This is my oldest lens, I have it since 2016. I bought it to pair it with the D7100, which is a DX camera, so that I have something close to 35mm for street photography. I loved the images it produced. In 2018 I bought the D810 and I use this lens for landscapes. It has amazing quality and great performance in bad light situations. I also took this lens to some 20+ trips to over 10 countries, it still looks very minty.
EXACTLY the review I needed! Your comparisons with other similar lenses saved me so much time, and the idea of using a filter was heavy on my mind as well. Plan on using this for video so I wanted a fast aperture prime, and you sold me on it. Music was on point and I always love hearing from fellow southerners but that’s just my personal bias 😂 thank you so much!
Awesome, glad it helped! One thing to keep in mind for video, like all of Nikon's G lenses, the focus mechanism can be a bit noisy in AF if you're using a camera mounted microphone like the Rode VideoMic.
Absolutely. Very sharp and weighs almost nothing! One thing I didn't really mention in the video is that this makes a great, light weight, "general purpose" lens on a crop sensor camera.
Actually an F1.8 is still an F1.8 on a DX camera, but even if you want to figure out what the bokeh results will be compared to full frame this would be performing more like an F2.7/2.8 NOT F3! However not to confuse beginners there is no change in exposure and the lens will perform at f1.8, he only meant that the depth of field, separation/bokeh will be more like f/2.8 on a DX body.
I agree - this lens pairs very well with the Z6 as it is tiny and very lightweight. Stopping down to F2.8 helps the coma issue. Just takes some finesse with the short focus throw. Even with the adapter, it is about the same size as the collapsed 24-70 f4 native z lens.
The focus throw is kind of short, but I haven't had much trouble with that. With a lens this wide you have a pretty deep depth of field even at lower f-stop numbers, unless you're really close to your subject. What I've been doing in those cases is setting focus distance at or near minimum and rocking back and forth slightly until I have focus where I want it. Focus peaking is invaluable for that technique.
Got this lens last year. I find I’m grabbing quite often to use with D750 or Df. Recently used it for Astro and star burst effects as well as the architecture/landscapes. My one regret, I didn’t buy it earlier.
very nice review my amigo! I have teh older 20 mm f2.8 and it is old and was asking myself if it is worth buying the new 20 mm but I do not know how much better is it... have you had a chance to compere them ??? thanks for the honest and direct review! cheers from Mexico
I’ve used mine once in 18 months. Too wide for my liking. 24 length is a better one for general use I find. But I guess 20 could be ok for some close up creative shots. I won’t sell it but will very rarely use it.
It does have a slip mechanism built in so the focus ring can continue to turn beyond the focus limits without damaging the internals, but it's very noticeable.
Great video, subscribed. I'm torn between the 1.8g and the 1.4 art, my next hard earned dollar drop. Man it's a hard decision. Hiking for 8 days early next year in the Breacon Becons, Wales. Astro & Landscape. So it's weight v aperture speed for me. Damn hard decision
Thank you! That is a hard decision indeed. I don't usually put too much emphasis on weight unless it's a huge difference, but that's just me. On the other hand, the faster aperture will obviously let in more light for astro, or allow you to stop down a little for better sharpness. In the end, I don't think you can really go wrong with either of those.
Haha! I thought that was funny too, but I would have bought the f-mount regardless. There is still too much of a price difference in the native lenses for my budget. I'm hoping that changes, but at the very least we should see some good Z-mount lenses coming into the used market.
@@SouthernExposure Nikon is going to have to really wow me with their mirrorless before I go to that. I just bought a d750 last year. I might consider the new d780 when the price drops as a second body but not at the current price. I don't shoot video but if I ever did, it would do what I need. Canon has really impressed me with their new 5R and 1DX mkiii.
I have a Z7 now and want to decide between newest 20mm and 24mm a mount for a night landscape, may be astro and overall photography. The thing is that I have 24mm covered with the zoom leans at f2.8 it is fine for the day light but not enough for the evening shots, I also have a 35mm 1.8 z mount, and use it for the evenings, but want to go wider. Would you suggest buying 24mm 1.8 or waiting for the 20mm 1.8? Thanks.
Personally, I would go with the 20mm. The main reason being I try not to have too much overlap in focal lengths. Ultimately I think it comes down to which focal length you like using more, 20 or 24. Since you're already familiar with using 24mm, maybe rent or borrow a 20mm to see if you like it.
