Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D 35mm Primes
Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D 35mm Primes
[Apr 11, 2003]
myjunkemail13
Intermediate
Strength:
Very detailed lens
Weakness:
none so far Wow! What a lens! I have it on a D100 and N8008. It is Very wide! Pictures out of the D100 come out very sharp, very detailed and contrasty. The D100 seems to be more picky about the quality of the lens than film slr's and this 20mm lens is a winner! I don't notice any distortion on the edges - this is helped by the 1.5x crop factor of the D100. Still need to try more on the N8008. The price is steep, especially for the same lens that they have had for the past 20 years (added the cpu for AF), but the quality is superb. If you like wide prime lenses, this is a must buy! This lens will stay on my D100 almost permanently. WARNING: The lens cap does not fit when using a Hoya Wide Angle filter which has no thread on the front. Customer Service hope to never find out. Similar Products Used: Nikkors: 50mm/1.4 AF, 28mm/2.8 AIS, 35-70mm/f3.3-4.5 (stay away from this lens - it sucks), and 70-210mm AIS. |
[Jan 30, 2003]
gary payne
Professional
Strength:
Light, inexpensive, useful.
Weakness:
Unsure of AF ability at this time, at least on certain cameras. Not as sharp as Nikon's 180mm lens. This AF20mm F2.8 lens has excellent potential, but one has to use it on the right equipment, and spend some time getting used to it. I have used it on a backup N6006 I bought in Lima years ago, and the autofocus hunts too much, and can misfocus frequently. Also, wide open, you'll get corner drop off, so remember to tighten it at least one click to prevent that. I use aperture priority if necessary. But if you have one of the modern AF Nikons and you find yourself in a dense people scene with a lot going on around you, this 20 can suck in as much of the world as you'll likely ever need, and very sharply. Beyond 20, you're dealing with so much distortion that you cross into the realm of special effects. If that is what you seek, fine. But if you want a modicum of reality in your shots, this is the limit, perhaps a hair beyond it, unless you are shooting level. I shoot a lot of dense street scenes in 3rd world countries. My son comes with me and usually covers the portrait opportunities with a Nikkor 180 F2.8, so I can concentrate on group activity, guilt free, because he won't let those shots get away. In comparison, the 180 is the clear winner in sharpness, although it's a different animal, and at twice the price. The 20's light weight and small size make handling easy, the camera less intimidating to subjects, and you get unique shots that most zoom lenses cannot match in quality or perspective. Similar Products Used: Nikkor 180, 35 F1.4 (bright, but too much distortion), 24-85 (decent, but not as sharp as 180mm fixed), lots of off brand zooms not worth the money. |
[Jan 16, 2003]
another view
Intermediate
Strength:
Sharpness, contrast! Just has that Nikon look to it. I always use the HB4 hood with it and don't have a problem with flare.
Weakness:
Can't think of anything! What a great lens! Excellent sharpness and contrast and not as prone to flare as you'd expect a 20 to be. Very light and compact and uses common 62mm filters. Customer Service Haven't needed. Similar Products Used: Many other Nikon AF and MF lenses. |
[Nov 19, 2002]
Kitz
Intermediate
Strength:
Distortion is ver well controlled. Good performance from f/4 onwards, good sharpness all round from f/8 onwards.(I shoot mostly in f/8 to f/16. Very good colour reproduction. (I use mostly Velvia and Reala). Rather compact lense design, compared to Canon's 20mm.(I don't need USM). Focussing is rather fast with the F100.(Not that it matters to me anyway). Built is relatively good.(I can be quite rough on my stuff at times).
Weakness:
62mm filter thread, that means I've got to get a set of new filters since I haven't got a lense with that filter thread size before. That's about it. I got this lense with my F100 and for quite a while, it was the only lense I used since I'm into architectural, landscape and environmental documentation for the work I do. The other lenses I have are the 28mm f2.8 and the 45mm f2.8P. I also get to use a 24mm f/2.8 on a regular basis. Overall, I am very satisfied with the performance of the 20mm and am happy with the decision to stay with prime lenses. Customer Service Nikon Australia is pretty OK. Their representative in Melbourne is forgettable though. |
[Nov 01, 2002]
nazirdelma
Intermediate
Strength:
REASONABLE PRISE GOOD REPRODUCTION OF COLORS VERY CLOSE RANGE FOCUSSING
Weakness:
BUILD QUALITY. USELESS DOF SCALE. DISTORTION(UN AVOIDABLE) 20 MM AF NIKKOR IS GENERALLY A VERY GOOD WIDEANGLE PRIME LENSE FOR THE PRISE AND PERFORMANCE.STOPPED DOWN TO f8 ..RESULTS ARE REALLY EDGE TO EDGE SHARP IMAGES . I AM USING THIS TINY LENSE FOR TAKING FULL FRAME PORTRAITS OF CHILDS PLAYING OUTDOORS,AND LANDSCAPES.WHEN TAKING PORTRAITS THE DISTORTION GETTING FROM THIS LENSE ..SOME TIMES VERY FUNNY AND FASCINATING..ABOUT COLOR REPRODUCTION I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS.MAJORITY OF MY SUNSET LANDSCAPES ARE WITH RICH COLOR RENDITION.I DID,NT YET TRIED THIS LENSE AT 2.8...MAY BE SOFT A LITTLE. Customer Service NOT YET NEEDED Similar Products Used: SIGMA 17-35..VERY POOR PERFORMING ONE. |
[Oct 23, 2002]
hovi
Intermediate
Strength:
Fast AF on N90s Almost no linear distoration Excellent color and contrast Sharp!
