Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 Review

[@simonmiles1972]

All the f/1.8 primes for the Z system are amazing. Nikon deserves credit for bucking the trend for massive super-fast - and super expensive - glass and giving us a series of optically no-compromise f/1.8 lenses that are affordable in the real world and light enough to actually carry as a set for landscape and nature photography. For me the 1.8/20, 1.8/35 and 1.8/85 have replaced the f/4 zooms for most of my work. Still only about 2kg with my Z7 and the IQ is incredible.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

No kidding, I much prefer this trend! The ultra-heavy f/1.4 prime lenses may be sharp, but they aren’t nearly as good for lightweight landscape photography.

[@larrymyers3940]

This is the best review of ANY product I've ever seen, certainly of photography gear. You speak incredibly well without a single "ah" or "um" whatsoever. Everything about the recording was spot on as well. I was leaning toward wanting this lens but apprehensive due to a lack of knowledge/experience with this focal length. Every question I had was answered and points and tips you presented were like frosting on the cake. I will be purchasing this lens very soon, thanks in part to this amazing review! Great, great job, Spencer. Thank you!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Wow, thank you! Glad you liked the review so much and found it useful enough to trust for your purchasing decision. It’s a great lens and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

[@scawhitwell]

This review can stand as a model of how lens reviews can and should be. Fantastic work and obviously a fantastic lens.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thank you, Stuart!

[@Ihab.A]

I've watched it from the beginning till the end, and I loved the video, information, tests performed, and image quality. This is the unbiased review people should look at. Thanks

[@akhilsiby]

One of the best reviews I have ever seen on KZbin.. Great work...

[@vincentjansen1683]

Great review - thank you! I am looking forward to more Z lens reviews from you in the same format.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing! Hoping to do more at some point.

[@eddy3011]

Absolutely loved the review but I’d disagree with the conclusion from the perspective of if you should upgrade if you have the DSLR lens. The older one is cheaper, smaller, sufficiently sharp at higher apertures (which is what you’d use for landscape), and makes better sun stars. It’s slightly worse for astro but only if blown up. In particular, the sun star is a bummer because that’s far more noticeable than corner sharpness to me. Nevertheless, I could never have come to my own conclusions without your review which was thorough and very clear. I hope Nikon supplies your with test lenses for review, and I will be eagerly watching as I hold out with my DSLR!

[@alexyu9037]

I was searching z20mm info this morning, wondering why no relevant articles on your website. And wow, found this one. Thanks for the test!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Awesome! You’re quite welcome, glad you found it to be useful.

[@M_F_12399]

You should have a lot more subscribers. The quality of your posts is great. I am pleased that you have been more active on KZbin for a few months now.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thank you for the kind words! Glad you’ve enjoyed our content so much.

[@M_F_12399]

Hi Spencer, what cameras (z- and f-Mount) did you use for this review?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

I both filmed and took all the sample photos with the Z6 and Z7 (mainly Z6 for video and Z7 for stills).

[@H4VG44RD]

One of the best reviews I have watched in a long time! Thank you Spencer 😊

[@peterwmdavis]

3:50 focus ring speed/ratio and reset-to-infinity are both configurable with the latest Z cameras/firmware.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Yes! Nikon added that feature after this video was published. I encourage people to enable it.

[@groncal]

Subscribed...most useful and well-rounded review I’ve ever seen on lenses. Well-done and thank you.

[@bt955]

I would watch 20 fifteen-second ads and even click on them to see reviews like this. Great review. Thank you!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Haha, that’s awesome! Thanks for the great feedback.

[@StevePerformanceca]

Fantastic, comprehensive review, great work Spencer! Also really appreciated the discussion of the 14-20 which I do already own and your perspectives on it. Based on your review I would like to get the 20 f/1.8S for those situations when I want wide and fast. Previous to this review I was thinking to pick up a 20 f/1.8G on the used market but you have shown the benefits quite clearly.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks for the feedback.

[@anthonymrbs]

This is the best You Tube review I've ever seen on a lens. Great job. Now if I could decide on whether it would be worth adding the 20mm 1.8g to my D810 kit, with mirrorless being the future.

