Some questions on the 35mm 1.8G

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WhiteLight

Senior Member
Hi All,

I got delivery of the 35mm 1.8G today & wanted to clarify a couple of things..
got the delivery just before i was leaving home for work so didn't get too much time to play around..

Firstly, fixing the lens on the camera seems to be a bit 'tight'
After unscrewing the 18-55, i was fixing this one & it seemed like i needed to apply some force turning it in place. This did not happen wen i first got the 70-300 & it never happens anytime wen am removing-installing any other lens any time.

While focusing there is some kinda noise... like a low screeching/scratching noise.
i don't write it as a 'whirr' cos it definitely not that.
it's difficult to explain how a sound sounds :)

next, while taking photos in real low light, like say inside a curtained room at early dawn, the camera allows me to take photos only when the A/M-M switch is on the M position.
Tried clicking a few pics of my wife to show off my new lens & the cam wouldn't click in the A/M mode even at 1.8 and with a reasonable long shutter speed.
but it would click at the same settings with the switch on A/M mode.

on another note, is the A/M switch really Auto which allows manual focusing as well or just Auto?
i ask cos i've read a couple of folks saying that it's a 'typo' by Nikon and it should actually just be A-M instead of A/M-M

thanks!
 
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Dave_W

The Dude
Okay, the reason the camera will only allow you to take photos in "Manual" or "M" is because you have the auto ISO function set at a level the camera cannot obtain thus it will not allow the shutter to be released. However, in Manual the auto ISO is disabled. And yes, A/M is a bit misleading. Not sure why they do it this way.
As for the "tightness" of fit, it seems to be a common thing for these prime lenses. The 35mm and the 50mm are particularly tight. In my case the 50mm f/1.8G is extremely tight and much has been written about this on the internet. From what I can tell this is all normal for these lenses. As for the noise it makes, not really sure about that one. Some lenses are known to squeak after a year or two but not when they're brand new. Maybe someone else can address the noise issue but I would want to chase this one down before your return time limit is up. This may be an indication of something not so good.
 
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WhiteLight

Senior Member
Yea! you are right.. the ISO was set on auto..
thanks for that .. something new i learnt.. i had no idea the lens A/M-M switch also depended on ISO mode..

i hope there is no problem with the lens.. :(
 
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Geoffc

Senior Member
Firstly mine is a tight fit also. I'm glad I saw this thread as I thought it was just mine. Secondly, if it's too dark to focus it won't fire, unless you have it set to fire regardless.
 
W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Since i've been playing with this new lens the past couple of days, i've noticed a couple of other things.

1. The shutter click seems very slow. You know even if am to choose a very fast shutter speed, it's not a click-click that you would normally see with a fast shutter speed but with a long interval in between... like cliiiiiickk.............cllliiiiccck.
is that how primes work?

2. i seem to feel that the battery drains waaay faster in this lens... having used the kit 18-55 & 70-300, the usage would i think remain average since it's only me using the cam, the battery seems to be draining very fast...
or is it just me?
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
Sorry, no idea.

If you know someone with a Nikon, maybe try that lens on another camera to see if it does the same thing. If it does and it doesn't seem normal, then maybe the lens needs TLC from a Nikon Tech. If you did get it from a store, just get there and see with a sales person.
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
letmedanz said:
Since i've been playing with this new lens the past couple of days, i've noticed a couple of other things.

1. The shutter click seems very slow. You know even if am to choose a very fast shutter speed, it's not a click-click that you would normally see with a fast shutter speed but with a long interval in between... like cliiiiiickk.............cllliiiiccck.
is that how primes work?

2. i seem to feel that the battery drains waaay faster in this lens... having used the kit 18-55 & 70-300, the usage would i think remain average since it's only me using the cam, the battery seems to be draining very fast...
or is it just me?
Click to expand...

What kind of camera are you using? It will help out if you fill out some of your profile info. Post a sample picture so that we can check the EXIF data. What was the shutter speed that you were using? Single, CL or CH? Are the image properly exposed? Is the exposure delay ON? YOU are not providing any useful information and it is much more difficult to provide help with limited data.

Can you please clarify what kind of battery are you using? Original Nikon battery? 3rd party or generic battery? How old is the battery? If you are comparing the battery based on your experience when the battery was still new, of couse it will perform better when the battery was new with your zoom lenses. You can buy a new battery to see if the issue is with the lens or battery. I'm assuming it is the battery.

Technically, the 35mm f1.8 DX lens should use less power since it doesn't have VR.

The faint noise that you hear is from the silent wave motor. Some lenses are much quiter and some, not so much. Wait until you try the other manufacturers such as Tamron or Tokina. Some lenses are much louder and hunts as well.
 
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W

WhiteLight

Senior Member
Thanks Glenn.. Appreciate your response.
I will be updating my profile right after this...
and am at work now, so will upload a pic once i get home..

am using a d5100, 6 months old, picked it new at the end of feb this year..
the battery is definitely draining faster on this lens cos i switched to the 70-300 for a day & the battery seemed to last much longer.. no idea why..
so i don't believe it could be a problem with the battery it self..

Interesting point you made about the exposure delay, cos i had lent the camera to a friend for a while and he was comparing my settings to his new d5100, so i think i need to check if he's fiddled around with something on my slr..
about the other settings (shutter speed, Single, CL, CH, etc) and exposure, it happens for any shot.. even if the exposure meter shows overexposed completely, it still is very slow...
i really need to check on the long exposure setting..

thank you so very much for your input..
 
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gqtuazon

Gear Head
letmedanz said:
As i thought, the problem was with the Long Exposure setting being turned on.
Thanks again Glenn.
Click to expand...

Delayed exposure is a similar function of the Mup or mirror lock-up. It delays the exposure in order to let the micro vibration caused by the mirror slap in order to get the sharpest possible image. This is best used when shooting with a tripod.
 
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