What's the consensus on Nikkor AF-D wideangle primes (20,24,28,35mm)?

[Sirius Glass]

The quality of Nikon prime lenses is such that this is the wrong question, it should be "am I a good enough photographer to appreciate these lenses, and use them to their full abilities".

It is a question of focal length.

 

[StepheKoontz]

Just an FYI, I picked up a N75/F75 for $30 on ebay that works with G lenses fine. I wouldn't rule them out because one dirt cheap camera doesn't work with them when another dirt cheap camera does.

 

[blockend]

Recently got back into 35mm photography with a wonderful Nikon F801s body I scored for peanuts.

Your F801 is the same generation as your F601M, which was the pre-D range of autofocus Nikon lenses. These varied little if at all from later AF-D designs optically, and are sometimes cheaper. Not 100% certain but I think the F801 came with the flip tag on the lens mount for older manual Nikkors. Screw focus Nikkors are not as quick as later iterations or Canon EOS lenses, but no slouches with brighter apertures.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Just an FYI, I picked up a N75/F75 for $30 on ebay that works with G lenses fine. I wouldn't rule them out because one dirt cheap camera doesn't work with them when another dirt cheap camera does.

I have had the same N75 since 2003 and I use it for color negatives. For decades I had used Minolta STR starting from the SR7 in 1966. I went with my girlfriend to buy a strobe for my daughter who was using my Minolta X700 for a photography class in high school. At Bel Air Camera they were having a vendors' demonstration-promotion road show with Leica, Minolta, Nikon, Tamron representatives as numerous folding tables. Tameron had a wheel of fortune with prized of $5, $10, $25, $50 ... off for their new lenses, t-shirts ... I spun the wheel and won a t-shirt. The Tamron representative asked Anne to spin the wheel. She declined stating that she was not a photographer. The representative stated that it would not cost her anything so what did she have to loose. Anne spun the wheel and won the just released Tameron f/3.5 - f/6.3 28mm to 300mm AF lens. To use the lens I bought the N75. By the way my daughter had me return the strobe and buy CDs to listen to instead. Children go figure.

For black & white I use the F100.