The disliked AF 35-70mm f/3.3-4.5 zoom

[richardHaw]

was shooting with one on film and sometimes on digital. it ain't that bad, really.
the distortion may be a bit off-putting at times but it was a pretty decent performer

[JKoerner007]

Now as to the AF 35-70/3.3-4.5 how does one make a judement about the lens from modest resolution JPG files posted on the Web?

By having one in my hands once (immediately sent back), and by scrutinizing the displayed images carefully, and comparing them to other, similar-sized JPGs that have left my jaw on the floor ... as opposed to a "meh" reaction ...

[gryphon1911]

I had one back in my N90s days.  Tried it out on the Df.  I didn't think it was bad as some internet forums have you believe... But it was never something I would shoot wide open often. I fine tune adjusted it, tried everything.  Didn't really satisfy me until f/5.6 or f/8.

[John Geerts]

It's not stellar wide open, of course.  But given the price, flexibility and very small convenient size the lens has it's own merits.  Images are pretty good around f/5.6 - f/11

Poster earlier in December 2016   and shot at @f/3.3   http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,4957.0.html

[Bent Hjarbo]

I kept the Ais version and returned the 36-72 f3.5 E

[Forever55]

I want to support your viewpoint that this lens is without fault. I remember when I got my hands on this lens many years ago; the review was harsh enough that I seldom use it.

However, over the years, when I had the chance to use it, I found it very sharp, with good contrast, and very convenient to carry when traveling.

The reviews that badmouthed this lens have disappeared, but I keep it nearby for use.

Here is a recent picture I took to show the capability of this lens at the break of dawn, see the contrast and color it produced!

[Roland Vink]

I remember trying out a couple in a shop. One showed quite strong focus shift on focusing, the other was better, which shows there is quite a lot of sample variation with this lens. I suspect the better examples are quite good optically. I bought the one without focus shift, the pictures were fine but somehow never seemed as crisp as the images from my AI prime lenses.

Mechanically it uses a fair amount of plastic, although sold as an AI-S lens it's really the successor to the series-E 36-72/3.5, trading the faster constant aperture for a smaller and closer focusing lens. This lens was introduced around the time the series-E line was being discontinued - or more accurately merged into the AI-S line (many of the later AI-S zooms use materials and construction that borrows heavily from the series-E line, and are not as solidly built as the earlier AI lenses)