Ohhhhh, now THat was **the** lens I used to sell on Maxxumm 5000 and 7000 sales...people LOVED the idea of a 35-70mm lens instead of a 50mm lens. The macro mode switch made this lens sell really well, and at the time when Nikon had such dogs as the N4004 and N6006, the Maxxum 5000 camera was my #1 go-to camera to sell to folks who had no camera brand allegiance. Back in the day of the EOS 620 and EOS 650 Canons, with their HARD, PLASTIC- feeling bodies, the Maxxum cameras and lenses had softer rubber, and a more "traditional camera-like" feel to them. Hard do define, but the Maxxum 5000 and 7000 cameras were, in most ways, the most elegant and most suave cameras in the consumer market for a few years. They had the right mix of cosmetics, design features, and tactile appeal.
For example: the Nikkor 35-70mm f/3.3~4.5 AF was a hard-plastic type barrel, and no macro mode, and just "uggggh" tactile appeal ( I owned one for a long time), whereas the Maxxum optics looked prettier, the 35-70 had the macro mode, and looked "more expensive", or just "prettier". And at the time, the diagonally slanted lens rubber rings looked "sleek" and 'active', and really helped people cottn to the idea that thse new lenses would automatically focus! As far as this, the first-generation of AF cameras and lenses, Minolta did the best job of the transition: Canon next; then Nikon; then Pentax; and then dead-last was Oly. As far as customer sales, the maxxum 5000 and 7000 were the easiest 'sells' to people who had no prior allegiance to a brand.