AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.4G First Thoughts
First Thoughts: This may come as a shock too most people, but will jog the memory of many others Im sure. When I first became seriously interested in photography using the 135mm film format, it was just at the end of an ‘era’. Back then, the 35mm focal length, along with that of 28mm were the widest of ‘wide-angle’ optics that most people bought.
There were others, but costs were such, along with some pretty rigid traditional thinking, that you purchased first a 50mm lens with your camera, before adding (for most people at least) either an 85mm for portraits, or a 35mm for wide-angle photography. In truth, back then the quality of wider lenses we have today was either not so good and or prohibitive in cost as to put it out of reach for most of us.
But in those days the 35mm focal length was in its ‘heyday’, and Nikon had an impressive and highly respected manual focus line up. There was a 35mm f/3.5 Nikkor, a 35mm f/2.8 Nikkor, the highly regarded (to the point of being legendary) 35mm f/2 Nikkor, plus the exotic and way out of most peoples price range 35mm f/1.4 Nikkor.
So to me at least it is a case of ‘back to the future’ with the AF-S 35mm f/1.4G Nikkor. Since 1985 when Nikon introduced the F501 camera, and a then new range of AF lenses, we have only seen one 35mm f/2 AF option. A testiment to how ‘unfashionable’ this focal length had become.
While the new lens is a suprise too many, it is fair to say that for many photojournalistic situations, where you have a little more time than to just grab a shot on a motor driven sequence, or for those shooting some interiours or landscapes, not overlooking some interesting uses in video use, this is a sign that Nikon do not just want to play to the mass market appeal of zoom lenses. But instead, they continue their tradition of professional tools made for those working in specific types of photography. As such it is a welcome addition and will no doubt for a short while put this focal length back on the map.
An Aspheric element and a robust construction, plus that fast aperture which is important on a wide angle to limit depth-of-field, combined with its AF-S motor, have that ‘full of Eastern promise’ potential. I am looking forward to trying one.
End. (17/09/10).
