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Was just taking a look at cliftoncameras.co.uk and they have the AF-S version listed at £275 vs £185 for the D version. I think this is a pretty substantial difference in price!! From what I've been hearing, there's no real difference in af speed. I've heard the bokeh is a tad better wide open, with slightly better colour rendition, but £90 worth of an improvement? I don't think so. I'm looking forward to seeing a solid review on this lens, (be it from photozone.de, or dp review) but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I guess it was inevitable that the D version price was going to drop, so this could be good news for the rest of us who don't need AF-S.

In comparison, the 35mm F2D can be had for around £190 from warehouseexpress.com.

Food for thought eh?

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I've upped my Iso, now up yours.
Nikon D700, Nikon D80, Micro Nikkor 105 f2.8 AI-S,Nikon 85mm 1.8D, Nikon 50mm 1.8D, Nikon 35mm F2D, Nikon 16-35 f4 VR, Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 AF-S, Nikon 70-200VRII, Nikon 70-300mm VR, 300mm f2.8 AI IF ED, SB-800, SB-900. Noiseware pro,NIK Dfine, Nik Colour Effex, Nik Sharpener Pro

It's not only an upgrade to AF-s, it is also a non-extending lens barrel system (therefore it has a bigger filterthread --> 52mm D - 58mm G). Also the lenshood is 'click-on' and not screw on and is reversible on the lens. So that makes at least three improvements worth mentioning before any tests go online.
Hopefully this makes the price difference, apart from the age, a bit more clear.

Thomas and I both are waiting for this lens and will do separate testing to see if it is bang for the extra buck.

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW

Its also weather sealed,

But i have to agree £90 is a BIG difference

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IMHO, none of those things are worth the extra cost. Oh well, I'll be waiting for a legitimate review from a solid source. (photozone.de/dpreview/slrgear).

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I've upped my Iso, now up yours.
Nikon D700, Nikon D80, Micro Nikkor 105 f2.8 AI-S,Nikon 85mm 1.8D, Nikon 50mm 1.8D, Nikon 35mm F2D, Nikon 16-35 f4 VR, Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 AF-S, Nikon 70-200VRII, Nikon 70-300mm VR, 300mm f2.8 AI IF ED, SB-800, SB-900. Noiseware pro,NIK Dfine, Nik Colour Effex, Nik Sharpener Pro

I recently upgraded to the AF-S version and all I can say is that the new version performs slightly better, meaning:

It focuses as fast as the old one (sometimes even faster).
It's pretty sharp, although I would recommend f4 for the best sharpness.
Its autofocus allows manual override.
A beautiful bokeh
Better spherical aberration performance (still recognizeable)

What I dislike is the 58mm filter size, quite non-standard to me and I can't use the old 52mm filters.

Is it worth the 90 pounds extra money? I'd say no. But if you are a rich guy then go for the AF-S version. Also if you intend to keep the lens for a while (who knows how many Nikon cameras will support AF in 10-20 years).

i think the weather sealing is worth it.

but do u really need faster AF in this? it's a portrait lens and most likely, since it's DOF is razor thin, you'll probably autofocus.

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I hope you meant manual focus on the last part

But remember, within in a year, the D-version will probably disappear and will be completely replaced by the G-version. Also within this year the price will drop significantly, which makes up for the difference in age by then.

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- Wout -
Nikon D80 with 18-70 DX, 70-300 VR, 35 1.8 DX
Manfrotto 055XPROB tripod with 488RC0 midi ballhead
Lowepro CompuRover AW and Nova 200 AW

yes i did...

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I'm only buying it because of the slight IQ improvements and the weather sealing. The hood isn't like the 24-70's hood is it?

My 105mm VR's hood is so worn that it doesn't snap on and lock anymore.
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