Useful summary. I’m looking to do some astrophotography this year so a timely review. Currently have Z6 and Tamron 17-35 but the issue I have is focusing with the by wire system - it’s difficult to get the infinity point. If I can’t master it , I will probably then look to get the Nikon 20mm or Samyang 14mm which have normal manual focusing and enable me to mark off the infinity point on the lens if needed. Also some extra light to play with on the Nikon as the Tamron is 2.8 at the wide end while the Samyang can be had in both Z/F mount though. Look forward to seeing your Astro photos during the year. Thanks.
Thanks Barry! I get what you're saying about the focus by wire on the Tamron. I had a similar problem with the 24-70mm Z. Here's what I ended up doing: zoomed in the rear display on a particularly bright star (with the "Ok" button), then adjusted focus until it was at it's smallest size. That should work in most cases.
Excellent review. I just bought the lens for 500$ used, mint condition and I’m very happy with it. I was tempted with the Z version because the current reviews are that it’s much sharper than the G version, but I’m using the lower resolution Z6 and my thoughts were that I won’t be able to crop images that much from my Z6, so the extra sharpness with the Z version would be more noticeable with the Z7. Also, from the money I’m saving with the G lens I can afford a decent tripod and a star tracker. So for the price of one Z lens in the near future I’ll have the perfect astrophotography combo.
Thank you! I'm always looking for ways to save money on gear, without sacrificing too much quality. So far for me using f-mount glass with the FTZ adapter has been a great way to do that.
I completely agree with you :) My solution to compensate not been able to crop Z6 image files (I’m sure you know that one), is to use affordable lens with a focal length of 35-50mm. I own the Nikon Z 50 mm f 1.8 S and it’s absolutely superb. It cost me much less than the 20 mm f 1.8 G. I can’t understand why some people demand cameras with more megapixels not realising that more megapixels doesn’t mean better quality, in most cases is the other way around. Anyway, love your channel. I’ll keep watching your content and recommend your channel to friends. Stay safe!
You might get away with a wireless or boom mic, but even an external mic attached to the hot shoe, like the Rode video mics, will pick up the focusing noise.
On a crop sensor it’s f/3? I smell some tony northup here. If that would be a fact handheld light meters would have an option to switch between the different photography formats. Many beginners watch this channel and are most likely using crop sensors, we have to stop perpetuating the false concept of multiplying the aperture by the crop factor. 20mm f/1.8 is 20mm f1.8 regardless of the size of the sensor.
Ouch! My first comparison to Tony! I agree with some of his ideas, and disagree with others. At any rate, thank you for your comment. I'm always looking for feedback to improve my channel, specifically for beginners and amateurs. I didn't go in depth about what I meant when I said that because this was a lens review rather than a discussion of crop factor / aperture. I probably could have been more clear. In short, I wasn't referring to exposure, or amount of light gathered, but rather to the depth of field. That being said, there is a lot of debate about whether or not crop factor really affects depth of field at all. It's a complicated issue because it involves a lot of variables, and depending on which variables you emphasize, you can come to different conclusions about the relationship between them. I am planning to do an in-depth video about this specific issue and I'm still in the research and testing phase of that. In the meantime, if anyone is interested Gerald Undone has some excellent videos about aperture, sensor size, focal length, and the relationship between them.
Southern Exposure I’m an amateur but I remember listening to the idea of multiplying the aperture to the crop factor and being so confused about it. I started shooting medium format film recently as a hobby and things make more sense now but not everyone starting out has the possibility of comparing formats. Mr. Undone gets it undone.
This is my oldest lens, I have it since 2016. I bought it to pair it with the D7100, which is a DX camera, so that I have something close to 35mm for street photography. I loved the images it produced. In 2018 I bought the D810 and I use this lens for landscapes. It has amazing quality and great performance in bad light situations. I also took this lens to some 20+ trips to over 10 countries, it still looks very minty.
That's great! Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience.
This is a fantastic lens, an amazing creative tool. Had mine for a good few years now and use it more and more
EXACTLY the review I needed! Your comparisons with other similar lenses saved me so much time, and the idea of using a filter was heavy on my mind as well. Plan on using this for video so I wanted a fast aperture prime, and you sold me on it. Music was on point and I always love hearing from fellow southerners but that’s just my personal bias 😂 thank you so much!
Awesome, glad it helped! One thing to keep in mind for video, like all of Nikon's G lenses, the focus mechanism can be a bit noisy in AF if you're using a camera mounted microphone like the Rode VideoMic.
I own this lens since 2015 and I love it. One of the best F-Mount lenses out there.
Absolutely. Very sharp and weighs almost nothing! One thing I didn't really mention in the video is that this makes a great, light weight, "general purpose" lens on a crop sensor camera.
@@SouthernExposure Yes indeed. I bought it for my D7100 back in 2015. Now I use it with the D810. It's amazing in both cases.