[@krappiekiller]

Thanks for such an in depth review. I have bought the Z and sold my G without even trying out the Z. In fact, I still haven't done much with the Z aside from a few random test shots. I am less nervous that I made the right choice after seeing this review.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

I think you made a fine decision! The F-mount lens is certainly good, but especially if you plan to shoot at wider aperture values, the Z lens clearly is better.

[@greenheart5145]

Just now happen to see and watch your video, I like it a lot ... Great review.. its vary hard to find someone doing independent work, unfortunately most of those photographers are fake and commercial.. thank you ..keep up the great work, its really appreciated ...

[@alwaysforwardyt]

Boy you were born to do this job. I broke my mouse giving you a thumbs up! 😅

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Really appreciate it!

[@kristiankaraneshev7528]

Great that you guys started doing video reviews for lenses! I am sick of the reviews of the so called "influencers" and other youtubers who just don't have the proper photography knowledge but somehow have wider audience. (maybe one of the reasons for the downfall of nikon in terms of marketing strategy, there aren't many/any youtubers who shoot with nikon, so the viewers think nikon is doing bad...) Anyway, I have the G version and it's one of my most favorite lenses, especially because of the sunstars. My 20 1.8g is even worse for astrophotography as at 1.8 if I focus at the center the stars on the left are not in perfect focus and somehow has a bit more coma than your version. At f 2.8 these issues are less pronounced and I made some great astro shots with this lens, but for astro timelapses I am considering switching to the 1.8s lens because it will be usable at 1.8. When I do astro timelapses at 2.8 with the 1.8g there is a bit of a flicker as the lens is not wide open and 2.8 creates a bit of a flicker due to the fact that 2.8 is not always 2.8. The difference can be up to 10% in brightness levels but on timelapse it's visible.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Really appreciate it! Sounds to me like your copy of the 20mm G is at least a little bit decentered. If you end up deciding to switch to the Z lens, I think you’d find things much easier, but even with a decentered 20mm G, I’m sure you’re still getting good photos. I agree with regards to Nikon, it seems that they have serious issues reaching out to influencers. Here’s hoping they find a way to turn it around.

[@kristiankaraneshev7528]

I might consider the 20 1.8s for the next milky way season. I was doing mostly tracked panos with the 50 1.8s this year when I had the opportunity to travel to darker locations, which was rare due to COVID. So my astrophotography plans have now shifted for next year - timelapse with one z6 and 20 1.8, tracked panos with another z6, or z5 and 50 1.8.

[@kristiankaraneshev7528]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel I watched your review of this lens one more time and decided to upgrade :D cannot wait to try it for astro, but in June its a bit difficult in Germany as the night is too short.

[@chirag4]

Am not even a nikon shooter, and very pleased & happy after seeing this vid. Have been reading Nasim's articles for many years now. This is the best review of any Nikon S prime on YT. I use the Leica M10-P *white* limited edition + 50mm f/1.4 Summilux . . . . & Canon 6D Thanks, Regards.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Really appreciate it!

[@ralphwatson7036]

This is the first video I've watched on this channel, but it won't be the last. Impressive review and exactly the information I was looking for. 👍👍

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Really appreciate it! Welcome aboard.

[@borocotochacha]

Perfect review Spencer! Impressed with 2 points: 1) As a Z system user with Z35mm, Z50mm, Rokinon Z85 1.4, f mount lenses, and adapted analog lenses there is a before and after in the Nikon era. Incredible rendering with the Expeed 6 Processor with ISO and details much higher than any other Nikon Camera done before (and superior to other brands too). 2)People´s comments! I´m a reseller at South America and after trying many mirrorless systems, the most effective all terrain was the Zs. Don´t forget that every country have their own economy and some average incomes are lower in most countries of the world other than the US. It´s take double of the time and work (even more) to get to the objective of buying a new camera. So, if we here want to jump to mirroless and get high quality images the option is Nikon Z, is the cheapest pro (in my opinion and experience). Canon is just fooling their fans and no one talks about their constantly burned APS C cameras along the years, I have 12 clients that bought me Canon DSLR and had to throw them away with no more than 40000 actuations. Getting paid from a company to lie about other company system is going to have negative real world infulence against liars at not much time from now. Salute from Uruguay and stay safe!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Really appreciate it! I’m a fan of Nikon’s approach to mirrorless as well, aside from a couple specific gripes. At least for my style of landscape photography, it works great, and I wouldn’t swap it out for any other on the market right now. That said, I’ve also used Canon cameras as recently as a year ago and liked them as well. Most cameras today are so good that it’s mindblowing. If only that were enough to save the camera industry...

