even within small depths of field. They rarely hunt, they are typically very accurate, and the 35/1.8 seems to be as good as the best of them. This is important, because it allows the 35/1.8 get excellent, perfectly focused pictures while other lenses are trying to figure themselves out or are shooting pictures an inch or fractions of an inch out of perfection, often enough to ruin the shot.
These are the most important things to keep in mind, for most photographers, when looking for a fast "normal" lens. Everything else should be considered as well, but when it comes to the ability to make consistently good images with proper AF function, these are by far the most important points for this type of lens. Everything else, by comparison, is a minor detail.
As for those minor details, some do work against this lens. There are well-documented chromatic imperfections in the lens' performance. These are largely corrected by Nikon's electronics and by its software, but are apparent, if usually subtle, when these corrective elements are not used (for example, in lower-end camera bodies that do not correct for chromatic aberrations). It has a bit more distortion than you'll find in most "normal" primes, enough to be noticeable in photos with strong horizontal or vertical elements that pass through the majority of the frame. And its build quality is very much in the consumer range - light, plastic, and not necessarily of high tactile quality, though certainly of high actual quality. None of these things matter all that much, however, if what you want to do is point this lens in the right direction and get excellent photographic imagery in return. Some seemingly superior lenses give the photographer better first impressions but can't equal the results - see my review of Sigma's competing 30mm f/1.4 prime for an example.
I rank this as a four-and-a-half star lens. Amazon doesn't allow half-star ratings, and I won't quite give it a full five, but by getting the most important details just about as right as any lens can be, it is very close. I don't believe in ranking lenses differently according to price. This lens gives a 4-1/2 star performance, and at its price that is remarkable, but I won't call it a five-star lens because it is cheap: that determination is for the reader to make. What I will say is that, among the variety of "normal" primes I've used, on DX and on film, most of which are pretty reasonably priced, this lens is a standout. It gives me the highest proportion of great images, with perfect clarity and color, of any - and it does it with a minimum of fuss. It's wonderful to use, and I love it. It's one of my favorite lenses.
Miscellaneous notes:
- This lens has fairly poor bokeh. Bokeh is a word used to describe the quality of blur in out-of-focus areas in the frame, and can be important for fast lenses because a fast lens allows the photographer to "isolate" his subject in the frame by rendering the remainder of the frame out of focus. Nevertheless, bokeh is a less important quality in a 35mm lens than in a longer lens, because the actual degree of blur is less: in fact, the degree of blur achievable by any lens is related to its focal length and nothing else. It is true, if one looks closely, that some other lenses in this range have better bokeh, however the blur itself is a relatively subtle effect in all such lenses, and concentrating too acutely on the quality of this modest blur seems to me to be somewhat misguided. The ability to isolate one's subject remains critical, but it is a more subtle level of isolation that one might achieve with a longer lens, say an 85/1.4 or 180/2.8, and consequently the precise nature of the blur is just not all that important, at least for my purposes. The exception is close-range photography, where the background can be thrown well out of focus, and which is consequently not this lens' forte.
- The 35/1.8 uses Nikon's standard 52mm filter thread, which is of some importance to those of us who already have a decent collection of filters and step rings. I'd advise any buyer of this lens to buy a high quality, multi-coated polarizing filter and a high quality, multi-coated neutral density filter of 2-3 stops. That can come close to doubling your investment in the lens, but those filters can be used with a significant spectrum of Nikkors that share the same filter thread. The filters will allow you to maintain this lens' desirable narrow depth of field even in brighter conditions, which is otherwise not possible; or while using synced flash, which is usually limited to somewhere in the range of 1/200 sec shutter speed.
- One minor drawback of this lens, for me personally, is that the 35mm focal length is just a bit longer than I'd like for a "normal" perspective on DX. I'd rather Nikon have made this lens with a 30mm, or even possibly a 28mm, field of view. Though this is a minor point, there are some alternatives out there in these ranges that some might prefer. Nikon's 28mm f/2.8D is a perfectly decent lens, not quite as good as this 35/1.8, and also not as fast, but it's available on the used market for next to nothing and might be desirable to some who prefer its focal length. It does not have a built-in focus motor, but it is sharp, light, and unlike the 35/1.8 it can also be used on full-frame and film cameras. There is also a 35mm f/2D lens, which on paper seems as though it might be a better buy than this lens, despite its higher price. While it is also sharp, my copy was somewhat muted in terms of color rendition - less contrasty - although it has the offsetting advantage that it, also, can be used on full-frame/film bodies. Both these lenses lack the fine, incremental focusing ability of the 35/1.8 AF-S, and neither is quite as sharp, especially wide-open.
