I just started doing some astro work on a modified D750 and while many sing the praises of this lens based on it’s performance, I simply don’t understand why Nikon made it’s focus throw so short compared to the 20/2.8 AFD. The slightest nudge on the focus ring will cause a perceptible blur when work in the dark thus I will need to use gaffer tape to keep focus set correctly.
himadri ganguly
June 5, 2018 1:35 am
thanks for detailed review, i’m leaving for india in a couple of days, i am carrying nikon d810 with 20mm, 50mm both f1.8 with polarisers , tokina 100mm f2.8 macro, and 70-300, f4-5.6 vc along with sb800, thinking on 24-85 f3.5-4.5 vr, what do you suggest? in india i have 35-70 f2.8d in case i need, your guidance needed asap, leaving on 8th june planning on doing street, environmental, indoor without flash , macro of flora in lower himalays, some distant landscapes of peaks,, have sony rx1 too
Hartmut De Wet
May 16, 2018 5:49 am
Hi Wanda, From your choice, the best lens (most light gathering ability) should be the Sigma 20mm f/1.4, but it is slightly above your budget, much heavier and bulky compared to the Nikon 20mm f/1.8 and Rokinon 14mm f/2.4, and three times more expensive than the Rokinon. The Nikon 20mm f/1.8 will be just about within your budget, has lots of excellent reviews and examples of astrophotography, has slightly more coma in the corners, but is small and lightweight, and can be used for many other purposes (e.g. your D750 can be switched to 1.2X or 1.5X crop sensor, allowing this autofocus lens also to be a “24mm” or a “30mm” lens). The Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 is much cheaper, is also small and lightweight, has much wider angle of view (35 seconds maximum exposure time), has easier manual focusing abilities, but much less aperture for light gathering, and does not have autofocus (not ideal for other applications of fast photography). I personally purchased the Nikon, because I preferred a smaller and lighter lens for traveling, the quality of pictures are about the same as the other lenses, but this lens is also more versatile for other purposes and types of photography. The 28mm f/1.8 lens will not be a good choice for astrophotography (15 seconds maximum exposure time = least amount of light gathering).
i’m leaving for india in a couple of days, i am carrying nikon d810 with 20mm, 50mm both f1.8 with polarisers , tokina 100mm f2.8 macro, and 70-300, f4-5.6 vc along with sb800, thinking on 24-85 f3.5-4.5 vr, what do you suggest? in india i have 35-70 f2.8d in case i need, your guidance needed asap, leaving on 8th june planning on doing street, environmental, indoor without flash , macro of flora in lower himalays, some distant landscapes of peaks,, have sony rx1 too
Farirruddin Rastam
May 14, 2018 9:52 pm
I owned a D700 and owned both 35mm 1.8G FX and 28mm 1.8G FX and looking to sell the 28mm because I’m more of a 35mm shooter. What do you recommend, 24 1.8G or 20 1.8G? I’m just a hobbyist, taking travel photos and family events, weddings etc. I’m not a wildlife, sports or studio photographer.
salttram
May 10, 2018 5:43 pm
The only thing that may outshine the lens is the review! So much information, presented so well, directed to a very sharp conclusion. For anyone even remotely considering the 20mm 1.8G, the fire has been lit!
Wanda
February 22, 2018 9:27 am
Hi. Great review! I am looking for some advice. I have a Nikon D750. I bought it for my pursuit of astrophotography. I purchased it with a kit lens (AF-S 24-120 f/4 G ED VR), which isn’t ideal for night, obviously. I want to buy a good wide angle prime in the $1000 (Canadian) range. This lens seems to check all of the boxes for shooting in low light, Milky Way, northern lights, etc. I have been looking at: AF FX Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G, Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, newer Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 SP and (this lens) the AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 G ED. The AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 G ED is what I am leaning toward, which is what led me to this review. I have read in other reviews though that it can be difficult to achieve sharp focus at night and that it’s tricky ‘not’ to knock it out of focus. Have you done some more sampling at night? I prefer to stick with a Nikkor lens, but wonder if a different wide prime would be a better option (in keeping with my budget of $1000 Cdn)? Help? I won’t be in a position to purchase another lens for a while, so I want to make the right decision and make this investment count.
