Nikkor 35-70 f/2.8 AF-D

wilsnunn

wilsnunn

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Daniel
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Hi, I was looking at the Nikkor 35-70 f/2.8 AF-D and wondered if anybody had any experience using this lens, how it feels, how would it be for an everyday walk around lens? I am using a 50mm f/1.4 at the moment and want something cheap-ish, yet fast for every day use.

Daniel
 
Boldonian said:
I've had one. Nice sharp lens in the right conditions but flares really bad in bright direct light and that trombone zoom acts like a dust pump. Save your cash and get a Tamron 28-75 .
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Optically is the tamron better than the Nikon?
 
Can you suggest something else instead? I am a bit of a Nikon snob and wont try anything other than nikon lenses on my D700.

Dan
 
Hi I have had one of these since they came out new. I used to use it on my 35mm cameras and now on my Nikon D300.
Can I suggest you read the reviews on this lens from the internet before you make a decision. You can't borrow mine but if you are ever my way you are welcome to try it.
I do not get dust problems with mine! I consider you will have to go a long way to beat it.
 
The 35-70 f2.8 is a great lens for the price, until the 28-70mm came out (the 1 before before the 24-70mm) it was the Nikon Pro's lens of choice. There will be good copies and bad copies out there so take a bit of care selecting but you won't be disappointed.

OK it's a bit slow by modern standards, but if you aren't shooting sports, kids or other speedy things who cares.
 
DUNKS said:
Hi I have had one of these since they came out new. I used to use it on my 35mm cameras and now on my Nikon D300.
Can I suggest you read the reviews on this lens from the internet before you make a decision. You can't borrow mine but if you are ever my way you are welcome to try it.
I do not get dust problems with mine! I consider you will have to go a long way to beat it.
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I wont be down Nottingham way for another 5 weeks ish, but if i am still deliberating over whether r not to get it, then could i please possibly try it?

As to reviews, i have read reviews of the 35-70 and now also the 28-70 at Ken Rockwell (http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/3570.htm http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/2870afs.htm) any other places for reviews that you can recommend??

SimonTALM said:
The 35-70 f2.8 is a great lens for the price, until the 28-70mm came out (the 1 before before the 24-70mm) it was the Nikon Pro's lens of choice. There will be good copies and bad copies out there so take a bit of care selecting but you won't be disappointed.

OK it's a bit slow by modern standards, but if you aren't shooting sports, kids or other speedy things who cares.
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How good is a pre-owned 28-70 f/2.8? would it be much more expensive? Is the quality/focus speed worth the extra weight (over 200g, im used to having only my 50 f/1.4 which weighs virtually exactly the same as the difference in weight between the 2 lenses)?

Dan
 
Push pull. I didn't like it.
Also, even with AF fine tune on the D300 I couldn't iron out the focus discrepancies. It cannot be sent back for calibration either, I called fixation to check. It is a incompatibility inherent to the design (read your manual compat chart) along with the 80-200 2.8 push pull.

Sharp as a tack though.
 
wilsnunn said:
How good is a pre-owned 28-70 f/2.8? would it be much more expensive? Is the quality/focus speed worth the extra weight (over 200g, im used to having only my 50 f/1.4 which weighs virtually exactly the same as the difference in weight between the 2 lenses)?

Dan
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I have no idea about the 28-70 f2.8, not a lens I've owned, I'm pretty sure it will be faster focusing (as it is AF-S) and it is reported to be a quality lens. Grays of Westminster are charging IRO £900-1100 for a 28-70mm, but privately you could nock off £100-150 but that is still about 2x the price of the 35-70mm!

Whether this is better for you (IQ / speed / price wise) that's for you to decide.
 
It's a bit ancient now though...decent enough in it's day perhaps, but the AF will be crushingly slow by modern standards.
Optical quality will be fair to very good, depending on the example you get, but again it's been superceded by newer models.
Plus the one-touch zoom/focus ring is horrible to me - I could never get on with them.
 
wilsnunn said:
Hi, I was looking at the Nikkor 35-70 f/2.8 AF-D and wondered if anybody had any experience using this lens, how it feels, how would it be for an everyday walk around lens? I am using a 50mm f/1.4 at the moment and want something cheap-ish, yet fast for every day use.