- The 35/1.8 is a very contrasty lens, equal in this regard to the best Nikkor or third-party lenses I've used, and significantly better than many. This is the likely result of Nikon's use of premium, high-quality lens coatings, which attenuate internal reflections that can otherwise literally "dilute" the light that is transmitted properly through the elements. While some lower-cost lenses seem to give up a smidgen of performance in terms of contrast, I see no evidence of that here.
- This lens is a reduced-image-circle lens, designed only for use on DX cameras and not properly useable on full-frame or film cameras. This has been taken by some as a disadvantage - however, I disagree. By designing the lens for DX, Nikon has undoubtedly been able to optimize the lens' optics to provide maximum acuity within the smaller DX image circle. DX cameras, with their high-density pixels, require a higher level of precision within this smaller image circle, and allowing the designers to give up the transmission of the image outside this small area has certainly facilitated their success. It also allows the lens to be smaller, lighter, and less expensive than it would otherwise need to be, with less glass area. The promise of DX is exactly that: high performance and compact size at a reduced price. By creating this and other DX lenses Nikon has committed to the DX format and given DX users a tool that in some ways is superior to those available to FX/film users. There is room for both formats in the Nikon world and with this lens, DX users have plenty to be thankful for.
For $199 is it just hype?, June 12, 2009
Being a self proclaimed prosumer I'm not exactly a pro, but I am still demanding when it comes to camera hardware (and software for that matter). I mention this because it puts this review in the proper context.
On to the lens...
First off, when a $199 lens comes around from Nikon I have two thoughts, "Right on!" and "Seems pretty cheap for Nikon". I was skeptical but for $199 and all the great reviews why not give it a shot? Well, I did.
Amazon taunted me, B&H teased me, and my local camera shops didn't exactly sooth my fear that it would be months before I could get my hand on one. Putting a pre-order in with all the above mentioned establishments my local store came through first (and for the same 199 dollar price tag).
I get it home, take it out of the box and the first thing that comes to mind is how much heavier it is than some of the kit lenses I have picked up. Yes it's plastic, but the thing has a different level of quality from the other Nikon budget/consumer lenses. You can peruse the other reviews on Amazon and other websites for more specifics but the point is there is a noticeable difference.
I then put the thing on my camera (made sure to put on a filter first) and start snapping away, outside, inside, and everywhere in between. The pictures are fantastic, in low light in particular. The bokeh isn't top notch but for anyone but a pro this likely will be worth the tradeoff being the 199 price tag is a huge selling point here. And don't get me wrong, the bokeh isn't terrible, I've just seen better with more (much more) expensive lenses.
So is it hype? Can a Nikon lens selling at $199 be good enough for the more demanding consumers out there? You betcha, this thing is probably the best and smartest purchase I've made in the last five years. I have three other lenses and I can say without any hesitation the 35mm F/1.8 AF-S will be on my camera 90% of the time - if not more - from here on out.
In closing, if you love photography but don't have the means to drop hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on nicer lenses, get annoyed at the fact that low light photography with the kit lens just doesn't cut it, and want to expand, this is THE lens to get.
I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
Good luck!
Tack sharp, inexpensive, and compact, May 25, 2009
I never thought I could get by with just one focal length, but this lens hasn't left my D60 for more than a few hours since I got it quite some time ago.
This (relatively) cheap little lens is a great performer. I'm not quite ready to shell out the big bucks for the pro f/2.8 zooms, and this lens is a great way to match their performance without breaking the bank. [...] recently posted their review, and the numbers are even better than I would've guessed. I've noticed a marked improvement in the sharpness of my photos compared to the kit lens, and the reviews make it clear why. The kit lens is great stopped down a bit, but a lot of times there just isn't enough light to do that. With this lens stopped down just to f/2.8, it's incredibly sharp and you've still got plenty of light to work with.
