Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm F/1.8GThis nice, compact lens for Nikon's DX-format DSLRs may suffer from being just a little too nice.April 2, 2009 By Dan Havlik 
Don't get me wrong. It's not that this fast, compact prime lens doesn't stand up well in its own right. It's a fine piece of glass which worked great for a series of portraits I shot with the Nikon D90 in tricky lighting. In fact, I'd hazard to say that it's the best lens Nikon has produced in the DX line-up so far for shooting in low light. That's not saying very much, though. With less than 15 lenses in its compact DX line, the AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G has the fastest aperture of the bunch. Prior to the 35mm f/1.8, that title went to a 17-55 mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX and a 10.5 mm f/2.8G ED AF DX Fisheye. Like I said, it's not saying very much. Until the release of the 35mm f/1.8G DX, some photographers had been speculating that Nikon might kill off its DX line of cameras altogether in favor of its increasingly popular FX "full-frame" models. Though that seemed highly unlikely to me even before the release of the 35mm f/1.8G DX, I too was beginning to wonder. When is the replacement for the semi-professional D300 coming? (As of this writing, just three days before PMA, there has been none.) Would Nikon's DX cameras and lenses end up being strictly for consumers and amateurs or was there some pro glass in the pipeline too? Though the release of the 35mm f/1.8G partially answers those questions, it's still something of a stopgap. I know I'm not the only one who would love to see a wider (maybe a 24mm?) DX lens with an even faster aperture (perhaps f/1.4 or f/1.2??) from Nikon for its DX cameras. For now though, the DX 35mm f/1.8G is what we have to work with, or to quote a popular expression of the day: "It is what it is." But what is it exactly? It's actually not a "35mm" lens at all since the DX crop factor turns it into a 52mm equivalent. While that may be a pretty standard, all-purpose focal length for photography, it is kind of dull really. I did love the petite size of this seven ounce lens which is great for stowing in your jacket for street photography. The lens also uses a specially designed ultra-compact Silent Wave Motor to help quiet the autofocus which is a plus when capturing candids. For true street photographs though, I really wish Nikon would release a 24mm or wider DX lens. A wider lens would also help for landscape photography for which a 52mm-equivalent is just too middle-of-the-road. Again, this is all wishful thinking. For macro photography, DX 35mm f/1.8G is not bad with the ability to focus as close as just under a foot. I got great close-ups of a bouquet of flowers that looked sharp, bright and colorful despite the flat winter light. Where the DX 35mm f/1.8G really shines though is for classic portrait photography if you don't mind zooming the old fashioned way, with your feet. I got great Bokeh from this lens and good sharpness where it mattered—right on the face and specifically the eyes, giving my images excellent pop in the center and beautiful fall-off to the corners. The DX 35mm f/1.8G uses a rounded diaphragm with a nine-blade aperture—a popular configuration in Nikon's prime lenses including on the recent (non-DX) AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G—which produces very natural-looking out-of-focus backgrounds. Again, perfect for portraits particularly with the shallow-depth of field produced by the f/1.8 aperture. That wide aperture was also great for shooting short HD clips in natural light with the D90's movie function. THE BOTTOM LINE As the latest—at the time of this writing— member of Nikon's compact line of lenses made exclusively for DX-format digital SLRs, the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G is best in class for low-light portrait photography. Serious professionals though may find it to be a bit of a snooze.
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