Nikon 35-70mm f/2.8D opinions?

[jshelto3]

Nikon 35-70 f/2.8D AF Zoom Nikkor Lens what are people's opinion on this lens. I would be using it mostly for a very shallow depth of field. The fixed F/2.8 is what I am excited about. I would like to know if the lesser price goes with lesser quality. It will be used on a D100.

 

[Stranger]

I dont know anything about it but it got some good ratings...
http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=112&sort=7&cat=28&page=2

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I used to own one, was BRILLIANT on 35mm, on a DX body, it's so-so.

The push-pull is clunky, the AF is noisy, but it's clarity is through the ROOF.

The reason I say it's so-so on digital is that it's range, 35-70mm, is awkward. The 17-55 is a better choice because it's a much more useful range.

 

[finegank]

I agree with that Switch fella, I own the 17-55 2.8, and it produces beautiful shallow DOF portraits.

 

[jstuedle]

I use this lens almost daily. Look at my pbase page in the link below (my sig) and browse the live bands page. Most of the pix from the last several months are from this lens. I love the push-pull and prefer it. The lens is super sharp on both my DX and FX cameras. Also look in "my feathered friends" page at the pic "Azulie outdoors - 2". This was shot with this lens on a D1X in 2003. It was run as a limited print 24 X 36 and sold out. The image to the right is a rop from that file to show the sharpness from that camera/lens. Needless to say, It's one of me favorite lenses.

 

[jshelto3]

Thanks for the opinion guys. Luckily, I have a little time to think about it.

 

[Patrice]

The 35-70 f2.8 is a brilliant lens but it does have a propensity for flare so be careful shooting into the sun. The macro feature, although not a true macro, more like close focussing, works well enough. Not being an AFS it tends to be a bit slow focussing on my d70 but no issues with my d200's. My buddy used it on his d100 and had no negative opinions with it. It makes for a nice portrait lens on a cropped sensor camera, covering normal to near telephoto ranges. It can be had second hand for a lot less money than the 17-55 f2.8.

Pat

 

[jshelto3]

Thats good to here. I would definately be using this lens for shots with a very shallow depth of field and for macro shooting. I have seriously thought about looking into a second hand lens but I didn't know if used lenses were worth the chance.