Nikon AF-S 35mm F1.8G ... not happy :(

[bethpapa74]

hi experts,
I bought the above prime to couple with my d7k for night portrait.
at the same time i have also 50mm f1.8d ...

I feel that the 35mm f1.8g is not auto focusing that fast/superb to my expectation.
on the other hand, the 50mm f1.8d can AF almost 30% faster.

I feel more comfortable working with 35mm FL bcos the 50mm on my dx is too long.

any advise or recommendation from the bros here??
i bought my 35mm at John316 ... was advise to take up the 35m f2 but i insisted to go with the f1.8

please help...

 

[Die Hard]

hi experts,
I bought the above prime to couple with my d7k for night portrait.
at the same time i have also 50mm f1.8d ...

I feel that the 35mm f1.8g is not auto focusing that fast/superb to my expectation.
on the other hand, the 50mm f1.8d can AF almost 30% faster.

I feel more comfortable working with 35mm FL bcos the 50mm on my dx is too long.

any advise or recommendation from the bros here??
i bought my 35mm at John316 ... was advise to take up the 35m f2 but i insisted to go with the f1.8

please help...

Im using the 35mmf2. I find that is good liao but yet to try the 35mm DX 1.8. If you really need 1.8 get the AF-S there.

 

[quincytan]

When I changed from my D80 to D7000, I felt that I had the same problem - slower focusing on the D7000 with this particular lens. While at the Nikon Service Center to collect my repaired flash, I mentioned this to them and a technician checked my camera and lens. I was told that both were functioning fine and that I should switch to spot metering if I find the AF slow.

Frankly, now I just use SCENE mode when there is less light and find the performance acceptable (not as fast as I remember on the D80 but bearable). Aperture priority mode is OK when there is sufficient light.

 

[spree86]

hi experts,
I bought the above prime to couple with my d7k for night portrait.
at the same time i have also 50mm f1.8d ...

I feel that the 35mm f1.8g is not auto focusing that fast/superb to my expectation.
on the other hand, the 50mm f1.8d can AF almost 30% faster.

I feel more comfortable working with 35mm FL bcos the 50mm on my dx is too long.

any advise or recommendation from the bros here??
i bought my 35mm at John316 ... was advise to take up the 35m f2 but i insisted to go with the f1.8

please help...

It has been reviewed that the f1.8 is sharper than f2 and the focusing issue is the same on my both D80 and D7000, its quieter but just a bit slower than the non-motorized 50mm f1.8.

 

[diediealsomustdive]

Interesting - dissatisfied on AF speed alone.

Recommendation - buy a Canon EOS and their 35mm lens - it will focus faster than AFS35mm f/1.8G.

Otherwise, enjoy the sharpness and resolution of this wonderful lens. It is sharper than the AF35mm f/2D. I know cos I have both.

 

[spree86]

Interesting - dissatisfied on AF speed alone.

Recommendation - buy a Canon EOS and their 35mm lens - it will focus faster than AFS35mm f/1.8G.

Otherwise, enjoy the sharpness and resolution of this wonderful lens. It is sharper than the AF35mm f/2D. I know cos I have both.

The f1.8 is also prone to front focusing issues, a pain in the ass last time for me but with the D7000, i can now AF fine-tune so its great!!

 

[akerue]

AFAIK, some AFS lenses are quite laggy in the focusing, eg: the 50 1.4D focus faster than the 50 1.4G.. with that said, u shooting portraits so i dont think it does cause much problem, unless your model can stay still for less than milliseconds...

overall its a good lens.. trust me even the 35 1.4G is quite slow..

my humble 0.00000002 cents ...

 

[bethpapa74]

hmmm ... this is interesting .. but why these latest G-series lenses are slower?? shouldn't they be more if not equivalent to the older gen?

 

[wmayeo]

I still prefer 35/1.8 to 50/1.8D due to focal length. Surprised you could feel the difference that much.

Did you turn on the Built-in AF Assist Illuminator?

 

[bethpapa74]

I still prefer 35/1.8 to 50/1.8D due to focal length. Surprised you could feel the difference that much.

Did you turn on the Built-in AF Assist Illuminator?

yes .. i also prefer to work with 35mm.
AF pt illum = AUTO
Built-in AF-asist illum = ON

 

[diediealsomustdive]

Some said they're slower in AF but much more accurate. Critical for "fast" lenses, pun intended.

 

[tltan]

have the same feeling that the 50 1.8D focuses faster then the 35 1.8g. I only tried it once and had to mount/dismount both lenses from my D300 twice and focus on the same subject in the same condition to my disbelief.

Love the zippy 50 f1.8D (sometimes so fast that you feel you can cut yourself if you place your fingers gently on the focusing ring....). However, as mentioned, the 35 f1.8g when it hits, it is slightly sharper then the 50 wide open.

 

[daredevil123]

AFD lenses' AF speed and accuracy is largely dependent on the camera body. Mounted on a d70 or d3s, you will see great differences.

 

[kentwong81]

I use these AF-S G prime lenses on D700 to shoot events/weddings, including the march-in and gate-crashing. The AF speed is still good enough to capture all those fast actions without delay and blur. Maybe it is the camera body difference(DX vs FX).

 

[bethpapa74]

AFD lenses' AF speed and accuracy is largely dependent on the camera body. Mounted on a d70 or d3s, you will see great differences.

no wonder when i try the d700 with 50 f1.8d ... it is very snappy and feel very solid with nice bokeh.
when i mount the 50f1.8d on my d7k ... slightly ''lethargic''

one question, is it me or what ... but when i shoot 50f1.8d on my kids, 80% are killer shots ... but with AFS-35f1.8G, i need to delete 60% due to motion blur.

 

[Indescribable]

I use this prime lens on my D90 and face no issue..

 

[wmayeo]

no wonder when i try the d700 with 50 f1.8d ... it is very snappy and feel very solid with nice bokeh.
when i mount the 50f1.8d on my d7k ... slightly ''lethargic''

one question, is it me or what ... but when i shoot 50f1.8d on my kids, 80% are killer shots ... but with AFS-35f1.8G, i need to delete 60% due to motion blur.

What's the shutter speed u used? did u switch to AF-C to track your kids?

 

[akerue]

no wonder when i try the d700 with 50 f1.8d ... it is very snappy and feel very solid with nice bokeh.
when i mount the 50f1.8d on my d7k ... slightly ''lethargic''

one question, is it me or what ... but when i shoot 50f1.8d on my kids, 80% are killer shots ... but with AFS-35f1.8G, i need to delete 60% due to motion blur.

well if u deemed that the 35 1.8 is slow in focusing, and honestly theres nothin u can do abt it, try some pre focus, before using the AF....

 

[diediealsomustdive]

no wonder when i try the d700 with 50 f1.8d ... it is very snappy and feel very solid with nice bokeh.
when i mount the 50f1.8d on my d7k ... slightly ''lethargic''

one question, is it me or what ... but when i shoot 50f1.8d on my kids, 80% are killer shots ... but with AFS-35f1.8G, i need to delete 60% due to motion blur.

D700 has a stronger motor, as would D300/s, D3/s/x and should AF faster with D lenses.

Yes it would be you. Both are f/1.8 lens so you should get the same shutter speed, if you use A or S for your shots. Using P may give different results for different cameras, as priority for higher shutter speed is given for longer focal lengths, but 35 and 50mm it should hardly matter.

 

[bethpapa74]

What's the shutter speed u used? did u switch to AF-C to track your kids?

I am using aperture priority most of the time (i guess since i bought a f1.8 lens, must as well make the most of out it
AF-S (spot meter) all the time.