New lens for my F90x?

john_s said:
Be aware that some (maybe not all) of the AF 35mm-70mm f/2.8 lenses have a tendency to become fogged. It was a favourite of mine for some years. It went to Camera Clinic Melbourne and they replaced the offending element with Nikon supplied part. It was great for a couple of years then it, too, went milky. I was very busy at the time and discarded the lens.
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Interesting. I had never heard that before. I must check mine as I have not used it for the past year (too many lenses not enough time)
 
Rob-F said:
Peterm1, I enjoyed reading your review of the AF 28-85 and AF 35-105. I had the AF-28-85 for a while, and I don't know why I ever sold it. I might get it back, and I might pick up a AF 35-105 to try out.

George Mann, I don't believe anyone suggested the AF 28-105 f/3.5-4.5. I have one, and even though I have many Nikons, my AF 28-105 is on my D700 much of the time. Although it is not one of the pro lenses with the fancy crinkle paint finish, it seems to me to perform like one. I can find nothing to complain about in its image quality. I picked up a AF 35-70 f/2.8 to try. good lens, very good, but not as handy for daylight shooting as my 28-105, and not really any better! Take a look at Bjorn Rorslett's review of it.
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In relation to the 28-85mm - selling it and then buying one back. That is exactly what I did. :)

I do not even know why I sold it. I suspect it was because back then I had a D70s which was an cropped camera sensor and it mounted an 18-70mm kit lens which was excellent so the older one seldom got an outing. A few years later I had a D700 full frame camera so when another 28-85mm came up I grabbed it. The good thing was I sold mine for more than the cost of buying another a couple of years on. So that turned out to be a good deal. Now that I have one again I still use it when the mood takes me.

This is why seldom sell lenses unless I change systems (or the lens is a dog). I am subject to lens nostalgia and will often have seller's remorse.
 
George Mann said:
Well, I have decided that I will look for a 35-70mm f/3.5 Ai-S . Its the lightest of the pro zooms, and has excellent image quality.
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Yes it is superb. I would have suggested it but thought that the zooms you were considering were AF ones for some reason, probably because you are looking to replace an another AF lens. I have the Ai version which I like very much. My only gripe is that the focus ring is a little too loose on my copy - I am not sure if this is limited to my copy or is a common issue. A little more resistance would make it nicer to use. It is commonly regarded as the "father" of the Nikkor AF 35-70mm f2.8 pro lens.I have not noticed that it is better than that lens as the quote below suggests but both are excellent lenses.

A review says this (of the AI version).

" The Zoom-Nikkor 35-70mm f/3.5 AI is an amazing piece of optics. Wide open it outperforms the AF 35-70mm f/2.8D with ease. To top it all of the IR performance is excellent as well. The sweet spot of the lens is f/4 to f/11. Diffraction starts kicking in about f/16 on the D3. The lens is more then useful at f/22 if you add a bit of sharpening to the images. If you like manual focus lenses I highly recommend trying out the Nikon 35-70 f3.5 AI"

http://www.momentcorp.com/review/index.html

Please note that this reviewer regards the AI version as better than the AIS version. I cannot comment but you may wish to enquire further before "hitting the button".

http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_zoom_02.html#MF35-70f3.5(72)
 
George Mann said:
That's funny, because Ken Rockwell has a page dedicated to the pro zooms where he shows test images.

The Ai-S version clearly beat the Ai in every test.
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Yep, noted. Truth is, I always take reviews with a grain of salt. Seldom are they really conducted in a rigorous, scientific way and people also have their own preferences and biases. Not even mentioning individual variations between lenses.

That's why I suggested you investigate further and make your own mind up. Its pretty much what I do based on the preponderance of evidence. In this specific case I do not know enough to say other than that I am happy enough with my AI one though I note that images will degrade due to flare when circumstances do not suit it. (But I "grew up" as a photographer using old Pentax screw mount lenses, the early samples of which were single coated, so I am used to that issue and just try to avoid situations which I know might be problematic).
 
Maybe bit outside discussion, but I like Sigma 24-70 f2.8. First version even has aperture ring for older Nikon bodies. Latest third version is Art lens with latest wiz-bang technology that Sigma can make.
 
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