[@borocotochacha]

I fully agree, most of them have excellent benefits. I have also used Canon for work and Sony, I just came across with something superior from Nikon's Expeed 6. In my case and even my clients have reacted to the quality of details that the system provides. Thank you for your kindness in commenting and communicating in the videos. About camera industry... It is the collateral effect of wanting everyone to have a camera, it was included in cell phones. Now "we want" cell phone features in cameras :)

[@vaibhavravichandran]

This is the most definitive review of this lens I have seen by far and helped me make a purchase decision to go with the Z lens on my Z6. Thank you so much. I hope to see more such reviews from you. Great job!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Vaibhav, much appreciated! Glad it was so useful, and yes, more on the way in the future.

[@GordoFriman]

please keep doing video reviews for lenses, they are great!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thanks and will do!

[@mbcowan]

Great review Spencer, and very timely for me. I was debating between this lens and the 14-30 f4 and ended up purchasing the 14-30 for a trip to Olympic National Park. I decided the versatility and wider angle of the zoom was more important. I just returned from the trip last night and I haven’t even had a chance to look at my photos on screen yet, so I was glad to see you include that lens for comparison in this review and relieved that it is nearly as sharp and you recommend it for the versatility. You’re really doing a great job with these videos. Keep it up!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing! I made the same decision as you and ultimately kept the 14-30 rather than the 20 1.8. They’re both great lenses, just with some different strengths and weaknesses.

[@rrr46060]

great review, i just ordered this lens for my z5, hopefully the 25 mp's of the z5 will be worthy of this lens

[@arielalemany9641]

This is an amazing review!! This is the first video I watch in your chanel but belive me I' planning to watch all of them!! You do a great job 👌👌👌

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked it so much and welcome to our channel!

[@artmaltman]

Superb review. Clear, perceptive, relevant issues and concise. In future reviews please discuss bokeh - its a big issue for some people, like me! Also videographers need to know about focus breathing and AF noise.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thank you! And good suggestions. The S 20mm f/1.8 has somewhat nervous bokeh, probably thanks in part to the three aspherical elements. “Bokeh balls” have a moderately strong ring around them as well. Even then, it’s far from unusable, just not as good as what you’d find with portrait-specific lenses. Autofocus is nearly silent with this lens because of the focus by wire system. I used it for video with no issue at all.

[@cars291]

I used all of those lenses on Apsc bodies, too. Excellent for street and travel photography if you are ok with the sizes.

[@GreasyFox]

This is my favorite prime lens, especially for wide angle landscape photoshoots

[@briansquibb999]

Thanks for the chuckle with the shadow happy face!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Haha, glad you liked that!

[@nailedpicturesbymanraj9491]

best review and detailed informative 👍👌👌👌

[@sarfaraz.hosseini]

Such a great channel. I hope you get the subs you deserve.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thank you! Glad you like our channel so much.

[@jimsmith556]

This is one of the most extensive reviews and comparisons of the F and Z versions. Nicely done and thanks. I'm on the fence about purchasing the F version now, or waiting until I move to the Z camera system and getting the Z version. Since most of my work will be done stopped down a bit, there is minimal difference in sharpness in the real world. However one aspect I am interested in is the quality of the sunstars as I like to shoot into the sun, and also do a lot of night photography. As you pointed out, the sunstars are just better with the F lens. I wanted to check out the specs for the aperture blades etc. as you noted in the video but I believe you've made a mistake. The specs you posted are identical, right down to the weight. So I will have to look elsewhere to find the correct specs for these lenses. Otherwise a great review.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

You are quite welcome! And thanks for the heads up about the duplicate specifications. Not sure how that happened, but I’m fixing it now.

[@frankf9233]

Wonderful review Spencer. Adding a third lens for comparison was great. When it's available, I'm hoping for a similar style of review for the 14mm f/2.8 S

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thank you, Frank, and I’m looking forward to testing that lens as well! I had the DSLR 14-24mm f/2.8 and always liked it, hopefully this one is even better.

