I really like my 28mm f2.8 AF-D. It is really sharp, and makes a good walk around lens. It is also reliable. I was using it last night in -5C, in the rain, for about 2 hours, and it worked perfectly.
One thing not mentioned is the focus scale. There is a very short travel on the Series E. The only other Nikon 28mm I've used is the AI 28/2.8 - much better feel and longer focus travel.
I tend to be a pragmatist where these things are concerned. So long as the lens is in excellent condition and is at a price I can afford, I wouldn't worry to much.
I know that glass can vary a bit but I suspect there's less variation between examples of prime lenses than there is between the 'kit' zooms and 'professional' zooms available. I also come from the school of thought (probably mistaken....) that it would be pretty difficult to tell which print had been taken with which version of a lens - assuming photos taken under similar conditions.
Not much help in a technical sense, I know, but I don't think you'll go too far wrong with a good example of any 28mm with Nikkor written on it.
Taken with a Nikon 28mm f3.5 AIS and Kodak E200. This is a very low cost 28mm, and quite good. Unless you need low light performance, put your money into the lower cost f3.5 version, and consider spending any difference or savings on a 24mm f2.8. While the 24mm f2.8 gives a wider view, it is a much better lens than any of the 28mm versions, except the shift lens.
Also, the regular f3.5 has nearly the same optical formula as the shift lens, and will cover slightly more than the other faster 28mm versions. While it is not exactly the same as the shift lens, it does have great edge resolution.
I just tested the 28mm f2.8 AIS against the Canon EF 28mm f2.8 on a half-frame non-analog 20D. Note: individual copies of lenses vary, so...YMMV: My results with *my* lenses:
- The Nikkor, though 20+ years older is sharper wide open in the center, though softer on the edges
- The Canon catches up by f5.6 and f8. Both are about equal there.
- The Nikkor is sharper again at f11
- The Nikkor flares when you shoot into the sun, but not nearly so much as the Canon which flared like a SOB
- The Nikkor has slightly better bokeh (subjective evaluation); I noticed a five-sided highlight on the Canon (5 aperture blades)
I only noticed sharpness differences when I enlarged it in photoshop to about 10x or so.
I used to own the older 28mm f2.8 AI (not AIS). I'm actually thinking of switching back to the AI because it handles flare much better than the AIS and I never noticed whether it was softer or not. (I shoot into the sun a lot and often demand non-flaring lenses).
The AIS 28 f2.8 is 8 elements, 8 groups, 7 blades and focuses at about .2m. The AI version is 7, 7, and 7 and focuses at .3m. The Canon is 5, 5, and 5. The build quality of the Nikkors is tank-like; the build of the Canon is excremental.
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