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Home >> Photography >> Film Equipment Nikkor 35-80mm f/4-5.6D AF My first lens that I had when I first got involved in photography. Most often seen in kits with the discontinued F50 or current F60 and F70. Compact and very light due to the use of much plastic. Despite the negatives about this lens (plastic lens mount, slow minimum apertures, questionable build quality) it was surprisingly good for snapshots around the house or on the street. I wouldn’t want to see how the lens would fare with enlargements though. Its main limitation is the slow minimum aperture, which precludes the use of slow films in low light settings. I sometimes wonder if I should have kept it instead of trading it in and using it in situations that I wouldn’t want to with my more expensive lenses (rain, sand, snow, etc.). Be that as it may, since I bought the 35-70mm 2.8, I haven’t had time to worry too much about it since the pro zoom is so much better in every regard. A fine beginner’s lens and far and away superior to the junk lenses used on many cheap point and shoot cameras. I’m often appalled at the quality of the prints that people show me with their cheapie cameras. The prints look so obviously like they have been taken with a plastic lens that I just wonder how much value people place in the images. They want a permanent record of their child’s growth or a beautiful scene that they were at but due to the pitiful quality of the camera and lens used (I won’t even talk about the lack of technical know how) they get junk results. Am I being too hard? I don’t think so. You get what you pay for and quality results can be had for pretty cheap these days (I don’t think much of any camera under $100). I bought a water-resistant Kodak Fun Saver disposable for a white water rafting excursion on the Chilliwack River. Plastic through and through with ISO 800 film loaded in. Piss-poor results with no "keepers". I keep the prints because they are a record of the day with my brothers-in-law and we can at least have a few memories of that fun day. I suppose that people who continue to use crap point and shoots feel the same way, it’s the only record they have of the events or people in their lives. But for a little bit more, they could buy a better point and shoot with a quality lens such as a Yashica T4S or any of the major manufacturers’ offerings in the $200 plus range. Not at all much to pay for a lifetime of memories. For an even greater investment, but still within the reach of most people, a Nikon F60 could be bought with the 35-80mm lens in question. With this combo, it would slaughter pretty much all point and shoots save for the ultra expensive premium units from the likes of Nikon, Konica, Contax and Leica. But most people don’t understand the value of better quality equipment. I see this same mentality with stereo equipment. Instead of buying a decent hi-fi based upon sound quality, most people opt for the rack system offered by the chain store emporiums, or worse yet a mini system or boombox. The 35-80mm lens, though not up to the quality demanded by pros or serious amateurs, will still satisfy the masses if they had enough sense to try one out.
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