Weakness:
Slight flare I first bought the Nikon 18-35mm and was disappointed in the results and the zoom range wasn't as important as a sharp lens. I sent it back and purchases the 20 mm lens. It's great! I use this lens and my 80-200mm f2.8 95% of the time. My 24-120mm sits in the camera bag and never gets used. (never was much of a fan of that lens) Customer Service Good. Don't get sand in your lenses or it will cost you a mint and you'll spend 20 mins waiting to get through. Similar Products Used: nikon 24-120mm nikon 18-35mm |
[Apr 03, 2002]
jmuldoon1
Professional
Strength:
Very good contrast, sharpness. Excellent wide-open performance. Low price.
Weakness:
Not really. I do wish they made a faster one, though. I just got this. I''ve been shooting Olympus OM4Ts for 15 years but they finally discontinued the OM line. I switched to the F100 (I''m too used to spot metering to change now). This is a very nice lens. The size and weight are just right, the contrast is excellent, and the wide-open performance is very good. The distortion is surprisingly well-controlled for a lens of its type. I wish they made an f2.0, though. I had a Zuiko 21mm 2.0 and I guess I got spoiled. On the other hand, the Nikon is much less expensive. Customer Service None so far. Similar Products Used: Zuiko 21mm 2.0 |
[Feb 24, 2002]
dnobile
Intermediate
Strength:
- very sharp and contrasty - lightweight - f2.8 max aperature
Weakness:
- aperature ring is a bit sticky when using the lens in manual mode I''ve had the non "D" version for about 5 years. It is very sharp, compact and lightweight. With a f2.8 max aperature, this is an excellent available light lens. The 20mm focal length means you can use shutter speeds down to 1/15 and not worry about camera shake (well, at least not too much). I owned a 20 f3.5 AIS many years ago and the optical performance of this AF lens is much better. It focuses very fast on an AF camera. Customer Service None Similar Products Used: Nikon 20mm f3.5 AIS |
[Sep 18, 2001]
nick bilinski
Intermediate
Strength:
VERY sharp close to far, very good contrast, focuses well manually
Weakness:
some softnes in the corners wide open, some distortion (a complex stamp)- not too good for low placement of horizons, the stamp is mild but clearly visible in small sized prints, this will not normally trouble anybody except if one shoots a lot of landscapes or other subject where a long, axactly vertical line is placed at the very top or bottom of the frame I was sort of prejudiced when I brought the lens home a month ago. This was due to some reviews I had read on the net. I was looking for a clean 24mm and could not get one so given the chance of "return it and we will refund" attitude of the seller I took the challenge and went for a clean, second hand sample. Having shot some number of rolls thru it I am very positive that this is the best wide angle I have had so far. If the complex distortion stamp (see below) does not pose a problem to you, go for this lens. Customer Service not needed on any of my many nikkor lenses Similar Products Used: 24mm AIS (too soft), 28mm AF D (my sample was terrible!) |
[May 16, 2000]
Pierre
Expert
Model Reviewed:
AF20mm f/2.8D Nikkor AIS
Strength:
Sharp. Excellent colour and contrast. Small minimum focussing distance (great for the near-far effect. CRC. Compact and light.
Weakness:
Must use a thin polarising filter (like the new Hoya Ultra) to avoide vignetting at f2.8-f3.5. Have to watch subjects (especially people) at the corners (Overall though not bad for semi-extreme wideangle). Corners at f2.8 slighly soft. Great lens if used to capitalise its characteristics. Very sharp from close focus to far - the close range correction seems to work a treat. Perspective very usefull for dramatic effect. My favourate lens toghether with the 80-200 f2.8. Customer Service Never needed Similar Products Used: 28-105 f3.5 - f4.5 |