Anyone Have a Nikkor 35-105 F/3.5-4.5 AIS Manual Focus

I won an auction for a Nikon F3T (titanium) yesterday, and it included a Nikkor 35-105 MF lens. I'm not sure I have a use for the lens, so I'd probably like to sell it. Does anyone here have this lens? Do you think it is any good?

 

I read several online reviews, and the ratings were all over the place. Some users say the lens is sharp and they use it all the time. Others say the center is sharp, but the corners are soft.

 

Your reviews are welcome.

 

Thanks!

It's an older lens. The reviews undoubtedly reflect how well their lens was probably treated. Most people that write reviews are far less than experts.

 

When you get it, try it. Take it from there.

I owned that lens way back in the 80s. Push/pull with convenient range, macro setting at the 35mm focal length not all that useful. Can't recall the optical performance; I wasn't all that critical back then.

Sorry, I keep forgetting I have one :) Here is an album taken with that lens. It's heavy......and mine is sharp.

FM2N + Nikkor 35-105

 

Hawkesbury Cars 2015

my bad.....35-135. opps

I had one back in the day that I tried to use as an all-in-one for travel, since it was fairly compact. I remember being dissapointed with shots from some focal lengths. Now my 25-50mm and 80-200mm were a different story, performance-wise.

Sorry, I keep forgetting I have one :) Here is an album taken with that lens. It's heavy......and mine is sharp.

FM2N + Nikkor 35-105

 

Hawkesbury Cars 2015

 

Wow! Those are really nice car photos! And I'm not what you would call a car enthusiast. I have my Toyota and I'm happy LOL.

 

Hmm... and Vince NEVER

lets me drive it...

http://bayouline.com/o2.gif

my bad.....35-135. opps

 

I have one of those too, won on ebay with a camera I really wanted. I just shot a whole roll of Tri-X with it to test it out. I'm sending the film off to Dwayne's Photo Lab today to get it developed and proofed.

I have gotten quite used to and like using a mid/standard range zoom.

I guess it depends on how critical you are with the lens.

I have the 43-86 version 1, which there are many negative comments on. But, it did just fine for me for MANY years, and I was happy with it.

I recently upgraded to the 35-105, only to get more range on both ends than the 43-86. So far, I'm happy with it. I just wish it was constant aperture.

I got one last summer with some camera gear that belonged to a family member that passed away. Peculiar lens, being that you have to switch to the macro mode for any remotely close focusing.

 

Eric Sande

I have one though I have not used it recently. I have a sort of love hate relationship with this lens. Mine is quite decently sharp throughout its range, or at least it struck me that way when I used it with slides. However, I always thought it ergonomically clumsy, its macro range rather unwieldy to use. Mine also has a very loose zoom and along with the variable aperture it's nowhere near parfocal, so it requires constant attention to stay in focus. I got mine at the same time as an 80-200 F4 AIS, a contemporary which could have been built by a different company, it's so much better made and better designed.

 

That said, I found it a very convenient lens to use for general carrying-around on a full format camera, and used it a good deal. Though I found it a nuisance on a tripod, and frustrating for macros, it's just fine for hand held general use, street photography and the like.

 

It's my understanding that these lenses had a good deal of sample variation, so I'd suggest you give yours a good thorough looking at before deciding. Mine certainly seemed optically better than I'd been led to expect.