The Z6 was out in 2020? Thanks, just picked up this lens for my Z9 for astro and landscape
man you have such great music !
I rarely hear youtube videos with stereo channel music!
Also a Nikon D7100 Owner here!
Glad you enjoy it!
Actually an F1.8 is still an F1.8 on a DX camera, but even if you want to figure out what the bokeh results will be compared to full frame this would be performing more like an F2.7/2.8 NOT F3! However not to confuse beginners there is no change in exposure and the lens will perform at f1.8, he only meant that the depth of field, separation/bokeh will be more like f/2.8 on a DX body.
Absolutely correct. I just kind of glossed over that, and as someone who tries to be as accurate as possible, I applaud your thoroughness!
I agree - this lens pairs very well with the Z6 as it is tiny and very lightweight. Stopping down to F2.8 helps the coma issue. Just takes some finesse with the short focus throw. Even with the adapter, it is about the same size as the collapsed 24-70 f4 native z lens.
The focus throw is kind of short, but I haven't had much trouble with that. With a lens this wide you have a pretty deep depth of field even at lower f-stop numbers, unless you're really close to your subject. What I've been doing in those cases is setting focus distance at or near minimum and rocking back and forth slightly until I have focus where I want it. Focus peaking is invaluable for that technique.
Got this lens last year. I find I’m grabbing quite often to use with D750 or Df. Recently used it for Astro and star burst effects as well as the architecture/landscapes. My one regret, I didn’t buy it earlier.
The more I use this lens, the more I like it. Thanks for watching!
very nice review my amigo! I have teh older 20 mm f2.8 and it is old and was asking myself if it is worth buying the new 20 mm but I do not know how much better is it... have you had a chance to compere them ??? thanks for the honest and direct review!
cheers from Mexico
Thank you sir. Unfortunately as an amateur I don't have a huge budget, and no one is sending me free gear to test, so I don't have a comparison.
Yeah Buddy!
The same reason i choose this instead of art 1.4..filters and small and light
I bought it 5 years ago. It is tiny and light, but mighty.
It is indeed very light and compact even with the FTZ adapter for my Z6, yet it doesn't feel "cheap".
I’ve used mine once in 18 months. Too wide for my liking. 24 length is a better one for general use I find. But I guess 20 could be ok for some close up creative shots. I won’t sell it but will very rarely use it.
It's hard to sell any good lens, even if you use it only rarely! I'm really looking forward to doing some night sky photography with it this summer.
I got mine from ebay for 540 CAN. The lowest price I can find for the z version is 1300 CAN.
Very helpful. Thx Larry
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
can you turn the focus ring manually past the distance measuring on the lens
It does have a slip mechanism built in so the focus ring can continue to turn beyond the focus limits without damaging the internals, but it's very noticeable.
@@SouthernExposure thanks for replying
Great video, subscribed. I'm torn between the 1.8g and the 1.4 art, my next hard earned dollar drop. Man it's a hard decision. Hiking for 8 days early next year in the Breacon Becons, Wales. Astro & Landscape. So it's weight v aperture speed for me. Damn hard decision
Thank you! That is a hard decision indeed. I don't usually put too much emphasis on weight unless it's a huge difference, but that's just me. On the other hand, the faster aperture will obviously let in more light for astro, or allow you to stop down a little for better sharpness. In the end, I don't think you can really go wrong with either of those.
@@SouthernExposure You're right, maybe I'm concentrating a bit too much on my pack weight. Truth is I'd really like the sigma. Thanks for the reply
And then one month after you make this Nikon releases the 20mm z mount. I know cost is still an issue. This will probably be my next lens purchase.
Haha! I thought that was funny too, but I would have bought the f-mount regardless. There is still too much of a price difference in the native lenses for my budget. I'm hoping that changes, but at the very least we should see some good Z-mount lenses coming into the used market.
@@SouthernExposure Nikon is going to have to really wow me with their mirrorless before I go to that. I just bought a d750 last year. I might consider the new d780 when the price drops as a second body but not at the current price. I don't shoot video but if I ever did, it would do what I need. Canon has really impressed me with their new 5R and 1DX mkiii.
I have a Z7 now and want to decide between newest 20mm and 24mm a mount for a night landscape, may be astro and overall photography. The thing is that I have 24mm covered with the zoom leans at f2.8 it is fine for the day light but not enough for the evening shots, I also have a 35mm 1.8 z mount, and use it for the evenings, but want to go wider. Would you suggest buying 24mm 1.8 or waiting for the 20mm 1.8? Thanks.
