In article <6h2tra$bk1$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com>, athreya@iap.fr says...

>Does anyone have a side-by-side comparison for these 2 nikkor lenses :
>35/2 D-AF and 35/1.4 AIS (CRC)
>
>I did look through the Reuther [Ruether...;-] Subjective lens evaluation and they have
>similar ratings (well within the quoted least-count of the table!).
>
>There is a price difference of some 400$ between the two ..... and I wouldn't
>mind spending the extra money for the CRC and 1 extra stop .......... provided
>the faster, closer and more expensive lens is not inferior in its optics when
>opened wide (the case of Nikkor 50/1.4 D-AF and 50/1.8 AF comes to the mind).

I have tried two of the Nikkor 35mm f2 AF lenses, several f1.4's (anyone
want one - I have a spare...;-), and many MF f2's. The later MF f2's and
the others are all good performers, but my preference has gone to the
AIS 35mm f2 (MF) for its superior "snap" at wide stops. The others are not
soft wide open, but they do seem to lack a bit of contrast and brilliance
compared with the late MF f2 (though this lens does show more illumination
roll-off at f2 than the others, and the f1.4 is clearly "faster" at f2).
For pure speed, the f1.4 is fine. For AF, the 35 AF is OK. For best all-out
image quality at the wider stops in a 35mm lens (they are all about the
same by mid stops), I prefer the latest-version 35mm f2.8 PC. For best
compromise in ease of focus, use, and wide-aperture performance, I prefer
the AIS 35mm f2. (Since the design is the same in all Nikkor 35mm f2's
running back to the very early original version, I do not know why many
of the earlier 35mm f2's do not seem to be as good...)
David Ruether
http://www.fcinet.com/ruether