Nikkor Ai-S 35mm f/2, A New Look

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a vintage legacy Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 35mm f/2, an exceptionally compact all-metal build, sharp central rendering, and classic mechanical precision lens, a 70mm short-tele equivalent on the Olympus Pen E-P5.

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I acquired another copy of the Nikon Nikkor 35mm f/2 recently, an Ai-S version this time, and took these sample shots just to ensure that the lens is, as expected, an excellent performer equal to that of the Ai version, which I posted a few years back.

Olympus E-P5, Nikkor Ai-S 35mm f/2

The Nikkor 35mm f/2, with its 8 elements in 6-group optics, has been in production since it was first launched in 1965. While the optics formula of the lens has remained the same, the lens body and mechanics have undergone continuous improvements and revisions. The glass also went from a single coat in amber, then blue (-C), and was multicoated for the last three decades. The AI-s version was in production from 1981 to 2005.

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Olympus Zuiko OM 35mm f/2, Early Morning Shots

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a legacy vintage Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f/2, widely regarded as an underrated gem in the classic Olympus OM lineup, a 70mm full-frame short tele equivalent on the Olympus Pen E-P5.

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An early morning pastel outlook of my neighborhood right off my front gate, captured with the Zuiko OM 35mm f/2 adapted to the 2x crop-sensor ILC body, part of my 'Keeping The Options Open' series, where I am going through a selection of 35mm primes, and a zoom, to pick out the one which I would rather keep.

While the first post of the series was shot with the Nikkor 35mm f/2, this was done with the Zuiko OM 35mm f/2. I have used both lenses before, but not on a comparative basis like I am doing now.

Olympus Pen E-P5, Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f/2

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Nikkor Ai-S 35mm f/2, Keeping The Options Open

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a Nikkor Ai-S 35mm f/2 is a classic 8-elements in 6 group manual focus lens praised for its compact size, robust all-metal build, and sharp rendering, a 70mm short-tele equivalent on the Pen E-P5.

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I am keeping an option open as to which of the 35mm compact fast wide-angle primes (and a zoom?) I will likely retain it as part of my minimalist collection of lenses. First up is the Nikon Nikkor Ai-S 35mm f/2, which, as my resources mentioned, has been a favorite lens by photojournalists for decades, at least until zoom lenses came into the market, and diminished manual focus primes to the mantelpiece.

For normal shots, peak performance is said to be from F4 to F11, quite usable below F4, with corners that are not always perfect. On the other hand, close focus is outstanding, with great results even from 1:2, even with the soft corners. For this test, I used the lens mounted on the 2x crop sensor Micro 4/3 ILC, which makes the lens the equivalent of a 70mm prime on a full-frame camera. Images, up close and cropped, as seen posted.

Olympus E-P5, Nikkor AI-S 35mm f/2

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Olympus Zuiko OM 35mm f/2, The Adenium Obesum

Cameras and Lenses: The splendor of the Adenium Obesum, or Desert Rose, crops and close-ups with a legacy Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f/2 lens, a 70mm short tele equivalent with a closest focusing distance of 0.3meters on the Olympus Pen E-P5.

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A native to the Sahel regions, south of the Sahara, and tropical and subtropical eastern and southern Africa and Arabia, the thick and bulbous stemmed Adenium Obesum, commonly known as Sabi Star, Kudu, Mock Azalea, Impala Lily, and Desert Rose is one of the other flowering plants that seem to survive and blooms periodically in my harsh and unkempt mini garden.

Though miniature in my garden pot, the evergreen can grow to 1–3 meters in height, with leaves that are simply shaped and leathery in nature, about 5–15 cm long and 1–8 cm broad, that grow spirally toward the tips of the shoots. Five-petalled tubular form flowers, in small terminal clusters, tend to be red and pink, often with a whitish blush outward of the throat, are 2–5 cm long, with the outer portion diameter at 4–6 cm.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f/2

Images were shot with the Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f/2 wide-angle mounted on the Olympus Pen E-P5. With the equivalent of a 70mm focal length and the closest focus distance of 30 cm, close-up shots can be done at almost macro-scale with the subject literally touching the hooded front end of the lens.

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Olympus Zuiko OM 35mm f/2, A Couple Of Night Scenes

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a legacy vintage Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f/2 lens, an exceptional, highly compact vintage prime, an excellent 70mm equivalent walk-around short tele on the Olympus Pen E-P5.

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I was not expecting anything much when I first took the Zuiko OM 35mm f/2, one of the highlight lenses of my Zuiko OM lens collection, for a trial shoot. It was a night shoot from the front yard of my humble abode, shooting scenes that you might find familiar within these blog posts.

On the 2x crop-sensor MFT digital camera, the lens is equivalent to a 70mm prime.

Olympus E-P5, Olympus OM Zuiko 35mm f/2

In its native form, a 35mm lens is the most popular among wide-angle lenses, most often regarded as an all-purpose and very convenient lens for normal use. The advantage that makes the 35mm more sought after than a standard 50mm lies in its ability to include more of the total picture area (25% more) while rendering the images still with neat, natural perspectives.

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Nikkor Ai 35mm f/2, A Nikon Classic

Cameras and Lenses: Images with a vintage Nikon Ai-S Nikkor 35mm f/2 lens, a compact, solidly built manual-focus wide-angle lens wit a 70mm full-frame equivalent focal length on the Olympus Pen E-P5.

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Favored by both Nikon photo enthusiasts and used extensively by photojournalists as a standard prime, the Nikkor 35mm 1:2s has been in production since 1965. The lens is a solid all-metal and glass construction, with an excellent focus ring and a long focus throw, excellent for a more accurate focus.

The Nikon Nikkor Ai-S 35mm f/2 came with strong credentials as well. Ken Rockwell used it as his normal lens on his Nikon cameras until he replaced it with the 35mm F1.4. His main advocate, however, is that the lens should not be used for night photography with bright points and light sources, as the lens has a tendency to produce strong ghost effects.

Nikkor Ai 35mm f/2

Beyond that, other users give the lens their thumbs up as well. Image quality was the strong suit, sharp and contrasty even from f/2, sharpest at f/4, and good through f/11.

Olympus E-P5, Nikkor Ai 35mm f/2

Shot wide open in a 1:1 image aspect ratio on the 2x crop sensor E-P5, these images are not up for evaluation of edge or sweet spot sharpness, coma, or chromatic aberration, which can be an advantage to some as much as it disadvantage to others. A lot can be done while the image is post-processed as well.

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