Personally, I would go with the 20mm. The main reason being I try not to have too much overlap in focal lengths. Ultimately I think it comes down to which focal length you like using more, 20 or 24. Since you're already familiar with using 24mm, maybe rent or borrow a 20mm to see if you like it.
Useful summary. I’m looking to do some astrophotography this year so a timely review. Currently have Z6 and Tamron 17-35 but the issue I have is focusing with the by wire system - it’s difficult to get the infinity point. If I can’t master it , I will probably then look to get the Nikon 20mm or Samyang 14mm which have normal manual focusing and enable me to mark off the infinity point on the lens if needed. Also some extra light to play with on the Nikon as the Tamron is 2.8 at the wide end while the Samyang can be had in both Z/F mount though. Look forward to seeing your Astro photos during the year. Thanks.
Thanks Barry! I get what you're saying about the focus by wire on the Tamron. I had a similar problem with the 24-70mm Z. Here's what I ended up doing: zoomed in the rear display on a particularly bright star (with the "Ok" button), then adjusted focus until it was at it's smallest size. That should work in most cases.
Southern Exposure Thanks for the tip !
Excellent review. I just bought the lens for 500$ used, mint condition and I’m very happy with it. I was tempted with the Z version because the current reviews are that it’s much sharper than the G version, but I’m using the lower resolution Z6 and my thoughts were that I won’t be able to crop images that much from my Z6, so the extra sharpness with the Z version would be more noticeable with the Z7. Also, from the money I’m saving with the G lens I can afford a decent tripod and a star tracker. So for the price of one Z lens in the near future I’ll have the perfect astrophotography combo.
Thank you! I'm always looking for ways to save money on gear, without sacrificing too much quality. So far for me using f-mount glass with the FTZ adapter has been a great way to do that.
I completely agree with you :)
My solution to compensate not been able to crop Z6 image files (I’m sure you know that one), is to use affordable lens with a focal length of 35-50mm. I own the Nikon Z 50 mm f 1.8 S and it’s absolutely superb. It cost me much less than the 20 mm f 1.8 G.
I can’t understand why some people demand cameras with more megapixels not realising that more megapixels doesn’t mean better quality, in most cases is the other way around. Anyway, love your channel. I’ll keep watching your content and recommend your channel to friends. Stay safe!
Great!
Thank you!
Here in my country is very expensive. I hope I get the lens one day..😒
I hope so too! Thank you for watching and commenting.
Do you think this lense will be ok for ocasional vloging with z6 ?
In manual focus, yes. The auto focus is just too noisy.
@@SouthernExposure even with external micro Phone?
You might get away with a wireless or boom mic, but even an external mic attached to the hot shoe, like the Rode video mics, will pick up the focusing noise.
It's a great lens... I was lucky to hey mine at a great price.
On a crop sensor it’s f/3? I smell some tony northup here. If that would be a fact handheld light meters would have an option to switch between the different photography formats. Many beginners watch this channel and are most likely using crop sensors, we have to stop perpetuating the false concept of multiplying the aperture by the crop factor. 20mm f/1.8 is 20mm f1.8 regardless of the size of the sensor.
Ouch! My first comparison to Tony! I agree with some of his ideas, and disagree with others. At any rate, thank you for your comment. I'm always looking for feedback to improve my channel, specifically for beginners and amateurs.
I didn't go in depth about what I meant when I said that because this was a lens review rather than a discussion of crop factor / aperture. I probably could have been more clear. In short, I wasn't referring to exposure, or amount of light gathered, but rather to the depth of field. That being said, there is a lot of debate about whether or not crop factor really affects depth of field at all. It's a complicated issue because it involves a lot of variables, and depending on which variables you emphasize, you can come to different conclusions about the relationship between them. I am planning to do an in-depth video about this specific issue and I'm still in the research and testing phase of that. In the meantime, if anyone is interested Gerald Undone has some excellent videos about aperture, sensor size, focal length, and the relationship between them.
Southern Exposure I’m an amateur but I remember listening to the idea of multiplying the aperture to the crop factor and being so confused about it. I started shooting medium format film recently as a hobby and things make more sense now but not everyone starting out has the possibility of comparing formats. Mr. Undone gets it undone.
I've got this lens and the cheaper samyang 14mm 2.8 and i find the samyang better image quality on astrophotography
I've heard a lot of good things about the Samyang. I'd actually like to pick one up in the future.
@@SouthernExposure amazon £300 UK I'd imagine a similar price in dollars your end
You look so much like WWE wrestler Shawn Michael.
Well that's a new one! I had to Google him to find out who he is.
I came to comment this.
Like
Thank you!