From Photography in Malaysia
Nikkor 35mm f2.0 Wideangle Lens (Manual Focus)
Bjørn Rørslett says (referring to Nikkor 35 mm f/2 non-AI, AI and AIS) "Nikon developed this fast wide-angle for photojournalists in the '60s, and it stayed long in the lens line. The earliest version had a yellowish shimmering to the front element that later on became bluish when multicoating was added to it. The 35/2 is an 8-element design that delivers very sharp images throughout the aperture settings, peaking around f/4. There is a nice smoothness ("bokeh") in its pictorial rendition. Flare can be mildly annoying whilst ghosting is a real and troublesome issue under adverse shooting conditions. According to design drawings seen by me, Nikon made some modifications to the rear element groups in the 70's, so newer lenses may not be identical to the early sample (from '69) I own, and bokeh reportedly is less satisfactory also.
On the D2X, the AIS 35/2 I own performs superbly. It shows flatter field all-over than the faster 35/1.4 and CA is well under control. Image crispness is of the highest class, even when the lens is opened up (a little softer at f/2 than the 35/1.4, though).
By the way, the current AF version has a much simpler optical formula. Centre sharpness is great but corner quality isn't outstanding on this new design. "
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