Nikon 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 AIS Zoom-Nikkor Reviews

Rating
Reviewed by:

thowlights
( Beginner)

Review Date
October 28, 2009

Overall Rating
5 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Review 1 of 11

Price Paid: $0.00

Summary:

i really love this lens..got it from my grandfather.he recommend it to me,he also like this lens when he was working in UAE.He used it as all-round lens during film days and weddings.nice optics.I'm searching few reviews about this lens but its sad that there are only few reviews i got except to this site.
For me,i'm not a pro but a beginner but i really like it.i notice the IQ of it and compare it to my other old lens & prime including some few new lens of my d40,and it really stands.color rendering was very nice & sharpness which i really admire.I done a night cityscape at f16 / 30s of the building around.& i see the details and amazed for some results..i recommend it for landscape shots & travel..
today there where lots of new lens that's fast & has AF & sharper.for convenience sake i'll use newer lens as a all-around kit.
but for image quality..i recommend it..
maybe i'll just keep it for future FX body..
im also wondering if i would use it on d90 upgarde on movies for zooming-in & out.
i'm not a pro..just some personal opinions & observation regarding this lens.i maybe mistaken

Strengths:

bit heavy but not much..- stable i could shot in 1/8s in low light
colors very nice & seems 3d
sharp lens
can you in bright day light with out flare
usable focal length for travel dx & specially fx
f3.5-4.5 seems fast enough for a zoom lens like 18-70m rather than f3.5-5.6 of some modern lenses
built like tank w/c i love
zoom effect can be experimented to movie mode
nice macro feature which is a bonus w/c also can blurr the background very well for portrait at daylight at 105mm and sharp
nice details on the shots when focus very well
focal length very effective on FX bodies
52mm filter!!
cheap lens
will meter on FX & midlevel bodies
flexible due to zoom range

Weaknesses:

slow not a f2.8
focal length for fx body not wide enough
no af
new lens is more convenient to use as of today.
can't be use for fast actions
limited wideness on DX
few reviews
no metering in cheapest dslr
i observe that boke is not that good compare to 50mm ai-s & 105mm pc

Similar Products Used:

nikkor 50mm f1.8 ai-s (sharper at 2.8)
nikkor 105mm f2.5 p.c (sharper at f3)
nikkor 28mm f2 ai-s (boke nicer)
nikkor 300mm f4.5 ai-s (bit sharper)

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Rating
Reviewed by:

jorgemonkey
( Expert)

Review Date
June 18, 2008

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Review 2 of 11

Price Paid: $0.00 from present from my gran

Summary:

My grandfather gave me this lens along with a couple other manual focus lenses. I've used it mainly for portrait work along with some nature/product photography work. Its built like a tank, and it feels like one.

I've mostly used this lens with my D2h, and I love the images I've gotten from it. I used it at a wedding I shot for about a half hour or so, and again I was very pleased with the image quality. The macro feature on the one I have works pretty good as well. Its a push-pull style zoom, and I've found that when the lens is mounted it tends to want to creep down on me.

Strengths:

Build quality, it feels like it won't break on you if you drop it
Push-pull style zoom is smooth, focus is smooth, and its pretty easy to put it into macro mode.

Weaknesses:

3.5 aperture, but its really not a weakness

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 50mm 1.8 AIS, 35 2.8 AIS, 80-300 AIS (I believe its an 80-300)

Customer Service:

I've sent in a couple cameras/flashes to Nikon, and I have been very pleased with them.

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Rating
Reviewed by:

bigalbaird
( Professional)

Review Date
July 21, 2005

Overall Rating
2 of 5

Value Rating
2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
2 votes

Review 3 of 11

Price Paid: $0.00

Summary:

Like all zoom lenses optics are a compromise, but at 105mm only the centre half of the image is in focus: the periphery is way out. It's frustrating because in most other respects it is an easy lens to use but since the fall off in quality at this focal length is so bad I'm looking at changing asap, either that or putting tape on the barrel to stop me inadvertently using it at 'disaster setting'. It would be ok for snaps but I've had to dump a number of Himalayan shots becasue of poor quality. Guess I'll have to stick to fixed focal lengths in future

Strengths:

Ease of use - smooth zoom and focus action.

Weaknesses:

Less than average optics at 105mm

Similar Products Used:

Equivalent Pentax zoom

Customer Service:

Had the optics checked by Nikon, who returned it FOC saying it was perfect..

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Rating
Reviewed by:

William Kazak
( Professional)

Review Date
November 13, 2004

Overall Rating
5 of 5

Value Rating
5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5,
4 votes

Review 4 of 11

Price Paid: $100.00 from Bought it used from

Summary:

Very nice zoom lens. No flare at all, even at the beach when used with the HB5 hood.The focal length is great for film and fine for digital on my D70.I took thousands of pics this summer at the beach with this and my 200mm F4 and my D70.This is an outdoor lens because it gets slow at F4.5.

Strengths:

Hand holdable,compact,takes 52mm filters. No flare at all.Takes the place of 35mm,50mm,85mm and 105mm.Real usable for volleyball and general beach activity.I love the push-pull.

Weaknesses:

Gets a little slow is my only complaint.

Similar Products Used:

24-85mm zoom.

Customer Service:

None needed. Seems very rugged.

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Rating
Reviewed by: Toonman
(Professional)

Review Date
January 9, 2003

Overall Rating
4 of 5

Value Rating
4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.20 of 5,
5 votes

Review 5 of 11

Price Paid: $269.00 from Jessops

Summary:

A decent lens, that's free of hassles in day to day use. Price quoted is in UK £

Strengths:

Handling Build Quality Sharpness

Weaknesses:

Like all lenses, softer at the aperture extremes, than those at the mid point. Something we expect and get used to however.

Similar Products Used:

RB67 - 50, 90, 180, 360 Sekors D100 - 18-35, 70-300 Coolpix 990 Contax G2 - 28, 45, 90

Customer Service:

Not required with this product, but from previous experience with others, Nikon UK are always quick to deal with queries.

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