On normal primes in general: they say everyone should have one, and now I see why. It eliminates two temptations that the kit lens offers: zoom and VR. Of course, both of those things are great tools, but it's tempting to use them as crutches. With this lens, you've really got to pay more attention to your composition and exposure. You can't just zoom to fit the subject into the frame--you've got to move, and once you're moving, you start coming up with compositions that you might not have thought of before. And all the while, you've got to keep an eye on your exposure--too often with the kit lens, I found I just left it wide open. Now, in dim light, you've actually got a bit of room, so you've got to think about whether you want the shot at f/1.8 or f/4.
Highly recommended.
great prime lens for a DX Nikon DSLR, May 18, 2009
I bought the 35mm f/1.8G AF-S lens because I wanted a fast, light lens that worked with my camera (a Nikon D40x). Since getting the lens two months ago, I haven't taken it off my camera. I'd recommend this lens to anyone with a newer Nikon DSLR. If you'd like to know more about my experiences with the lens, read on.
I'm not a professional photographer, or even a very serious hobbyist. I don't have a huge budget for camera equipment (my only camera is a Nikon D40x), and mostly use my camera to take pictures of my children.
For the past couple of years, I've mostly used the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. I love this lens: it's very flexible, and works much better than I expected a lens with that wide a range to work. Unfortunately the 18-200mm lens, like a lot of the zooms that work with the D40/D40x/D60/D5000, have some issues. First of all, the 18-200 is kind of slow. For indoor pictures without a flash, it's difficult to get sharp pictures. Secondly, the 18-200 is heavy. It's awkward walking around with a one pound lens strung around your neck.
I bought the 35mm f/1.8G AF-S lens because I wanted a faster, lighter lens. I hadn't tried a fast prime lens in a long time (probably not since I shot on 35mm film), and probably had unrealistic expectations about what a lens like this could do. I was hoping that I could just set my camera to auto and snap pictures. With normal daylight, I could take some very good pictures inside without a flash. However, there are some practical limits to what a fast prime on a low end camera can do; I had a harder time taking pictures in dimmer light (for example, in an aquarium). It definitely works better than an f/4 lens (which is the approximate aperture for most zooms are at this focal length), but it's a subtle difference. (I did get some better results by manually changing ISO and aperture settings, but that's not usually practical when you're trying to shoot a moving toddler.)
On the other hand, this lens is noticeably sharper than the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens. I've found it easier to take pictures of people with faces in focus and background blurred than I could with the zoom lens. When I bought this lens, I wasn't even thinking about sharpness, but I'm mostly happy with the results. If you can get the foreground in focus, it will look very sharp.
The one issue I have with this lens is that out of focus backgrounds... look a little strange. Photographers call the look of out-of focus backgrounds "bokeh." Most photographers want out of focus backgrounds to look subtly blurry; you'd want a point of light to look bright in the middle then taper off at the edges. This lens does the opposite: points of light turn look much more like rings with this lens. To me, the backgrounds look like "ghosting" on an old television. This isn't a deal killer, but it can lead to weird results, particularly if you're taking pictures of people against complicated backgrounds. I can definitely take pictures with this lens that I couldn't take without it. However, don't expect a D40 with this lens to perform as well as a Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) with the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G SIC SW Prime Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras.
I have few other complaints about this lens's performance. It feels as light on the camera as I hoped; it's really nice walking around with such a light camera after lugging around a zoom for so long. The camera focuses very quickly and quietly; like most of the AF-S lenses I've tried, focusing is very fast and accurate. Overall, I'm happy with this lens (especially at half the price of Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras). It's not perfect, but it's reasonably priced and very useful.
Great way for amateurs to get into prime lenses!, September 20, 2009
Okay, so I'm just an amateur enthusiast. I won't pretend to talk about chromatic abberation, or lens elements or all those things I don't know much about, and frankly, never consciously care about when I'm taking photographs.
So straight off: who should NOT be buying this lens?
1. it's a DX lens, so it's great for digital SLRs but not for for film SLRs. Which is a real pity, because I still retain my old Nikon N75 and consider it a brilliant camera.
