Nikon 35-70mm f3.5 AI Join Group193October 25th, 2008

Sharpness

35mm

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f/3.5: The center and midframe region show very good sharpness and a little reduced contrast, the corners are soft with some coma.

f/5.6: Contrast and sharpness are high across most of the frame now.
While the far corners remains soft right next to it sharpness is quite good actually.

f/8: Some improvement in the corners.

f/11: The center is a little less sharp, only the very last few pixels of the corners are unsharp.

50mm

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f/3.5:The lens is sharp across the frame with only a little corner softening. Contrast is a bit lower.

f/5.6: Center and midframe region are very sharp, the corners are sharp. Contrast is good.

f/8: The lens is sharp as a prime across the frame.

f/11: The corners improve a tiny bit, the center is a little bit softer.

70mm

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f/3.5:A little weaker than at 50mm: Contrast is lower and sharpness is okay.

f/5.6: Center and midframe region are very sharp, the corners are sharp. Contrast is good.

f/8: The lens is sharp as a prime across the frame.

f/11: The corners improve a tiny bit, the center is a little bit softer.

 Alternatives

• Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar 3,4/35 – 70 mm: A highly regarded lens among landscape photographers.  I think it is a bit better stopped down at 35mm and at f/3.4 in general  but it is a push-pull zoom and it is a little heavier at 475g. Here is the MTF graph.
• LEICA VARIO-ELMAR-R 1:4/35-70 mm: Even more expensive and heavy than the Zeiss it also enjoys a very good reputation. The MTF-graph hints at severe astigmatism in the corners at 35mm, pretty similar to the Minolta. Built quality will be top notch.
• The Sony FE 4/24-70 ZA OSS is better at f/4 than the Minolta at f/3.5 with much more contrast so the Sony is a much nice lens for reportage work. Stopped down to f/8 though the Minolta is the sharper lens so for landscapes the Minolta is the better lens.

Conclusion

The Minolta MD 35-70mm 1:3.5 is a versatile lens, because it performs so well it can replace 2 or 3 primes and make your bag much lighter. The 1:4 macro mode adds to it’s usability as well. You will sacrifice some the ability to blur backgrounds though.

In the 40-70mm range this lens can compete with very good primes and it beat my $1000 Sony 4/24-70 in the corners.
At 35mm 98% of the image is very sharp but the far corners deteriorate noticeably.

Distortion is noticeable at 35mm but well controlled at 50 and 70mm, CA and Vignetting are present but not too much so.

You need to be aware that at f/3.5 contrast isn’t very high and bokeh a bit rough.It is a good choice when you need a light lens and some flexibility. I like to use it for city walks and short trips into nature.

All in all this is a very good lens which outperforms many much more expensive modern zoom lenses.

If you consider buying one please use one of my affiliate links and support my work: Minolta MD 3.5/35-70 at ebay.de or ebay.com (affiliate links). Thanks!

Images Samples in full resolution

40mm | f/835mm | f/870mm | f/5.635mm | f/3.550mm | f/870mm | f/5.6

You can find more images in this flickr set: Minolta MD 35-70mm 1:3.5 full resolution samples

 Further Reading

For more Minolta lenses check out my Minolta list.

To learn about manual lenses in general this beginners guide for a7 users might be helpful.

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I like to be outside with my camera and I am also a gear head with a love for manual lenses.

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Bokeh

At  f/3.5 bokeh is a bit distracting because blur circles have a defined brighter edge.

f/3.5f/5.6

At f/5.6 the blur circles have a much less defined edge but they are now take the shape of the aperture with it’s seven not rounded blades.

I prefer to stop down to f/5.6 because I find the bokeh at f/3.5 too distracting. For images with nicely blurred backgrounds there are fo course nicer lenses.

Chromatic Aberrations

Lateral chromatic aberrations are moderately well controlled at 35mm, well ontrolled at 50mm and more or less not visible at 70mm.

Axial chromatic aberrations (“bokeh fringing”)  can be visible at f/3.5

Distortion

At 35mm there is a moderate amount of barrel distortion

At 50mm there is almost no distortion and at 70mm there is a slight amount of pincushion distortion.