Daniel
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Heavy, metal lens, produces tack sharp images, I like the slightly more neutral tone to the images it produces, especially for portrait / people shots.

The 'D' ones are the newer version, superseded by the larger 28-70, and 24-70 models, however for £300 a bargain for an f2.8 zoom of this quality.

Other options would be the 17-55 f2.8 (on DX) giving a bit more on the wide end, or for lightweight and a greater range the 28-105 f3.5 - f4.5, these used to sell for around £150 used and are surprisingly good lenses.
 
Wilsnunn, have seen some used 28-70s for about £650, although the majority of shops sell for closer to £800. Saw one recently on Gumtree listings for London when i was after one for that price. If you could pick up then it was a bargain again dealer prices. Most of the used dealers do add an obvious premium. Fleabay might be a good bet - have seen plenty listed in the past....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-28-70-m...Filters_JN?hash=item3efdd39e21#ht_1096wt_1167
 
Hi of course you can have a go with my lens. I am retired so am about most days. As for the critics, yes it would be nice to have all the latest all singing all dancing but it does'nt have to be. I also have the dreaded 80-200 2.8 with which I take bike racing at race days, the critics say it wont focus fast enough, there are focus issues, and it's heavy but I take cracking photos with it.
On a D300.
 
SimonTALM said:
I have no idea about the 28-70 f2.8, not a lens I've owned, I'm pretty sure it will be faster focusing (as it is AF-S) and it is reported to be a quality lens. Grays of Westminster are charging IRO £900-1100 for a 28-70mm, but privately you could nock off £100-150 but that is still about 2x the price of the 35-70mm!

Whether this is better for you (IQ / speed / price wise) that's for you to decide.
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The 28-70mm f2.8 is a class act I have had one for over five years and it is superb the only thing better is the new 24-70 which is super sharp, if you can find a good one it will serve you much better than the 35-70 which is indeed a dust magnet.. :thumbs:
 
I own one and love it, EXCEPT for when shooting against bright white backgrounds "Venture" style, as it flares out so badly as to make shots unusable (But hey, so do a 50mm f1.8, so who's keeping score?)

Also heavy is relative. I don't find it heavy at all (Fuji S5 with battery grip) though I suppose it might appear heavy in comparison to the plastic tamron/sigma 17-55 range lenses it doesn't act as an encumbrance in its own right.

Very sharp. Lovely colour. Use it an awful lot.
 
Thanks for your replies everybody, I will keep looking, and will see what i think, people seem to have mixed opinions on this lens, I just want it as a cheap walk around lens, but also as something fast, maybe i should go with a 28-105 and use my 50 f/1.4 when I need the speed? I was looking at the 24-70 f/2.8, i fell in love with it as soon as i used it, but it felt too big and heavy, to walk around with, and 24-70 f/2.8 & D700 round my neck, that raises my muggability factor by quite a lot!

Dan
 
Hi. Do you actually think that the "muggers" are going to recognise the 35-70 as a cheap lens on your Lovely D700 and go mug someone else?
 
Very sharp lens but flare flare flare.

Even a window in a room occupying 10-20% of the image at one side will cause the whole image to wash out and loose contrast. It really does flare easily.

Bear that in mind.

Otherwise a cracking quality lens which really is sharp.
 
wilsnunn said:
.....I was looking at the 24-70 f/2.8, i fell in love with it as soon as i used it, but it felt too big and heavy, to walk around with, and 24-70 f/2.8 & D700 round my neck, that raises my muggability factor by quite a lot!

Dan
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If you were unsure about the weight and muggability factor of the 24-70 f/2.8 the 28-70 probably isn't the lens for you either. Its not known as "the beast" for nothing :D
 
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