Nikon 35mm 2.0 d review năm 2024

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Nikkor AF 35mm f/2 D - Review / Test Report

Lens Reviews - Nikon / Nikkor (APS-C)

Article Index Introduction Analysis Sample Images & Verdict

Page 1 of 3

Review by Klaus Schroiff, published April 2006

Lens kindly provided for testing purposes by Julio M. Alperi Gonzalez!

Introduction

The Nikkor AF 35mm f/2D is one of the more affordable fix-focals in the Nikon lens lineup. On classic full frame SLRs it is a moderate wide-angle lens whereas its field-of-view is equivalent to 53mm on today's APS-C DSLRs. Combined with its rather large max. aperture it can be regarded as a substitution for a classic standard lens within this scope.

The build quality of the lens is very good and in line with most moderately priced Nikkors. The outer barrel is made of polycarbonate combined with a metal mount. The small rubberized focus ring operates very smooth. Typical for lenses with a linear extension system the whole inner tube moves during focusing thus extending the lens when focusing towards closer focus distances. The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted drive screw operated by the camera. As a result AF operation will generate a moderate degree of noise. Due to the very low weight of the optical system the AF speed is very fast on the D200. The front element does not rotate so using a polarizer is no problem.

Specifications Equiv. focal length52.5 mm (full format equivalent) Equiv. aperturef/3 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) Optical construction6 elements in 5 groups Number of aperture blades7 min. focus distance0.25 m (max. magnification ratio 1:4.2) Dimensions65 x 45 mm Weight205 g Filter size52 mm (non-rotating) HoodNikon HN-3 (optional), barrel shaped (screw-in) Other featuresLens provides distance (D) information to the camera.

A relatively old but still popular lens, the Nikon AF Nikkor 35mm F2D is extremely light and compact, and fast enough for low-light photography as well as achieving subject/background separation in portraits and closeup shots. Image quality is very good, even on Nikon's very latest 24MP and 36MP full-frame DSLRs. Users of low-end Nikon DSLRs like the D3000/5000-series should be aware that this lens lacks a built-in AF motor and as such can only be focused manually on those cameras.

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Nikkor AF 35mm f/2 D - Review / Test Report - Analysis

Lens Reviews - Nikon / Nikkor (APS-C)

Article Index Introduction Analysis Sample Images & Verdict

Page 2 of 3

Distortions

The AF 35mm f/2D exhibits a moderate degree (0.64%) of barrel distortions which shouldn't show up in most real world images.

The chart above has a real-world size of about 120x80cm.

Vignetting

The AF 35mm f/2D is a full frame lens thus enjoying a sweet spot advantage on APS-C DSLRs. Nonetheless it still produces a relatively pronounced max. vignetting of 0.74 EV at wide-open aperture which is a little higher than desirable for such a lens. However, from f/2.8 the issue is basically negligible.

MTF (resolution)

The Nikkor showed quite impressive resolution figures in the MTF lab. The center performance is excellent straight from the max. aperture setting whereas the borders are only able to reach an average level here. However, at f/2.8 the borders improve significantly to very good quality. The peak performance of the lens is reached in the f/5.6 to f/8 range where both the center as well as the borders are excellent.

Please note that the MTF results are not directly comparable across the different systems!

Below is a simplified summary of the formal findings. The chart shows line widths per picture height (LW/PH) which can be taken as a measure for sharpness. If you want to know more about the MTF50 figures you may check out the corresponding Imatest Explanations

Released in 1995, the AF Nikkor 35mm f/2D is a full–frame, fixed–focal–length lens that can be used on both FX and DX format cameras. On an FX format camera it has a moderately wide angle of view whereas on a DX format camera its angle of view is closer to that of "standard" lenses. It has six elements in five groups and dimensions of 65mm by 45mm; it focuses down to 25cm, weighs only 205g and takes 52mm filters. If necessary, you can find simple explanations of the terms below here.

The lens was tested on a 12MP Nikon D700 camera. FX format cameras of higher resolution will put a further emphasis on some of the performance deficiencies reported in the review. At the same time, light fall–off, distortion and corner sharpness will be less problematic when the lens is used on a DX format camera.

Handling and autofocus

The lens is very light and compact and balances beautifully on all Nikon camera bodies I have tried it on. When mounted on bigger cameras such as the Nikon D700, the lens is completely unobtrusive and does not make your camera nose dive when you carry it on your shoulder, which makes it a great walk–around companion if 35mm is your preferred focal length.

