Razor sharp Excellent contrast and colour Built like a tank Not too heavy despite how fast it is Constant f2.8 aperature

Push/pull zoom can be awkward for some Range is a little "limited" Notice a little image softness wide open @ 35mm

I have been looking for a zoom that was sharp, contrasty, having excellent colour balance and saturation. Having read this forum and other reviews, I decided to head down to the local camera store to check this lens out. After spending a week working with it, I don't know how I ever worked without this lens! It is all that it is cut out to be and more. The images are razor sharp, have great contrast and colour. And it is built like a tank. Feels great in your hands. Now this is a LENS! Very different feel to the ones produced with the polycarbonate bodies. If you are serious about photography, and want the crispness of a "normal" lens with a bit of zoom range on either side, this is the lens for you. I don't use my 50mm f1.8 anymore. Have you ever tried to "zoom with your feet" when you are standing at the edge of a cliff? Truly a Nikon classic.

Customer Service

I hope I never know....

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Nikkor AF 18-35D f3.5~4.5 ED IF Nikkor AF 50 f1.8 Nikkor AF 70-300D f3.5~5.6 ED IF

Rigid mechanics, fast, sharp, quite usable macro

Short range, prone to flare without proper shade, heavy for some uses

This one really is a good lens. After use of this constant aperture 2.8 zoom, I wouldn't get back to variable aperture zooms anymore. The speed and sharpness are very good, and macro feauture is very handy on field, allthough not replacement for real macro equipment. The short range is of course a pity, but for my taste 35mm is wide enough for most situations and 70mm is barely suitful for candid portraits, so that's not too big a problem. Flare is a problem when shooting towards sun. This lens is most often on my camera nowadays, and I can only imagine that I could change it to 28-70 AFS, but that's too expensive and even more bulky. I strongly recommend this lens if image quality is of prime concern.

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Nikon E 36-72/3.5 Nikkor AF 35-105/3.5-4.5

2.8 through whole length. Built like a tank.

Push/pull design. Weight.

This is a very good lense for the price. Has the qualities of the 28-70 f/2.8 but with out the s.w. motor and ed glass. Great lense for landscapes/portraits/low light pics.

Customer Service

It fell from a chair and the apperature ring cracked and I sent it in and Nikon fixed it and sent it back over night so i could have it for vacation to FL. Fast quick service.

Solidly built, focuses quickly, sharp as a razor, and fast for a zoom. Excellent value with the (now expired) rebate.

Flare - loses contrast in bright conditions when pointed towards the sun. I tried two examples, both were the same way. A clumsy aftermarket rubber hood can help, but watch out for vignetting. Or just use your left hand to shade it.

Pretty nice lens in most situations. It doesn't have the nice optics of the 28-70 AF-S but it's smaller, lighter, and a lot less expensive. The range is a lot more useful than some people think it is, and the rotating front element hasn't been a problem. I treat it like a 50mm that I can fine tune composition with. People who say they can just move the camera for the same effect must do all of their work on flat ground at eye level. 35-70 is a useful range for sure.

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28-70 AF-S

Feels really strong. Macro is very useful. Not too big for such a fast lens.

The rotating front elemnt coming out when focusing is not just a problem for using polarizer, but it is also very fragile to impact. Not as solid as the tipical front element on MF prime lenses.

Not the most sofisticated zoom, but enough for most traditional work wth excelent quality for a zoom lens.

Customer Service

Not required so far.

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Nikon 24-120mm f4-5,6D Nikon 80-200mm f4 AIS

Works like it supposed to. High quality build. Pin Sharp optics. Nice rubber grip. Macro facility useful. 'F' Mount versatility.

Not as 'COOL' as the AFS 28-70. Maybe a bit long in the tooth.

A top Quality bit of kit. Built like a brick out house. Obviously Nikon have kept revising this lens with the addition of the 'D' chip making it suitable for the latest bodies F100 F80 etc. Highly versatile with a fast aperture and a useful macro option. Snaps into focus quicker than I could manually focus (on my F100 body) Fits my FM2n body and is just fine on there also. I personally dont feel the range is that limited. Yes the design is a bit outdated but what are the options in this focal range and speed?? You could shell out on the AFS 28-70 but It's WAY more expensive. Or Buy a third party lens such as the Tokina 28-80 (subject to flare) or (Sigma 28-80 a bit plasticky). Personally the back to front zoom and rotating focus dont bother me that much. Buy it and you won't feel dissapointed.

Customer Service

Its got a Nikon UK warranty card so Customer service should be fine.

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Canon 35-105 f3.5 FD Canon 35-80mm usm

Produces excellent images; high build quality; large maximum aperture; excellent value for the price

Heavy - doesnt balance well with new Nikons (like F80/N80, F65/N65), Ergonomics (push-pull), zoom range a bit restrictive for travel photography.