[@juansol1499]

Thank you very much, Spencer. Your reviews are pretty well worked, detalied and to the main point. Pros and cons are described very independently. Congratulations. Due to Coronavirus Earthquake we don't have Nikon Z 20mm F1.8 S still available in Spain (either the new Z 24-200) but I'm sure Nikon is doing things fast to sell new gear, as usual.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked the review and frustrating to hear that these lenses aren’t yet available for you in Spain. Crazy times, I know people who have been waiting for almost six months for the Z 70-200mm f/2.8.

[@fjphoto23]

Excellent review and F v Z comparison. Z lenses are really sharp.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

They are indeed! I’m a big fan so far. Just waiting on a lightweight telephoto zoom...

[@GunniGrahn]

Very well done, and very thorough review. Only thing that's distracting me is the "pointy finger" other than that, nothing i can put my finger on. Made me decide for the 14-30mm instead - so thank you!

[@gdan8259]

Good review of the lens. I have had the lens for several months and concur wholeheartedly. I wish Nikon would work harder on getting more of these great lens out instead of new cameras. Still waiting for my Z 70-200 2.8 lens.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thanks! Wishing for a 70-200mm f/4 or 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 myself, but neither of those is even on the roadmap. Hope you get your 70-200mm f/2.8 soon. You’re not the only one I know who’s waiting for it!

[@bioliv1]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel I just wait a few years, and then I see if I go from the E-mount to the Z-mount with all its advantages.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

@Øyvind Holmstad - That sounds like a smart plan!

[@gdan8259]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel Good news, the rumors must be true that Nikon is FINALLY ready to ship the Z 70-200 f/2.8 lens starting next week. The lens is now showing "add to cart" rather than "Pre-Order" on Nikon's web site. I hope our hopes are not dashed once again and this holds as true.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

@g Dan - That’s encouraging! Looking forward to testing this lens as soon as possible then.

[@winniduesseldorf]

Great review THANKS !

[@Mr09260]

Great Video Spencer

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked it, thanks, Peter!

[@archascents5157]

This is great. Please review more lenses and cameras.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked it and will do!

[@tallaganda83]

I cant wait for the 14-24 2.8. It will be the only pro Nikon lens I would buy. I also wish they had a 70-200 f4 on the roadmap. My ultimate trinity would be the 14-24 2.8, 50mm 1.8s and the 70-200 f4. I will always keep my 24-70 f4s for travel and general photography it is great and would love a macro lens at some stage.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

That sounds like a very versatile set of lenses! I was interested to hear recently that the 14-24mm is going to be able to take filters (albeit large ones). If I had known that, I may have waited for it instead of getting the 14-30mm f/4.

[@jcam783]

Great Review !

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked it!

[@alvinbirdi6502]

Late to this but what an amazing review! Many thanks.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked it!

[@dalhadop]

Just come across your channel. Very good review. Thank you, I am very impressed

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad to hear it! Welcome!

[@kkobayashi1]

Great review! I’m pretty much sold on the 20mm, saving up for it now. But I wish you showed more comparisons with the 14-30, especially vignetting and chromatic aberration.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Fair enough. They’re pretty comparable in both regards, once you’re within their shared aperture range of f/4 and beyond. I’d say the 20mm is the slightest bit better in both areas, but nothing noticeable once you’ve corrected vignetting and chromatic aberration in post.

[@bio7021]

Thanks ... just what I was looking for... you helped me make my decision!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Brilliant! Happy to hear it.

[@renzoagostini343]

Ottimo, ho abbinato il n Nikon Z 20 1,8 sulla Nikon Z6ii e il Nikon 14-30 f4 sulla Z7 ed ottengo risultati incredibili.Grazie per il video e la tua competenza.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Prego 😄

[@fuzzytalz]

Great, informative review. Thanks!

[@RomanatorII]

Solid review!

[@hubertsieber2535]

great review, thanks for it.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked it!

[@victorziegler6001]

Awesome review, thanks a lot!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing!

[@petrsulicek5208]

Great work. Thank you!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing!

[@commandlion8667]

Terrific review, I’m looking forward to a 100-400 z lens review from you. P.S. You’re missing a “C” in subscribe.