Lens mount is metal; lens barrel, on the other hand, is made of high–quality plastics that, thankfully, do not give the lens a "plasticy" feel. Indeed, the lens has a certain heft to it and, due to this, leaves the impression of a solidly built optic. Filter thread is made of plastic, too; it does not rotate during focusing, which makes using a polarizing filter easy.

Autofocus speed will largely depend on the camera body used. On the Nikon D700, autofocus is very fast, accurate and nearly silent. The lens uses camera body's AF motor for focusing and thus on Nikon's lesser DX format cameras that do not have a lens drive (D40, D40x, D60, D3000 and D5000) can be used in manual focus only.

Sharpness

Centre: the lens is slightly soft at f/2 but centre sharpness noticeably improves at f/2.8; for all intent and purposes the lens is equally sharp from f/2.8 through to f/11. Diffraction becomes visible at f/16 and further takes its toll at f/22; I would avoid using the smallest aperture if sharpness is of crucial importance.

Corners are noticeably soft wide–open; corner sharpness gradually improves as the lens is being stopped down until it peaks at f/11; as expected, diffraction becomes evident at f/16 and further worsens sharpness at f/22.

Farthest corners are very soft from f/2 to f/5.6 and become acceptably sharp only at f/8; sharpness becomes comparable to that in the centre only at f/11 and then starts deteriorating at f/16 due to diffraction.

All things considered, the lens is very sharp if you use it right. For low light photography or when background is intended to be out–of–focus, the lens ideally should be used at f/2.8—at this aperture the main subject will be plentifully sharp and corner softness will in most circumstances be inconsequential as corners will be out of focus anyway. If corner–to–corner sharpness is needed, then the lens should be used at f/11. f/16 is perfectly usable if deeper depth of field is desired. Finally, I would avoid using the lens at f/22 because of diffraction.

Vignetting

As the test shot below shows, the lens has very visible vignetting at f/2. In fact, it is so strong at this aperture that it is more akin to overall underexposure than to vignetting; furthermore, it is quite difficult to completely remove in post processing.

f/2

f/2.8

f/4

f/5.6

Vignetting is much more reasonable at f/2.8 and might actually come in handy if one wants to emphasise the main subject. The aberration will not be noticeable in most situations at f/4 and is virtually gone by f/5.6.

Distortion

The lens produces barrel distortion. At infinity, it is only slightly visible and acceptable even for architectural applications; you will not notice it in most photographs. Furthermore, it has a simple signature and thus can be completely removed in post–processing. At close distances distortion is more pronounced yet still has a simple form and thus is fixable, too.

Chromatic aberration

Chromatic aberration can sometimes be seen around (very) contrasty edges; as shown in the test image above, however, it is negligible even in worst circumstances and, again, can be easily dealt with in post processing.

Flare

The lens has a relatively simple design as well as a fairly small front element and, partially due to this, flare is very well controlled. Even shooting directly into the sun does not visibly degrade contrast. It is possible to induce ghosting by having very bright sources of light in an image but ghosting is normally minimal in both amount and size.

Bokeh

Bokeh is normally not a major concern with wide–angle lenses. 35mm on a full–frame 35mm (FX) camera, however, is only moderately wide and considered by many (including yours truly) to be closer to "normal" or "standard" focal length than 50mm is said to be. Due to this, appearance of out–of–focus areas quite often might be very significant—indeed, I have taken a number of photographs with the lens where it was a very important factor.

Bokeh is a very subjective criterion and you can see below for yourself what out–of–focus area marked in red in the test image above looks like at different apertures.

f/2

f/2.8

f/4

f/5.6

In my opinion bokeh is somewhat harsh at f/2; it is fairly nice and unobtrusive in real–life photographs at f/2.8 and gets silkier as you further stop the lens down.

Conclusions

Is the AF Nikkor 35mm f/2D perfect? Of course, no—just as with most lenses, it is easy to make it look quite ugly if you put your mind to it. However, if you are interested in a small, light and inexpensive lens of this venerable focal length, as well as remember its minor idiosyncrasies and learn how to make it perform admirably, then this lens certainly deserves a place in your camera bag (or pocket for that matter). Indeed, it is this lens that is mounted on my Nikon D700 most of the time.