Any other amazing old classics like the 35-70mm f/2.8D?

[Erik Lund]

...

Are there any other cheaper old zooms that hold up as well?  For example how nice is the 20-35mm F2.8D? Might it compliment this 35-70 quite well? Mostly do landscapes. Opinions?

I was quite fond of the 20-35mm AF-D f/2.8 Build quality is superb.
Very little distortion and ok sharp

https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=4473.msg69881#msg69881

[Dogman]

I agree with those who mentioned the 28-70 and 28-105, both 3.5-4.5 lenses.  Very nice results.  Also the old 70-210 ƒ/4.  Mine is very sharp although I read there's a lot of sample variation present.  These lenses are all cheap second hand.

I've found the 24-85 VR to be very useful if one can live with the distortion.  It's pretty traumatic at various focal lengths.  I can live with it or correct it in post so I use it often. 

And for DX format, the 18-70 3.5-4.5 kit lens is really outstanding, especially when you consider how cheap it is.  I like to use it with my D2Xs but it's okay with the D7100 as well.

[Matthew Currie]

I'd forgotten this old thread, and don't now remember whether or not I mentioned this in some other thread, but thanks in part to Richard Haw's website, I took that old Tokina apart and cleaned most of the fungus out.  The design is surprisingly easy to deal with,  so if nasty looking examples are around for cheap, they might be worth looking at.

[ianwatson]

I enjoyed the 20-35mm f/2.8. However, the range of the 24-85mm VR is more useful and the image quality is better. It focuses more closely too. The distortion is definitely traumatic, though. I let Capture One correct it automatically on import and try not to think about it.

[Wannabebetter]

I still use my 35-70 f/2.8D almost daily to great affect, on either an FX or, more rarely, a Dx body. It serves me well for "street" and manages landscapes, even some infrequent portrait or macro use, adequately enough. I have been very pleased with some of my night photography, as well.

Some years ago, a nylon bearing or cam came loose necessitating sending out for repair to Nikon USA (New York). What they returned me, was effectively a refurbished lens, with entirely new lens groups which I wasn't charged for, and all for about the price of a standard clean-and-lube maintenance job. I only mention these things, because I've heard too many horror stories regarding Nikon service and repair. Like I said, they turned my $35 bargain Nikkor into a "new" lens for approximately $200 shipped -- and at a time when clean copies of these lenses were still demanding high prices at auction.