DX 35mm quality vs 18-55 DX kit lens set at 35mm

Rexer John

Senior Member
Hi guys, newbie here so hi to you all before I jump in :D

I've read and seen sample pics on the 35mm DX lens, it seems to perform best (sharpness of central focus area) at around f4

With the kit zoom lens set to 35mm and f5, it does a fine job with central focus and bokeh, so the question is how do the two resulting images compare in image quality at similar settings?

A pic comparison at similar settings would be awesome but I'm not expecting too much as this is my first post.
Many thanks for reading my question.

____________________________________-

D5100 one week old, my first DSLR and loving my new toy.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
Welcome to the site. I've owned both of those lenses and they are both great in their own right. The 35mm 1.8g will perform slightly better, because as a prime it is optimized for that focal length (usually the case with most primes). The big advantage is the fact that it goes down to f1.8, which will be great in low light and have better Bokeh. Hopefully someone will follow with pics!
 
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Rexer John

Senior Member
Thanks Rick, the 18-55 seems to give sharpest eye focus at 35mm. It definitely loses some as you move towards either end, although still a very nice pic.

The 35mm prime will be on my shopping list at some point, but I'm learning to use what I've got first.

I'm thinking of leaving it at 35mm for a while so I have to use my feet and get used to better composition rather than constantly zooming. I'll miss the lower f numbers but best to learn a bit with what I have first.
In the old film days I loved my 50mm prime so I know I'll end up getting the 35mm DX at some time.
 
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WhiteLight

Senior Member
Re: COMPARISON - DX 35mm vs 18-55 DX kit lens set at 35mm

Well here are the comparison pics...
I've always wanted to check out the difference, but never got around to doing it...
Since you posted it, thought of giving it a go...

20130125-DSC_6221.jpg


D7000, 18-55mm Lens, 35mm
1/4 Sec, F5 [At 35mm the lens will not allow you to go to F4]
ISO 100

20130125-DSC_6218.jpg


D7000, 35mm Lens
1/4 Sec, F5 [To match settings]
ISO 100

20130125-DSC_6219.jpg


D7000, 35mm Lens
1/20 Sec, F1.8 [Just for comparison]
ISO 100

Have taken the light switch panel at the top right corner into the composition for perspective..

So how much difference in IQ can you find between the lenses?
The panel shows how the bokeh gets a little more creamier in the 35mm at same settings.. and it's maximum at f1.8.

PS- Wanted to do this with the d5100 but was fully out of charge
 
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Rexer John

Senior Member
Awesome WhiteLight, thankyou so much.

I was expecting there to be a creamier bokeh from the prime at the same settings, but that's a lot more difference than I was expecting, pretty sure you could tell which lens was used in a blind test.
The light falls off towards the edges of the zoom lens.

Hard to see any quality difference on the can between the two lenses, a slight difference in light causing the slight contrast change?
With a crop of just the can I would not know which lens was used.

The extra pic at 1.8 shows what the prime can do so thanks for adding that.
The prime would be an essential lens for portrait shots.
 

WhiteLight

Senior Member
You welcome Rexer.
The 35mm is a must have for any DX owner...
It's quite inexpensive too & produces some great results...

The difference in the lighting came as a surprise to me too..
All the pics have been taken a few seconds apart, so there wouldn't or shouldn't be too much difference in the lighting..
But the proof is in the pudding :)
 

Rexer John

Senior Member
Hmm, so same ambient light, same aperture, same shutter and same ISO.

Must be the extra elements in the zoom lens losing some light?
It definitely seems to lose light at the edges too.
Thinking about going out and buying the prime today, should I tell the Missus before or after I buy it :confused:
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Hmm, so same ambient light, same aperture, same shutter and same ISO.

Must be the extra elements in the zoom lens losing some light?
It definitely seems to lose light at the edges too.
Thinking about going out and buying the prime today, should I tell the Missus before or after I buy it :confused:

I guess the answer to your last question depends on how comfy your couch is…;)
 

Rick M

Senior Member
Hmm, so same ambient light, same aperture, same shutter and same ISO.

Must be the extra elements in the zoom lens losing some light?
It definitely seems to lose light at the edges too.
Thinking about going out and buying the prime today, should I tell the Missus before or after I buy it :confused:

That's a different test that only you can perform :)
 

Rexer John

Senior Member
Couch is pretty comfy, lol.

