Well, I said earlier that I would check back after I finally got a hold of one. There's plenty of data and reviews available for the lens by know but I thought I could provide more of a user's perspective than a test bench perspective.
I got the lens a few weeks ago from my local camera store. I was the third on the waiting list but the first two guys didn't answer their phone (no answering machine) so, lucky me! It's a nice package with a pouch and hood included. I'm not a big hood guy (use my hand when needed) but I've left it on the 35mm because it just looks more natural that way. Without it, it just looks kind of short and pudgy. I know, silly reason. The lens balance very nicely on my D40, a little larger than the 50mm AF-D. I would say it is the most natural feeling lens to use on my camera. Everything just sits nicely in my hand without having to fiddle around for the most comfortable position. There are smaller lenses around, which I'm a sucker for, but this one just feels so nice on the camera that I can't complain.
You also have the ability to override the auto-focus at anytime without flipping a switch. Nice feature but the feel of the focus ring leaves a bit to be desired. Mine is a little gritty feeling which makes precise adjustments more difficult. I also use older manual focus lenses frequently so I'm probably a bit spoiled by their smoothness.
If you've read any of the reviews you know all of the technical details by now and yes this lens is SHARP! And not just resolution, but great contrast too. Take a look at this shot. If you look at the large version, you can see that the fence is not at the point of sharpest focus (it's soft) but it still appears sharp in the normal size because of the great contrast in the grain.
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You can also see one of the weaknesses of the lens in the tree branches in the upper right, some modest purple fringing and longitudinal chromatic aberration (LoCA: green/magenta color fringing in out of focus areas). The purple fringing is actually much better than the kit lens, which was a pet peeve of mine, and I haven't found any that I couldn't correct (hide) in post-production. Also note that purple fringing is a characteristic of the camera/lens combination, not just the lens. LoCA is present but it's hard to fault the lens since it is found in just about any fast prime lens. Even uber-lenses like Canon's 85mm f1.2L exhibit it to some extent. Also somewhat correctable in post-production but not to the extent that other types of color fringing are. Up to this point, I haven't noticed any lateral CA worth worrying about.
I've also noticed a couple hiccups in the AF. Sometimes it just misses. It doesn't hunt, it just misses. If I half-press 2 or three times, it will achieve a more accurate focus. Not sure whether this is indicative of the camera's performance or the lens' performance, though. I haven't noticed the same behavior with the kit lens but I'm dealing with much smaller apertures, so it could still be happening, just covered up by the larger depth of field.
So would I recommend the lens? Absolutely. It earns all of its $200 price tag. Unless you're specifically looking for a portrait lens, I would recommend this over the 50mm f1.8 for APS-C users. The field of view is just more versatile than what the 50mm gives you. This is basically the lens I've been waiting for since I got my D40. The Sigma 30mm f1.4 was more than I wanted to pay and bulky. The 50mm is too long and didn't AF. The 35mm f2 didn't AF. There was always some compromise. Well, I finally got my fast normal prime so I can stop whining. Yey!
Shot from the hip. Yey auto-focus!
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