Nikon 35mm f/1.8G ED

Lens Construction

Lens construction is fairly advanced for a budget lens. The Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G contains a single “Extra Dispersion” (ED) lens element that is typically used on high-end Nikkor lenses to boost sharpness and contrast, along with a single aspherical lens element used for correcting spherical aberration issues:

If you would like to see more details about the lens, please see our Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G page in the lens database.

Lens Handling and Build

The Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED is built similarly as the recently introduced Nikkor prime lenses, with a hard and textured plastic exterior, a metal mount and a rubber gasket on the lens mount to provide good sealing against dust making its way into the camera. The lens feels solid in hands, definitely no worse than any of the modern professional Nikkor prime. Size-wise, it is not as small as the Nikkor 35mm f/2D, which is a good thing, as it feels comfortable to support it with your left hand while hand-holding the camera. Like other inexpensive Nikkor primes, the filter thread is plastic, which is unfortunate, as it could potentially wear out with repetitive mounting and dismounting of lens filters if you are not careful. On the bright side, nothing moves when the lens focuses, so you do not have to worry about having to re-adjust your polarizing filter when using it in the field. In contrast, older AF-D lens designs often had rotating front elements (the 35mm f/2D is an exception), making them hard to use with filters. Additionally, the front element of the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED does not move in and out like it does on some Nikkor primes and it is not recessed deep inside, making it pretty easy to clean and maintain.

The focus ring is quite thick, making the lens very easy and convenient to use for manual focusing with a thumb and index fingers, whether shooting images or video. A petal-shaped HB-70 Lens Hood is provided with the lens. It snaps easily on the front of the lens and sits tight without wobbling. The M/A and M switch on the side of the lens allows autofocus with manual focus override and full manual focus operation. The latest Nikon DSLRs immediately recognize the focus position and some even provide notifications on the information (“I” button) screen.

As I have already pointed out, the lens is very light and compact. At just 305 grams, it is heavier than the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, but a bit lighter than the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8G.

Autofocus Performance and Accuracy

The lens is impressively fast and snappy in autofocus operation. I found the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G to focus faster than its big brother, similar to what I have seen with other current generation f/1.8 Nikkor primes. Since it takes less turns to move an f/1.8 lens than an f/1.4, it is not surprising to see the lens go from close focus to infinity noticeably faster. And this surely impacts the overall feel of focus speed, although the motor itself is not necessarily faster. Thanks to the AF-S silent wave motor, autofocus operations are barely audible. The same definitely cannot be said about the 35mm f/2D and most other AF-D lenses, which can be quite loud during AF. When it comes to autofocus accuracy, the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G ED is quite good, even in low-light conditions. My copy perfectly matched my cameras and did not require any fine tuning, which is always a good thing.

Nikon 35mm f/1.8G ED Specifications