[@LMoProVisualComm]

That 20mm 1.8G, it's fantastic on my D850.

[@thomsn5670]

Well made review. Thank you!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing!

[@castrogot]

Pretty nice review, thanks for sharing

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing, glad you liked it!

[@jpdj2715]

I now have all the Z/S primes. The story for the other lenses is similar. The story for the zooms too. The whole system is on a new level. The reason I use primes is that they are more compact and faster (1.8) and can attain shallower depth of field. And, with primes I have a stable reference in my head - I can walk around, not looking through a camera and know which lens gives what angle. With a zoom I would loose that. As Nikon promised to keep working on the firmware of existing Z cameras, I am expecting this to still happen. I for instance want better DoF controls. I can also imagine that a firmware update could give an option for a mounted lens's initial position after an off/on cycle: 1) infinity, 2) as last used, 3) a distance of my choice (say 1.5m for a portrait photographer) And I also want a "sub version" of "expose for the highlights" where I can indicate that tiny bright pixel clusters can be ignored by going n (say 3) stops below them. But these are details. The whole system is at a very high professional level. We get to the point that a top menu for lens-related settings may be needed to prevent confusing large menus.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

I like the suggestions you bring up, they’d be great additions! So far, the Nikon Z lenses have been remarkably sharp and high quality overall. I do wish they’d fill out the lineup faster, to make it competitive with Sony (and Nikon F-mount). Though I’m sure it’s a challenge given the current state of the world.

[@jpdj2715]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel - lens architecture can be split into "retro-focus" versus "Gaussian". Gaussian has an innate ability to cancel out chromatic aberration (CA) and relatively simply controls distortions. On 8"*10", a wide angle is far from the film and Gaussian still works. On a SLR, digital or film, the mirror box gets in the way and you need retro-focus - thus ruining Gaussian principles and erasing their benefits. At the introduction of mirrorless, I thought, looking up, thank you someone. Too soon. Sensors cannot handle a sharper angle of incidence than 90 degrees very well. The earliest lens design I became aware of that addresses this: the Zeiss 35 on the Sony R1 compact. Its elements almost touch the sensor. Oh My Google, a retro-focus design with condenser back-end. What The Flip is going on? Oh, I see, they solved the angle of incidence issue. Is this the future of lens design? How does Leica do this with all their old Gaussian designs? (A Leica never had a mirror box. Yes, diehards, I'm aware of Visoflex.) Funk! They turned a Fresnel lens into cut up rings with an individual lens over each photosite in the sensor guiding light from sharper angles into the sensor. Chips, this must be an average for the back-end of their lenses, do the extremes benefit less. This before Nikon Z. The Nikon released Z and I had several déjà-vues. The shallow flange distance allows lens back-ends to almost touch the sensor. The wide flange diameter allows condenser-like rear ends. And the lenses have many more elements, are not lighter, not shorter. Nikon-san, I see what you're doing here. Smart cookies! Old lens lore has issue with lots of glass elements as each surface has to glaring risks (so one element has four, if we discount a cylindrical side that could still add 2). Nikon-san, What were you thinking? Turns out they solved the glare issue for a lot of elements in a row. Solved CA. Increased detail resolution. Wow. Can you imagine a Leica buff in NY, NY, asking Nikon to start making the Z 50/1.8S for Leica? Influencers: 1.8 is not professional. I: Depth of Field (DoF) depends on the circle of confusion of a lens and the resolution of your medium. A Z 1.8S may have less DoF than an old 1.4 or 1.2 ... And, I don't need a faster lens to still see something in my viewfinder as it's electronically amplified. Lens design becomes less of an issue with longer focal lengths - I want a Z 180/2.8S. Extension rings and Z glass are physically possible but Z glass optimizations don't work. I want a Z macro, say 100, that is excellent still at 5' to 2m and can be stopped down to f/32. For wildlife photography, not my thing, the F lenses are great and the FTZ adapter works great. If the lens has modern AF.

[@Zeppy007]

Great video Spencer! Was wondering where you purchased that Huge test chart!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thank you! It’s from Imatest. That’s the company Photography Life (who I work closely with) uses to test lenses.