2. it'll work great on all the cameras any enthusiast like me could have bought from Nikon in the last 10 years (yes, including the most basic and most excellent Nikon D40 and of course the brand new Nikon D5000). It lacks an aperture ring, so you'll only have problems on some really old film cameras -- for which this lens is in any case not the right size (see 1).
I have to confess that for the last ten years, since I started putting money into (Nikon) SLR cameras and lenses, I've always bought myself zooms. I've always been on a low budget, and considered fixed focal length lenses the playground of the rich and the professional.
I didn't know what I was missing.
There's a reason pros ALWAYS have "prime" lenses (like these). After years of never shooting below f/3.5 (on my Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens) or f/4.5 (on my Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Zoom Nikkor Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras), it is so fantabulously amazing to have a lens that is SO sensitive to light. With this lens, I can go all the way down to f/1.8, and boy, suddenly I can take absolutely wonderful night shots -- all with no VR and no tripod (who can lug those around anyway?!). Oh, and the fact that a prime lens like this is lighter than zooms, means your hand will shake less to begin with.
I also like to do a little bit of food photography, and I've noticed that the way to make food look really great is to have low depth of field -- just focus on the food, and blur out even the plate and the table and stuff. And that's another place a prime lens is invaluable, because its depth of field can be made so obscenely small that a *portion* of a dish (say just the cherry on top of the cake) can be put into sharp focus, with everything else nicely blurred out. Needless to say, this also makes it great for portrait shots taken from shorter distances (for long distance portraits, I love my 70-300mm).
One other feature of this lens you'll really love is the AF-S motor. That's Nikon's way of telling you that you can keep the lens in autofocus mode, and if on a particular shot the camera doesn't happen to zero in on the exact spot you care about, you can just rotate the focus ring and manually set focus -- without having to flip any switch to get into manual focus mode! Little things like this make all the difference between getting the shot you want, and going "Damn!".
So by all means, if you've never had a prime lens, make this your first one -- for just $200 (or $250) you'll get photos that'll make you feel like a pro! :)
The only issue, of course, is that you can't zoom. Much of this can be overcome by moving physically closer/further from your subject, but if you really like wide-angle shots, you'll keep wanting to switch between this lens and a zoom. In my opinion, at its low price and light weight, adding this lens to your camera bag is still a total no-brainer.
Best used only for low light photography, November 5, 2009
I purchased this lens about 4 months ago after my stock lens had taken enough abuse over a few years and finally gave out (i.e. it fell off the top of a moving car). This lens is used on a D40X for 2 primary types of photography: outdoor and small electronic product photos for brochure and web use.
I had read the reviews from users and dpreview and decided to purchase this lens as an upgrade from the 18-55 stock lens. For normal to bright light shooting you will need to run many of your pics through Nikon's Capture NX2 software to remove "quite high levels of lateral chromatic aberration" - in plain English this means any sharp or higher contrast edges in the image will be noticeably less focused and often have a very visible purple fringe.
I had purchased 2 cameras prior to the D40X and both had poor close-up image quality that was not suitable for nice looking product brochures. With the D40X/stock lens I could take very nice product photos and aside from photoshopping out dust or minor blemishes, no alterations were necessary. With this lens I have the extra step of processing the images through NX2 to correct the chromatic aberration. This defect is not minor or difficult to notice. This lens is no upgrade to the stock lens except for low light shooting. If you do not really need the low light feature think twice about purchasing and pay attention to the dpreview which includes many examples of chromatic aberration from this lens.
If you have a D40, D40X or D60 do NOT buy this lens without also purchasing Capture NX2 ($130) to correct the aberrations. For D90/300 users this correction is built into the camera. You might also add about $75 to the cost because you may take your camera in for "repair" as I did only to find out there is nothing wrong with it (as I did). Don't take my word for it, here is another direct quote from a serious in depth review - "At this (F4) and smaller apertures red/cyan fringing is rather marked, certainly high enough to be visible in many shots."
In summary this a great low cost lens for low light shooting but for normal light high quality shooting look elsewhere.
