I've always had my eye on this piece of glass for a few reasons:
1. Its the only Nikkor 2.8 zoom lens I can afford (just an enthusiast here)
2. Its IQ is supposed to be as good as The Beast (sans AFS)
3. 35-70 is just 7mm longer than 28-70
4. If I can live with the 50/1.8 attached to my D50 for weeks at a time, then 35-70 should be an acceptable focal length
5. Hey, it even has "macro"!
6. Without AFS, VR or whatever expensive to repair thingamajig, its basic design gives it the advantage of making it a good buy even at previously loved.

I was supposed to have a self imposed "1 year no new gear moratorium", so i can control spending and at the same time force myself to learn to squeeze the best out of what I currently have. But learning of a great deal on this baby made me break that moratorium six months in advance.

Well, I've had it for a few days only, but so far, it has met most of my expectations.

Some of the first shots taken with this lens (straight out of the camera)

http://static.flickr.com/84/243670126_a4c4a43a0a.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/84/243670034_f09aca9f81.jpg

To the penny pinchers out there (I know its an oxymoron when it comes to photography people), this is a great bang for your buck. :)

Carlo, it is surely without a doubt of great value! :) Congrats...

been eyeing this for a while. but dave's latest posts makes me think more into getting that 18-200.
:)

I realized I didn't mention the price. 18k lng po, with 1 year warranty from the "old stock" sale of Columbia Digital. I think I was lucky enough to get the last unit. Hearing the price made me jump for it agad, since I have already been looking at gettng it used, EX or EX+ ($340-400) from Keh.com.

When it comes to versatility, nothing beats the 18-200. I got this 35-70 for the price, the F2.8, and the supposedly pro quality glass. If it were close to the price of an 18-200, this lens would never have gotten on my bang for the buck radar, especially considering its very limited focal length range.

On the other hand, in terms of color, contrast, sharpness and bokeh, this 2x zoom should beat the 11x superzoom hands down.

@Carlo

I've had this lens at one time. Color and contrast is top notch. By f/5.6, it was even sharper than "the beast"! It is soft wide-open though but nothing to complain about considering it's price.

By the way, did you get the "D" version of the lens?

regards.

I have this lens and use it for indoor shoots alternating with an 80-200 2.8 AFD. It proved its versatility on concerts and sports. The only drawback is its weight.

good day ppl.
is the 35-70 you guys are talking about the push-pull type? also got it and have nothing bad to say about it. love it. i use it as my main lens. :)

Hi Zandy, Yep got the D version.

Yes Jovit, its the push pull type and yes, its starting to look like its going to be welded to my D50 too :Grin:.

Hi Willie... i believe that this 35-70/2.8, an 80-200/2.8, and maybe a tokina 12-24 or 16-50/2.8 (if its any good) is starting to look like a best bang for the buck setup. :)

i picked up this lens 2nd hand and am quite happy with the output. contrast is nice and images are sharp enough for me. plus a wide angle macro can be fun to play with. :Grin:

below are a couple of images using this lens for the group's info. both have been resized to 72 dpi (bicubic) but include a 100% crop and shooting data. the "leaning tower" was shot using the lens' macro mode. the wide angle distortion (barrel distortion?) is very evident.

the sports photo was shot at 40mm. i suppose zooming out to 35mm might have put the player's forward foot into view for a more "complete" shot. my bad :BlackEye: AF is definitely slower than AF-S lenses, but i suppose that's to be expected.

both images are straight from the cam. i forgot to include in the shooting data that i used a D70.

since shooting sports can lead to frequent zooming, the lens has some lens creep. also, since it has an aperture ring, this is my main lens when i shoot film with my nikon FE.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/mgdeleon/3570test.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v332/mgdeleon/DSC_0954copy.jpg