[@trung.n]

Thank you for such an extensive review. I was thinking of upgrading my Nikon 20mm f1.8G but decided to keep it because of the disappointing sunstars from the new lens. Looks like Nikon never pays attention to this department. The only lenses in the Z series that I found having good sunstars are the 24-120 f4Z and the 35mm f1.8Z

[@sarfaraz.hosseini]

Thanks for the review!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing!

[@intrinsicimagery]

Great review. Getting the 14-30.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

That's what I got as well! I think you'll really like it. It's my personal favorite wide angle lens I've ever used.

[@mugdays]

Awesome video! Any chance we'll see more lens reviews in the future?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Yes, I'm hoping to do several this year!

[@DjCjFoto]

AF-S 20mm lens sun starts are to die for, it's hard to replicate it.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

No kidding! I feel like I was actually too negative on the Z lens by comparison - it’s actually competent in terms of sunstars, but was going up against possibly the best lens on the market in that regard.

[@lutzboehnke7829]

Thanks a lot! Great video

[@pHrIlLeX]

Thanks for that awesome review, i got two questions though: 1. On your website review theyre saying Coma is quite there with the Z 20 and in the video youre saying there is practically none. Is there a mistake in the review? And 2. Do you mind telling me which Canyon you visited as Ill be visiting Utah this summer :-) Thanks and best regards from Germany!

[@KPAki1Ler]

I'm sure the first inch or so of the barrel is metal (where it has 20/1.8 S written) and the focus ring is metal, and then there's high quality engineered composite as the rest to make up the lens barrel. That's if it's anything like the 50/1.8 S ..I own. So I'm not sure why in this video its claimed its made of plastic, but has high quality construction, I mean can't you feel the metal areas that are cool to the touch? Other than that, great review!

[@KarenVaisman1]

This was a great review. Will you review the new wide zoom just announced?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

I would certainly like to, but I’m not sure at the moment how many other reviews I’ll do on this channel. It does look like an exciting lens, however.

[@TorToroPorco]

I love the 20mm fixed focal length so I’m trying to find an excuse to get one even though I’m pretty happy with my 14-30 (once you stop down). Lately I’ve been finding a 20mm useful in close interior social situations when I travel and a fast aperture is useful for the low light.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

It's a really versatile focal length. The 14-30mm is strongest around the 20mm mark, but if you need f/1.8 or just prefer prime lenses, the 20mm f/1.8 is as good as it gets.

[@alsimoncelli7313]

Excellent review! Could you please compare the Viltrox manual focus 20 mm F1.8 lens?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

I’m afraid I haven’t tried that lens yet. Need to add it to my list!

[@DOOMDAYNOW]

why do Z lines are bigger than F lines ?? it don't matter if the body is smaller if the glass is bigger and heavier am I missing something ??

[@intrinsicimagery]

Pulling the trigger. Thanks!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Sure thing! I think you'll like it. It's an awesome lens.

[@sultanalmudimeegh1001]

Very nice review indeed .

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you liked it!

[@chileanlover77]

Hello what do you think about the nikon z 20mm 1.8 for video 4k ? Because doesn't have image stabilization

[@DaleGDavis]

Spencer- I am presently using Nikon D750 + 14-24mm f/2.8 for astro, but recently bought the Z8. I am considering buying this 20mm f/1.8 and selling there 14-24mm f/2.8 for a faster lens than is also lighter in weight. What do you recommend? Dale Miami

[@1arjen8]

As an owner of the old 20mm f/1.8 lens I am enticed to also buy the Z lens for my Z5 (and future Z7 hopefully). Thank you for your excellent, comprehensive, well worded presentation. My question: assuming you manually focused the 20mm Z lens for the milky way shots, how did that go? Could you set it to 'infinity' for the sky without trouble (you may have focus stacked and bracketed for exposure)?

[@vieuxsviewsphotography]

I look forward to more Nikon Z lens reviews

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Thank you, hoping to do more when I can!

[@inspiredartphotos]

Excellent video. I own the DSLR 20mm so was curious how much of a difference there is. My plan is try my old lens with my Z6 MKII. I do tracked Nightscape’s. I am also considering a Z7 MKII down the road. I am really worried about my F lenses not looking good on a 46 Megapixel camera. Your thoughts?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Most of the F-mount glass is still quite good at 46 megapixels, particularly for landscapes when stopped down to f/5.6 or f/8. If you're using wider aperture like f/2 for your nightscapes, you may start to see an advantage with the Z glass. But I still use plenty of F-mount glass with my Z7, no issue (including the 20mm f/1.8 G).