Superb performance at a reasonable price. The lens produces razor sharp, high contrast images. Flare isnt a problem- even when shooting directly into the sun. Zoom range can be a bit restrictive though and the push-pull mode of operation requires a bit of getting use to - especially given the weight of the lens. This lens produces the best quality images I have seen in a wide zoom, as compared to similar products I have used(see below).

Customer Service

Not used

Similar Products Used:

AF Nikkor 28-70 f3.3-4.5 D AF Nikkor 24-120 D AF Nikkor 28-85 Tokina 28-70 f2.6-f2.8 AT-X Pro

Very sharp across entire zoom range Excellent colour rendition Quality construction inspires confidence in durability Close focusing

Filter mount rotates when focusing (inconvenient with polarising filter)

As in the case of a recent reviewer from Holland, I deliberated for a lengthy period before buying this lens because of various negative comments by other reviewers (limited zoom range, push-pull action, etc.). Nevertheless, about 6 months ago I took the plunge. This lens is fabulous and i wish I had not hesitaed so long. I have shot about 10 films with it now and the results are great - very sharp with good rendition of colour. Sure, the zoom range is not as wide as that of many other lenses; but consider the rewards - excellent sharpness at all focal lengths! This lens is set to become a near permanent fixture on my FM2.

Customer Service

Not needed so far

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Nikon primes: 35mm/f2.8, 50mm/f1.8

Clear, sharp image, excellence color saturation!

A bit noisy but who cares as long as it gives me a good result.

I love this lens. Sharp at the edge for the entire focal length. Nice blur on the f/2.8. good contrasty. I have had it with me since 1996 and it is my permanent lens on my F80s.

Customer Service

Never have it repaired!

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AF Nikkor 28-70 f/3.5-4.5D AF Nikkor 70-210 f/4-5.6D AF Sigma 75-300 AF Vivitar 19-35

A well built lens--metal construction! Outstanding optical performance--sharp, sharp, sharp! Outstanding color and contrast Good balance with F100, or F4 (with MB-20).

Rotating front barrel--very inconvenient for me when using C-P filter. But I''m going to trade that for an inferior optics! No, no!

My only regret is that I should have owned this lens a long time ago. Starting out my hobby as photography 3 years ago, I thought I was being smart by reading and taking advice of other people on the website about the performance of this lens (and every equipment I want to get). Boy was I wrong, or have I read and taken the wrong opinion from the wrong person? At any rate, this lens is a super performer. It’s not too heavy or too large (compared with the AF-S Nikkor 28-70mm or the Tokina AT-X PRO 28-80mm); it’s well built, and sharp, sharp, sharp! Outstanding color and contrast. This is now my standard lens in the bag, with my 20-35mm and 80-200mm. In spite of the fact that I have to carry a different set of filters for this lens, its performance is every bit worth the sacrifice! My mistake for not getting this lens for a long time was based partly and more so on comments of other people (supposedly pro’s or experienced photographers). Some say the lens does not cover much of useful range; some say this lens sucks!; some say you could get a much cheaper 50mm f/1.8 lens and you can “zoom” it with your feet to cover the 35-70mm range; and plus the 50mm lens is 1 1/3 stops faster. After thinking about it for a while I thought to myself. How can you practically “zoom” your 50mm lens with your feet when you are restricted to one spot? What was the original intent of a zoom-lens?—you can zoom without moving your feet, not that you are lazy but due to other restrictions. And finally, with a 50mm lens being faster than the 35-70mm do people always shoot at the widest aperture 1.8 or 1.4? I also have a 50mm f/1.8 and never shot at f/1.8, because of my required sharpness and dept-of-field! Influenced partly by those people’s comments I decided to get the Tokina AT-X 28-80mm instead of this poorly rated 35-70mm lens. I thought that Tokina would be a better choice, because the Nikon 35-70mm has all the negative attributes, such as rotating front barrel (inconvenient for C-P filter), push-pull zoom, absence of instant MF/AF override, the “wrong size” of filter I use (77mm), and the short focal range. But the negative attribute was never the optics, and that was the gravest mistake I made or believed. I also mistakenly thought the Tokina’s optics would be better or comparable to the Nikon 35-70mm. I never realized the inferior optics of Tokina to Nikon 35-70mm until

Customer Service

Never used one, even for other Nikon products.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon AF: 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5, 24-120mm, 50mm f/1.8, 24-50mm Nikon AF-S 28-70mm f/2.8D ED Nikon MF 55mm f/2.8 Micro-Nikkor Tokina AT-X PRO 28-80mm f/2.8 AF Sigma 28-105mm f/4-5.6 AF Tamron 28-200mm