![[Lens Review] Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 35-105mm f3.5-4.5 AI-S](https://assets.jerfareza.camera/featured-images/10723-nikon-35-105mm.jpg)
Table of Contents
Hello, and this will be my first blog post in 2026. In fact, this is my first post after months of inactivity, as I was busy experimenting with portraits starting last year; I barely had time to put down my thoughts into words. The good thing is, I captured the right photos just in time to make this lens review work.
Build and Handling
The Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 35-10mm f/3.5-4.5 was first released in 1983 and was seemingly kept in production until the final iteration in 1994. If you are interested in the detailed history, the official Nikon website dives deep into the nitty-gritty details.
Speaking about the lens build, sturdy would be the best word to describe it. The metal construction makes this lens heavy to hold, despite its seemingly small size.
It is a push-pull focus zoom lens, and while I would appreciate zooming out to the 105mm to come closer towards you for stability, just like my other favourite old zoom lens Takumar 85-210mm, once you get used to it, it should not present an issue.
The focus ring works very well, rotating smoothly over a comfortable distance. The aperture ring, however, is located quite close to the mount, so changing the aperture can be a bit hard, especially in cold weather when you are wearing gloves.
I was lucky to find this lens in a second-hand shop in Japan, sold for only about ¥1500 (just about $10 at the time of this writing), and it came with the screw-on metal hood, which is a fantastic addition to the look and performance of this lens.
Image Quality
I would start by admitting there is nothing to write home about this lens’s performance. But the good news is that this lens performs admirably on digital bodies as well as on film cameras.
As is typical with lenses of its era, Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 35-10mm is prone to chromatic aberration, especially when exposed to a bright light source. In my opinion, it’s not too horrible as it doesn’t suffer as badly as other lenses I reviewed before, like the Takumar lens I mentioned above.
Soft focus and flare are also issues that this lens has, especially when wide open. Stopping down to f5.6 helps to curb the softness and flaring. The hood also helps to mitigate the flare issue to a certain degree.
However, the flare could be something that contributes to the ‘character’ of this lens, and the randomness could evoke the feeling of nostalgia even without touching up the photo.
That being said, this is a fantastic portrait lens in my opinion. That 35 – 105mm range is perfect for wide angle / full-body shot or that classic 85mm headshot. I like the result it gives for half-body shots in particular. Bokeh rendering in the background might be a little too busy at times, but then again, this is a lens with a max aperture of f/3.5, so I’ll just take what I can have.
The Verdict
I would give Nikon Zoom-Nikkor 35-10mm f/3.5-4.5 a solid score of 7/10.
This is a lens with decent performance and is fun to use with a ridiculously low price tag. The factors that hurt its score in my eyes are the image quality, which is not exactly a sharp lens to use in a digital body, and the fact that the lens is a bit cumbersome to focus in tight situations.
But behind the shortcomings, I plan to use the lens more in the future, especially for portraits, because I have come to like the rendering it gives.
Sample Photos
Digital
Film