[@leedriving4699]

good job

[@sanjayatri3855]

How can you compare corner sharpness with center sharpness at shallow depth of field like f/1.8 , using an example of a landscape photograph. In my opinion, unless the corner point and center point are equidistant from the sensor, the comparison has no relevance. Perhaps, a better example could have been a brick wall

[@TerryLivesey]

If I was going to use this lens on a z50 for a studio vlog - is the autofocus as good as the kit lens as I’ve not bought and other Z lens for it and with the current restrictions I’ve not been anywhere to test one?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Yes, it's just as fast and accurate as the kit 24-70mm f/4, as best as I can tell. It would make a good studio vlogging lens in combination with the face tracking and AF-F on the Z50.

[@TerryLivesey]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel perfect; thanks for the reply, now to order one 😝

[@Photojouralist123]

Well Spencer if your using RRS then you know what your doing. We pro's look at what kind of tripod and ball head folks use to determine if they know what they are doing.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

They’re the best tripods I’ve ever used. And close to the best tripod heads.

[@smkunder1]

Great review, have you done one on the 14-30?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Not a video review, but I did write one last year: photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-z-14-30mm-f4-s

[@supremestarhawk]

Isn't the Z lens a little wider so the built-in lens corrections to have some room to work, allowing the post-corrected version to be 20mm? It seems like lens corrections are a part of modern lens design now, and probably why you can't turn them off in Lightroom or Nikon's Capture NX-D. I'm good with that especially if it gives the designers more flexibility. Great review by the way!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

That certainly is the case with some of Nikon’s Z lenses, such as the 14-30mm f/4, which is really like 12.5mm or 13mm at the wide end before distortion correction. But the 20mm f/1.8 has such minimal distortion that it still is clearly wider than the old lens even after corrections. Whether that’s because the Z lens is more like 19.5mm, or the F lens is more like 20.5mm, I’m not sure.

[@supremestarhawk]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel Thank you!

[@davidringo9238]

Did you use a filter on the lens for these photos?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

It’s been a while since I filmed the video, but no, I don’t think so. If anything I may have used a polarizer on some of them.

[@Databyter]

I noticed that you were disappointed in one aspect of this lense. It's lack of ability to focus save because it is a fly by wire focus ring. Good news tho. I'd bet money there is a focus save setting on the menu system. I've been watching some setup video for Z mount cameras this week, and I specifically remember a setting that when activated would remember last focus. you could even take the lens off of the camera, put it back on, and it would go right back to last saved focus. I'm not sure if it works or not with manual focus, but I don't see why not, since even manual focus uses fly by wire with location save capablilty, and also because this is the mode where you would be more likely to need such a feature.. Databyter

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Yes, there now is! It was released in a firmware update for Nikon Z cameras. It wasn’t out at the time I published this review, but I highly recommend enabling it. It’s in the setup menu and called “save focus position.”

[@Databyter]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel Ahh that explains it.s I just got into the Zline rabbit hole myself. I came in at a good time.

[@michael-4k4000]

How is the bokeh?

[@TillGiesche]

Great review, it was a pleasure to watch! Maybe you can tell me, how the Nikon S 20mm 1.8 competes against the Sigma Art 1.4 for Nikon F ( which I own). I love the quality of the Sigma, but weight is always an issue. Keep up your great work :)

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Much appreciated! I’m afraid that I haven’t used the Sigma myself and we haven’t tested it in the lab yet, either. From what I see online (particularly the two CameraLabs reviews of the lenses), the Nikon is sharper in the corners by a bit. Both seem pretty comparable in quality, though. The real question is whether you’re willing to exchange the ~2/3 stops of light in exchange for less weight. Wish I could be of more help on that.

[@Bayonet1809]

I wonder if Nasim could chime in on this lens' performance on the Z7 compared to the Fuji GF 23mm f/4 on a GFX50R, as I know he has used the GFX system. The two setups have a similar FOV and megapixel count, but is the GF 23mm f/4 much sharper in the corners?

