Review Nikon 35 mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Nikkor (N APS-C)

Early 2009, the Nikon 35 mm 1.8g was announced. This compact, light, and fast lens is only suitable for Nikon cameras with an APS-C / DX sensor. For most owners of a Nikon APS-C sensor, the Nikon 35 mm 1.8g will be a much more logical choice than the Nikon 35 mm 1.4 lens, which is more expensive, heavier and larger. The viewing angle of a 35 mm lens on a camera with an APS-C sensor corresponds to the viewing angle of a standard lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor.


The viewing angle of a 35 mm lens on a camera with an APS-C / DX sensor corresponds to the viewing angle of a standard lens on a camera with a full-frame sensor. The bokeh of this lens is less beautiful than the bokeh of the Nikon 35 mm 1.4.
Construction and autofocus
The lens has one switch for the two focus modes: M / A (autofocus with manual focus priority) and M (manual focus). The autofocus is driven by WM (Silent Wave Motor). The focus of the Nikon 35 mm 1.8 on a Nikon D3200 runs reasonably fast and reasonably quiet. In terms of both speed and sound, it is no absolute top, but certainly not bad.	{insertgrid ID = 289}
Image stabilization
The Nikon 35 mm 1.8g has no built-in image stabilization. Instead, you get a cheap, light, compact, and bright lens. I wonder if many users miss the absence of image stabilization in this lens.
Vignetting
We tested this lens for in-camera correction for vignetting with the Nikon D3200 . At f/1.8, you will see vignetting if you have a picture of a plain blue sky. After stopping down one stop, up to aperture 2.8, the vignetting in jpg files is negligible.
Distortion
We tested this lens for in-camera correction for distortion with the Nikon D3200 . A jpg file stored in the camera shows almost no distortion. A RAW file with no in-camera correction exhibits a barrel distortion of 1.3%.
Bokeh
The bokeh of the Nikon 35 mm 1.8 is less beautiful than the bokeh of the Nikon 35 mm 1.4. Nevertheless, the Nikon 35 mm 1.4 is so much more expensive than the 1.8 that I would opt for the 1.8 if I had a Nikon camera with an APS-C sensor.
Flare
The Nikon 35 mm 1.8 is a compact lens that is composed of eight elements in six groups. Partly due to the small number of lens elements, this lens is very resistant to flare. Even in the studio, with a bright light source shining directly into the lens, we observed no flare or ghosting: a very good performance.
Resolution
The Nikon 35 mm 1.8g already reached a very high sharpness in the center at full aperture. The maximum sharpness is reached at diaphragm 8, after which the sharpness caused by diffraction decreases. At all apertures in the corners, the sharpness remains behind the sharpness in the center. From Aperture 5.6, the difference is easily observable to the naked eye. Nikon 35mm-18-review-resolution.
Chromatic aberration
A JPG file taken with the Nikon 35 mm 1.8 and the Nikon D3200 does not suffer from chromatic aberration. Even at magnifications up to 100%, there is no visible chromatic aberration in the corners of the jpg files. In the RAW files at such magnification, however, chromatic aberration is visible as you can see below.
In the extreme corners, a RAW file shows green and red edges on high contrast transitions as shown in this 100% crop of a test image. Fortunately, chromatic aberration is easily corrected in software. Move your mouse over the image.
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Conclusion Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Nikkor review
	See our list of tested lenses or the lenses with a Nikon mount tested by us to compare the performance of this lens to other lenses.
WYSIWYG score: This table shows the performance of this lens when you store the files in the camera as jpg, with all available in-camera lens corrections applied. This score gives you for this lens/test camera combination: “What you see is what you get”.	{insertgrid ID = 308}
Pros Cheap, compact and light Fast lens with little or no flare or ghosting High sharpness in the center In combination with Nikon D3200 : good correction of distortion and chromatic aberration	Cons Sharpness in the corners is less than in the center
The Nikon 35 mm 1.8 is a very attractive, low-cost, compact, and lightweight lens. In combination with the Nikon D3200 , it yields high sharpness in the center. The Nikon D3200 corrected the jpg files for chromatic aberration (not adjustable) and distortion (adjustable). In terms of distortion and chromatic aberration, you will have to pay extra attention to the RAW files. The sharpness in the corners remains behind in comparison with the center, but from f/5.6, it will not visible to the naked eye.