Václav Bacovský
February 5, 2018 3:26 pm
I love this lens! I never really saw the imatests before, now I know why it is such a beast at f/2.8.
ILYA SMIRNOV
December 19, 2017 12:15 pm
Насим спасибо за обзор и весь контент (особенно за фото плова от которого слюна потекла). У вас чудесный и грамотный английский который приятно читать. Мы недавно переехали в Colorado Springs. Я начитавшись ваших статей и насмотревшись на ваши фото продал Canon и купил Nikon D750. Пока в восторге. Купил 50mm 1.4 и Tamron 15-30. Сечас в раздумьях после вашей статьи про Nikon 20ММ. Думаю может 15-30 отправить назад 15-30 и взять 20мм. Очень звучит все прекрасно. Что вы посоветуете. Нужно для фотографтрования природы и людей на природе.
Спасибо еше раз за столь познавательный сайт.
An1h6ny
May 25, 2017 10:41 am
Hello Nasim,
Congrats for your very helpful website and thank you too for your nice reviews. I would like to ask you a question. I’m looking for a wide angle to start in night sky landscape photography and i hesitate between AF-S 20mm F1.8 and AF-S 24mm F1.8 (my DSLR body is a D750). According to you, which of both would be the best choice? Thank you in advance. Best regards from France!
What did you end up going with? I too have a d750 and am considering a wide angle prime for astrophotography. I would love some advice before buying. I commented on this post too.
Patrick V
October 18, 2016 3:59 am
Thank you for this informative article. Maybe you could help me out a little bit?
In fact, I bought the 20mm f1.8 as a future investment 2 years ago and up until now used in on a DX body.
Since I plan switching to full-frame very soon, I wonder which lens might be better suited for me: The 24-70mm or the 14-24mm. I will definitely get the 50mm f1.4 plus I already own the 70-200mm f4. I often find myself in small Japanese gardens and interiors, but I also do lots of landscape (especially in the mountains, at lakes, etc.). Since both are quite expensive lenses, I wonder what makes more sense. The extra-wide angle of the 14mm I find myself missing quite a few times with my current (DX 16-85mm, being roughly 24-105mm) standard lens or the more “standard” 24-70mm.
I just started doing some astro work on a modified D750 and while many sing the praises of this lens based on it’s performance, I simply don’t understand why Nikon made it’s focus throw so short compared to the 20/2.8 AFD. The slightest nudge on the focus ring will cause a perceptible blur when work in the dark thus I will need to use gaffer tape to keep focus set correctly.
thanks for detailed review, i’m leaving for india in a couple of days, i am carrying nikon d810 with 20mm, 50mm both f1.8 with polarisers , tokina 100mm f2.8 macro, and 70-300, f4-5.6 vc along with sb800, thinking on 24-85 f3.5-4.5 vr, what do you suggest? in india i have 35-70 f2.8d in case i need, your guidance needed asap, leaving on 8th june
planning on doing street, environmental, indoor without flash , macro of flora in lower himalays, some distant landscapes of peaks,, have sony rx1 too
Hi Wanda,
From your choice, the best lens (most light gathering ability) should be the Sigma 20mm f/1.4, but it is slightly above your budget, much heavier and bulky compared to the Nikon 20mm f/1.8 and Rokinon 14mm f/2.4, and three times more expensive than the Rokinon. The Nikon 20mm f/1.8 will be just about within your budget, has lots of excellent reviews and examples of astrophotography, has slightly more coma in the corners, but is small and lightweight, and can be used for many other purposes (e.g. your D750 can be switched to 1.2X or 1.5X crop sensor, allowing this autofocus lens also to be a “24mm” or a “30mm” lens). The Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 is much cheaper, is also small and lightweight, has much wider angle of view (35 seconds maximum exposure time), has easier manual focusing abilities, but much less aperture for light gathering, and does not have autofocus (not ideal for other applications of fast photography). I personally purchased the Nikon, because I preferred a smaller and lighter lens for traveling, the quality of pictures are about the same as the other lenses, but this lens is also more versatile for other purposes and types of photography. The 28mm f/1.8 lens will not be a good choice for astrophotography (15 seconds maximum exposure time = least amount of light gathering).
