Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens

The Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G offer an attractive focal length and a focusing system which looks set to impress

The AF-S Nikkor 35mm F1.8G DX is a lens which certainly caused a degree of dismay on its release, with many Nikon fans disappointed by the decision to make it compatible with the DX format only.

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  Excellent image quality when stopped down just a little, Fast and accurate autofocus with full-time manual override, Generally attractive rendition of out-of-focus regions ('bokeh'), Resistant to flare, Low price

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  Slightly soft and low in contrast wide open, Lateral chromatic aberration somewhat higher than traditional 50mm 'standard' primes, Prone to purple fringing and bokeh chromatic aberration, most visible at large apertures

If you’re a Nikon shooter and you’ve been contemplating buying a reasonably priced, professional prime lens, you should give serious consideration to the new NIKKOR AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8G. What makes this lens so special?

This compact wide aperture lens for DX compatible Nikon digital SLRs costs around £170 and provides a similar angle of view to a 50mm lens used on a 35mm camera and sports a silent focusing motor.

The first DX Nikkor with the classic advantages of a high-speed "normal" lens ($220, street), this 52mm full-frame equivalent is also the fastest DX and widest nonfisheye digital-only Nikkor prime.

Gary Wolstenholme reviews the new version of Nikon's 35mm prime lens, the Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G Lens.

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  Excellent optical quality, Good build quality, Light weight, Keenly priced, No distance markings for manual focusing

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  Excellent optical quality, Good build quality, Light weight, Keenly priced, No distance markings for manual focusing

The Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 performs quite well on the V1 camera at medium aperture settings. However, wide open the lens struggles quite a bit on the high density CX sensor. And at f/8 and beyond, lots of resolution are lost to diffraction, especially at the image borders and corners.

The Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 G ist able to deliver very sharp pictures wide open already. Vignetting is quite well controlled for a dedicated fast DX lens, distortion is a bit higher than expected, though. This is also true for CAs, which can easily be removed in post processing, though.

This brand new compact wide angle lens from Nikon costs around £470 and sports a bright f/1.8 maximum aperture and silent, internal focusing with full time manual focus override. Is it good enough to be considered as a cheaper alternative to Nikon's highly regarded 35mm f/1.4G lens?

Looking at the list of pros and cons we can see that the latter are quite a number. Does it mean that Nikkor 1.8/35 DX is a hardly successful product? Definitely not. Most of all we need to remember that it’s a really cheap instrument addressed to amateur photographers.

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  small and lightweight with a metal bayonet,, fantastic image quality at the center of the frame,, good image quality at the edge of the frame after stopping down to at least f/2.0,, moderate astigmatism,, very good performance against bright light,, silent and accurate autofocus,, good quality/price...

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  poor image quality at the edge of the frame around maximum aperture,, distortion could be lower,, clear chromatic aberration,, noticeable coma,, considerable vignetting

This was the first lens I have ever bought separately from my 2 kit lenses, I use this on my d3400 and it provides amazing light and background blur and 35mm is a nice focal length, I got this lens because it was one of the most reviewed and one of the cheapest lenses out there, and it was the only...

I love the 35mm focal length, it's very versatile and I have used that focal length with many different systems such as Nikon, Canon, Mamiya, Leica, etc. I'm currently using a Nikon D800 and have tried four different 35mm's with this camera: the Nikon 35mm f/2d, the Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZF.2, the Sigma...

Buy this for your prime lens, use for portraits, wide angle, sharp, and fast. It will give you a background blur for portraits, better than the 50mm, and faster!! Using it with my Nikon D3300.

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  Economical compact sharp fast lens

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  None

This was a Christmas gift for my daughter who is in a secondary school taking photography. She asked for this lens specifically and was surprised to actually see it over the holidays! She loves it.

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  Consistent Output, Durable, Easily Interchangeable, Fast / accurate auto-focus, Lightweight, Rugged, Strong Construction

This lens is amazingly great for the price. The quality of images really stands out with the large aperture. I went to take up close pictures with this and you can see the details of each and every object. It is especially great for low light situations and indoor shots.

I used the lens for a portrait and product shoot. 35mm is a perfect length, every photographer should have one of these.

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  Fast / accurate auto-focus, Lightweight, Nice Bokeh

The 35mm format provides natural "human eye" perspective for Nikon DX cameras. This could be the only lens you need for most photo situations.

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  Good value Fast auto focus Manual focus ring always active

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  Sharp DOF focus transitions in close-ups

[...] So this is my first lens that I bought besides the 18-55mm kit lens that came with my Nikon D3100. After many good reviews and recommendations I decided to purchase this lens. I was a little hesistant because my kit lens has the 35mm range also.

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  Fast / accurate auto-focus, Lightweight, Nice Bokeh, Razor Sharp focus, Rugged, Strong Construction

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  Pricey but worth it

I have used this lens less than I month and it has impressed me very well. I normally use big cameras (D3 series) with heavy lenses attached. This lens is permanently attached to my D5000 and it is so cute and cuddly.

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  Low light., Lightweight., Low Price., Legendary status to be...

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  No DOF scale, but won't complain, it's not MF anyway...