[@simonmiles1972]

You won't be disappointed with the 1.8/20 - or any of the new S primes - on the Z7. I tried a GFX50R with a few different lenses, including the GF 4/23, before investing in the Z system. The advantage of the larger sensor is obvious at high ISO, but at base ISO for landscape photography the difference is surprisingly small. I decided the GFX was not worth the extra cost, bulk and weight - not to mention the extra hassle of focus stacking for DoF. The Z 1.8/20 is tack sharp even in the extreme full frame corners with moderate stopping down, just as good as the GF 4/23 (always assuming, of course, you don't get a poor copy with lens skew, etc).

[@dionysusrex9183]

How was the comparison for coma between the 14-30 and the 20mm lense? Using a tracker might dull my need to buy the 20mm.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

The 14-30mm has practically no coma - not a massive surprise because it’s f/4 (recall the high sharpness it had in the corners at that aperture). I actually use it as my main astrophotography lens, in combination with image stacking to reduce noise.

[@dionysusrex9183]

Photography Life excellent thank you! I did surmise that.

[@kristiankaraneshev7528]

Tracker and stacking tracked shots at f4 is ok, but the same method and 1.8 is way better.

[@JazzLowrider]

Maybe I missed it, which camera did you perform the test, and was both lenses tested on the same camera forgive me if i didn't see or hear that in your description

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Yes, both tested on the same Nikon Z7.

[@JazzLowrider]

@@PhotographyLifeChannelThanks 😊

[@DanielMatveev]

Super review, thank you! Is it common for all z lenses to be better than their f counterparts? I'm beginning to regret that I didn't take the kit lens 24-70mm, and use old lenses.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Glad you like it! So far, every Z lens we’ve tested has outperformed its F-Mount counterpart overall, though - as with sunstar effects on these two lenses - the F lenses sometimes win out in some specific respects.

[@richarddutchholland4780]

Daniel Matveev I had it with the kit 24-70f4 and it’s amazing. There’s a couple of videos on KZbin that compare the 2.8 vs 4 and there’s virtually nothing between them except price.

[@frankluo230]

Enjoyed your review, thank you! I feel there is some mists around G lens not performing on Z7 as well as it would on D850 with liveview. Don't know why, shouldn't in theory. 20mm G and 14-24 both have this phenomenon, maybe inbody correction was set differently by Nikon purposely?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

From what I’ve heard, the Z cameras prioritize autofocus speed when adapting lenses, akin to using the viewfinder rather than live view on a DSLR. For that reason, autofocus accuracy isn’t as high (again like a DSLR’s phase detect) and AF fine-tune may be necessary. Interestingly, I’ve found that magnifying live view and *then* autofocusing leads to more accurate results (and isn’t as fast).

[@robertpizzo5681]

im stuck on either this lens for the 14-30. Im new at photography and mostly do landscape but may want to try my hand at astro as well. Would this lens be the best of both worlds?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

I’d say to get the 14-30mm unless astro is a bigger goal for you. You can still do Milky Way photography with the 14-30mm, but you’ll either need to deal with more noise or find a star stacking program that lets you align and average your astro photos together. For more general landscape work, the 14-30mm is far more flexible because of its zoom range, and it sounds like that’s more important in your situation. But they’re both excellent lenses, and you can’t go wrong with either!

[@robertpizzo5681]

@@PhotographyLifeChannel appreciate it! Love the video!!!

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

@@robertpizzo5681 Happy to hear it, thanks!

[@tobioderso]

Did you use the Z7 to shoot these photos?

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

Yes I did!

[@Pharesm]

My favorite two lenses are a 14mm F1.8 and a 20mm F1.8 I never buy zooms unless its a a cine lens...

[@alwinbenjamin]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@Lovepreet_Singh93]

20mm f/1.8or 24mm f/1.8 ?? Really confused.

[@PhotographyLifeChannel]

I would get the 20mm f/1.8 if you’re on the fence. Since most people already have a zoom that goes to 24mm anyway.

[@stevenrobinsonpictures]

Ps what you are calling coma is astigmatism not coma. Chromatic abberation, chromatic abberation and astigmatism. Coma is not the seagull stars...