i’m leaving for india in a couple of days, i am carrying nikon d810 with 20mm, 50mm both f1.8 with polarisers , tokina 100mm f2.8 macro, and 70-300, f4-5.6 vc along with sb800, thinking on 24-85 f3.5-4.5 vr, what do you suggest? in india i have 35-70 f2.8d in case i need, your guidance needed asap, leaving on 8th june
planning on doing street, environmental, indoor without flash , macro of flora in lower himalays, some distant landscapes of peaks,, have sony rx1 too
I owned a D700 and owned both 35mm 1.8G FX and 28mm 1.8G FX and looking to sell the 28mm because I’m more of a 35mm shooter. What do you recommend, 24 1.8G or 20 1.8G? I’m just a hobbyist, taking travel photos and family events, weddings etc. I’m not a wildlife, sports or studio photographer.
The only thing that may outshine the lens is the review! So much information, presented so well, directed to a very sharp conclusion. For anyone even remotely considering the 20mm 1.8G, the fire has been lit!
Hi. Great review! I am looking for some advice. I have a Nikon D750. I bought it for my pursuit of astrophotography. I purchased it with a kit lens (AF-S 24-120 f/4 G ED VR), which isn’t ideal for night, obviously. I want to buy a good wide angle prime in the $1000 (Canadian) range. This lens seems to check all of the boxes for shooting in low light, Milky Way, northern lights, etc. I have been looking at: AF FX Nikkor 28mm f/1.8G, Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, newer Rokinon 14mm f/2.4 SP and (this lens) the AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 G ED. The AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 G ED is what I am leaning toward, which is what led me to this review. I have read in other reviews though that it can be difficult to achieve sharp focus at night and that it’s tricky ‘not’ to knock it out of focus. Have you done some more sampling at night? I prefer to stick with a Nikkor lens, but wonder if a different wide prime would be a better option (in keeping with my budget of $1000 Cdn)? Help? I won’t be in a position to purchase another lens for a while, so I want to make the right decision and make this investment count.
I love this lens! I never really saw the imatests before, now I know why it is such a beast at f/2.8.
Насим спасибо за обзор и весь контент (особенно за фото плова от которого слюна потекла). У вас чудесный и грамотный английский который приятно читать. Мы недавно переехали в Colorado Springs. Я начитавшись ваших статей и насмотревшись на ваши фото продал Canon и купил Nikon D750. Пока в восторге. Купил 50mm 1.4 и Tamron 15-30. Сечас в раздумьях после вашей статьи про Nikon 20ММ. Думаю может 15-30 отправить назад 15-30 и взять 20мм. Очень звучит все прекрасно. Что вы посоветуете. Нужно для фотографтрования природы и людей на природе.
Спасибо еше раз за столь познавательный сайт.
Hello Nasim,
Congrats for your very helpful website and thank you too for your nice reviews. I would like to ask you a question. I’m looking for a wide angle to start in night sky landscape photography and i hesitate between AF-S 20mm F1.8 and AF-S 24mm F1.8 (my DSLR body is a D750). According to you, which of both would be the best choice? Thank you in advance. Best regards from France!
What did you end up going with? I too have a d750 and am considering a wide angle prime for astrophotography. I would love some advice before buying. I commented on this post too.
Thank you for this informative article. Maybe you could help me out a little bit?
In fact, I bought the 20mm f1.8 as a future investment 2 years ago and up until now used in on a DX body.
Since I plan switching to full-frame very soon, I wonder which lens might be better suited for me: The 24-70mm or the 14-24mm. I will definitely get the 50mm f1.4 plus I already own the 70-200mm f4.
I often find myself in small Japanese gardens and interiors, but I also do lots of landscape (especially in the mountains, at lakes, etc.). Since both are quite expensive lenses, I wonder what makes more sense. The extra-wide angle of the 14mm I find myself missing quite a few times with my current (DX 16-85mm, being roughly 24-105mm) standard lens or the more “standard” 24-70mm.
Did the 20mm 1.8 work ok on your DX body? Just curious as that’s my short term plan.
Regards, Oliver