Good as gold, cheap as chips
When Nikon popped this lens out a couple of years ago, the street price was somewhere around $200. The reviews were more than positive, and said it was about time Nikon did a DX prime in the normal range. Most reviews didn't stress enough that quality fast primes tend to cost 2 or 3 times what Nikon asked for this one. Look at Nikon’s own full-frame 50mm f/1.4, and assorted Sigmas if you will. Yes, this lens was a steal.
It still is, but Amazon was asking $280 for the lens when I started this piece, and Adorama was asking close to that yet could only supply grey market versions. Yesterday, Amazon's price was back at $200. What was all that about? All I know is that supply issues for the 35mm prime aren't related to the tsunami that struck close to home at Nikon’s Sendai factory - this lens is made in China - http://nikonrumors.com/2011/03/11/8-9-magnitude-earthquake-struck-111-miles-east-of-sendai-japan.aspx/
Build
It couldn’t be simpler. The lens is small, well-made but light at 200g. It’s not as small as a pancake lens, but it only protrudes about 5cm from the body, which makes a nice compact go-anywhere package when it’s mounted on a small-body Nikon D40/60/3100. Build quality is typical budget Nikon, which means high quality plastics. The surprise at this price point is a lens mount made of metal, and a well-damped, rubberised focus ring at the front that’s not too small. There’s even a tiny lens hood made of light metal.
Handling
What you don’t get in this G-type lens is a distance scale, or any kind of scale in fact. The Silent Wave Motor does what it says and works fast enough. Manual override is an option at any time, and the focus ring is smooth enough for the job. The minimum focus distance is 30cm, good enough to let you get close to flowers and animals that aren’t too small. The lens doesn’t extend or rotate when focusing, so graduated filters aren’t a problem. The lens takes 52mm filters, same as Nikon’s 18-55 and 55-200mm kit lenses. There is just one switch on the side of the lens for choosing AF or MF.
Image Quality
It’s a very sharp lens, and fast enough at f/1.8, but both sharpness and bokeh improve when stopped down to 3.5/4. There are no obvious optical issues to complain about, but you’ll find the serious testers have a few nits to pick with it. Nothing too serious, mind you. The bokeh can be attractive if you work at it. The lens uses seven rounded diaphragm blades to help the bokeh look good, but I haven't quite worked out how to achieve that consistently.
Summary
This is a great lens to take anywhere because it's so small and so lightweight, and because it doesn't cost and arm and a leg to replace. It's a great lens to have in your pocket or your bag when you're unexpectedly stuck with bad light, or if you have an older Nikon with a limited ISO range. Or if you just want to get back to basics and use simple tools so you can focus on composition and position. That's a lot of good reasons to shell out a couple of hundred bucks, right?
A few test shots
Good bokeh here, and accurate rendering of subtle colours.
Bokeh isn't perfect but the bird of paradise is razor sharp - click on it for a larger image.
This is a quick shot through my car’s windscreen, taken just after I’d picked up a used D40 I’d bought on eBay. The sharpness is breathtaking.
This shot was taken during last year’s Christmas Carols when the light was lacking and ISO 1600 on my Nikon D5000 wasn’t really good enough. The soft rendering suits the occasion, though.
Ivan and Beth’s famous Beetle, the one they bought in London back in the sixties, drove to Sydney with, kept for 25 years and then repeated the journey there and back again. It still looks splendid.
My friend Kit Laughlin and his mighty D3s with the 80-200mm f/2.8 lens
My granddaughter enjoying corn on the cob at Fox Studios. I used flash here to counter the super bright midday sun outside. Not enough, by the look of it.
And something a little different.
KIM
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