Deserves a spot in your camera bag, May 27, 2009
I have owned this lens for a week now, and I am delighted with it. It has been a long time since I owned a prime lens and I had forgotten what they could do. I am getting sharp sharp sharp images in a variety of situations. I can crop closer due to the quality of the pictures. Indoor and out, this lens is is doing a really nice job. It is light, focuses fast and quietly, and allows the little focus tweek that is needed now and then in auto mode. I am using it on my D-60 and I have not taken it off since it arrived. It will not take the picture for you, but following basic rules of photography it will help you get that shot. The MSRP on this one places it in reach of everyone. It is worth the wait, or check your local camera store if you need it sooner. An exciting lens.
Update: June 20,2009
I have had this lens for about a month now. I could not be more pleased with it. I find myself picking up the camera more often just to go out and see what I can find to take pictures of. Do not be afraid of moving around to compose your picture or the lack of VR. You can get around that. The sharpness and low light capabilities are far more important for getting that special image captured forever. Can you tell that I am thrilled with the results I am getting? My local camera shop has them for the MSRP of $199.99, don't overpay if you can help it.
GO GET IT!!!! ULTIMATE PORTRAIT & LANDSCAPE WALK AROUND DX PRIME LENS!!!, August 10, 2009
If you are looking for the ultimate walk around portrait & landscape dx prime lens
then this lens has your name on it! I use this lens 90% of the time on my D90.
The 35mm range gives you what I call as the "what you see is what you get"
framing. It is also very "footwork friendly". A prime lens where you can easily step forward or step back to zoom in or out without breaking a sweat. The constant 1.8 aperture allows you to shoot crisp images at low ISO at low light conditions. Images are sharp and vivid. Creamy bokeh baby! The way you like it served.Absolutely perfect for portrait shots at the f2.0~2.8 sweet spots. Much respect with the rest of the prime lenses on the Nikon line but for me this is just simply the best performing affordable fast lens to date. GO GET IT!!!
Sharp lens, well worth the wait!! Love it., July 24, 2009
I was looking at getting either this lens or the Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Lens. The 50mm lens was only $135, but doesn't autofocus on the D40 which is my camera. I know I am looking to upgrade to the D90 soon, so that wasn't as much of an issue, but something to consider as I purchased a prime lens. Of course this 35mm lens does autofocus on the D40, so that was one point in it's favor.
Truly my main reason for purchasing this lens was to use in low light, indoors, typically at home during family functions. The photos are sharp! I even had all the lights turned off in the basement and took photos of my son, and WOW,it gave nice, natural tones to his skin and his eyes are amazing in the photos. I have to get closer to my subject(s) than with the 50mm, but when you are in a room that is crowded and you are trying to get a photo with everyone in it, you don't have to back up very far. With the 50mm, you need much more room to backup to get the same shot including all the subjects. My sisters kitchen is small. My little neice was about to blow out the candles, and I got not only her, but mom and dad in the photo as well. I would not have enough room to backup and get the same shot with the 50mm lens.
Being able to take photos in low light (indoors) without a flash is very handy, and paticuallary when you are in a situation where flashes aren't allowed. (I have been at several museums, historical homes during a tour, and even a 50th anniversary ceremony at a church were photos were ok, but no flash allowed). The last wedding I was at, everyone was taking photos and the photographer said that was ok while she was shooting, but no flashes please because it intereferred with her shots. Everyone had to stop taking photos, because they needed their flashes to get a decent shot. How nice to be the one able to continue to shoot photos and not have to put my camera away. I didn't need a flash.
I also had to consider price. I got this lens for $199 with free shipping. I ordered this and waited a little over 4 weeks to recieve it. If you are looking at this lens, and order DIRECTLY from Amazon, the price is $199. It will say "not in, stock order now and we will deliver as soon as available". I didn't really want to wait, especially knowing I could order the 50mm that day, and get it in a week, but I knew if I was to choose between the 2 lenses, I wanted this one. I don't think it is justified paying the $300+ price just to get the one in stock. My opinion, order the one listed at $199, and be willing to wait, like I said, mine arrived about 4 weeks after ordering it.
Pros: Absolutely sharp photos in low light.
Price, if you are willing to wait, totally worth every penny.
Fast and light lens.
You can shoot indoors with low light without a flash.
Cons: Only one I can think of is waiting a full month to recieve.
But I would do it again in a heartbeat for a fantastic lens.
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