The lens isn't that pricey but in the last week I've bought the D5100 with 18-55 kit lens. A Sigma 70-300 lens. 2x 16gb SD cards and a polarising filter.
Add the want lisat of a 35mm lens, a tripod and a carry bag, and the couch is looking like it want's me :eek:
Especially as a compact does the same job (as far as the missus can see)

I went to get the 35mm today but there weren't any at my 2 local(ish) Currys despite both showing stock could be reserved on the net before going in.

Anyone got any more comparisson pics like WhiteLight posted?
It would be nice to look at them if I can't get to sleep on the couch.
 

§am

Senior Member
Currys?!!
Suggests you're a UK'er in which case I would highly recommend that you look at either Calument or Wex (£149 & £150 relatively), compared to the current Currys price of £159.99.

And if you haven't already, keep this site on your list of favourites for camera related stuff; Camera Price Comparison
Also, you probably don't want to hear this, but you've just missed Nikon's xmas cashback promotions in the UK, which could have seen you save £20 more :(
And you definitely don't want to hear this, but I just cancelled an order for a 35mm from John Lewis as I didn't want it anymore, and the end cost would have been £110 (after cashback) - if I'd seen this earlier I would have held onto it and flogged it to you at that price :( :(
The reason why was I have a 50mm and the 35 was 'too close' in primes for me to use the tow distinctively from each other... so now saving my cash for the 28mm.

The 35mm however is a very very nice lens and you will have plenty of fun with it, especially getting those f/1.8 shots :)
 

Rexer John

Senior Member
Yes I'm in England and I managed to get in on the cashback for the camera.

Paid £419 for D5100 body and kit lens, and recieved an email from Nikon saying my cashback card has been processed.
That makes the D5100 plus Nikkor 18-55mm lens just £364,
How can a D-SLR wannabe say no to that deal?
The Sigma 70-300 only cost me £99 on a special offer.

The deals I've got already are so good that I won't be losing any sleep over the lens being full price although I will still look for a good deal on one.

Oh and add to the wish list, an IR remote and an SB700 speedlight.
 
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§am

Senior Member
Just got my SB-700 and it pains me say this, not even had the chance to take it out the box to have a look :(
Gotta love the cashbacks though, and with Focus on Imaging in March, hoping to pick up my next lens (and the final of this year's camera budget for a little cheaper then current prices :)

Enjoy :)
 

CiNcH

New member
Hey guys,

I am completely new to photography. The best camera I had so far was an iPhone 4...

I also looked into the lens thing and also thought about getting an AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 because it receives a lot of praise...

The big advantage is the fact that it goes down to f1.8, which will be great in low light
I don't seem to get the whole picture here I think. OK, I get that you can open it up to f/1.8 which is nice for low light situations of course. But compared to the AF-S DX 18-55 and 18-105, the 35mm version does not feature VR. So the EV that you gain by opening up the aperture (2-3 EV), you lose by having to increase the shutter speed to not blur the image when shooting hand-held (also 2-3 EV for VR). So is it really that much of an improvement in low light situations compared to the two mentioned lenses? Or does it only make that much of a difference when using a tripod?

What do you guys recommend as the lowest shutter speed with this lens when shooting hand-held? 1/60 according to the widespread math '1 / (focal length * crop factor)'?
 
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CiNcH

New member
The rule of thumb is that shutter speed = 1/focal length
Isn't it more like '1 / (focal length * crop factor)'?

What is your opinion on the DX 35 vs. DX 18-55/18-105? In my opinion, the DX 35 is not any better in low light situations when shooting hand-held considering its lack of VR, having to increase the shutter speed by 2-3 stops.
 

Dave_W

The Dude
Isn't it more like '1 / (focal length * crop factor)'?

What is your opinion on the DX 35 vs. DX 18-55/18-105? In my opinion, the DX 35 is not any better in low light situations when shooting hand-held considering its lack of VR, having to increase the shutter speed by 2-3 stops.

Hmmm...that's an interesting spin on a faster prime vs. a VR tele lens. Perhaps you're right about the low light but how do you think they compare in IQ?
 

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
The rule of thumb is that shutter speed = 1/focal length

- william - via tapatalk

That is still true with FX as it was with film. But don't forget that DX sensors have a multiplication factor of 1.5 for Nikon and 1.6 for Canon.

So, your formula becomes shutter speed=1/1.5*(focal length). It does change the lowest hand held shutter speed.
 
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