NikonNIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S Mirrorless Camera Lens JMA104DA

Value for money

I thought I would post a review of this lens as it's still fairly rare in the wild. First off the bat, I will say I had to try a few copies before I found a good sample. This has not been the case with other 'S' series lenses I have bought for the Z system. Perhaps I was just unlucky but it's something to keep in mind if your copy disappoints, because a good sample of this lens can really only be described as stunning. Here's what I am seeing on my Z7. Very pleasing sharpness wide open across perhaps 90% of the frame against beautifully rendered background blur with some of the smoothest transitions I've ever seen in a lens this wide. Combine this with the wide angle of view and very close focus capability, and you have the perfect lens for setting small details, such as flowers, in the wider landscape. Tack sharpness right into the extreme corners with moderate stopping down. No noticeable field curvature or focus shift; stop it down and depth of field expands in a predictable and consistent manner, just as you want it to. A total absence of fringing and (probably as a consequence of this) a wonderful sense of clarity and depth. Very well controlled distortion giving a very natural perspective without the unpleasant ' corner stretching' that often affects wide angle zooms (even very expensive ones). No, it isn't a small lens for a 1.8/20mm but, on the plus side, it's relatively light and will take standard threaded filters without vignetting. Perhaps the biggest competitor for this lens is Nikon's excellent 4/14-30 S. While the focal length versatility of the zoom counts for a lot, the 1.8/20 S will appeal to those who take a more considered and deliberate approach to focal length selection and want the ultimate image quality and the creative possibilities of that wide aperture and close focus capability. If you're one of them, you won't be disappointed. This is a world class wide angle prime, one of the very best I've ever owned. Highly recommended.

The rear lens cap as a tendency to jam on and is difficult to remove

I picked this up for interior wides when I switched to Nikon from Sony. I had been using the Zeiss Batis 18mm on Sony, with good results in interiors, pretty controlled distortion, unless the room was really just too small.I expected the Nikon to perform better, as it was not quite as wide, but I found it distorts most average size rooms, and is only suitable for larger / venue or commercial spaces. I sold it on and now just use the 24-70 for any wides (which doesn't distort much).I'm sure it's fine for landscapes, lightweight, but not compact.

ich habe eine Weitwinkellinse für Nikon Z (ohne den Adapter nutzen zu müssen) gesucht.Die Auswahl war naturgemäß auf das Nikon Z 14-30 F4 und das Nikon Z 20 1.8 eingeschränkt ;-)Schlussendlich wurde es, wegen der Blende 1.8, das Z20 und bin sehr froh darüber. Ich bin der Meinung dass das 15-30 auch eine extrem gute Linse ist aber ich liebe es mit Offenblende zu fotografieren. Der Bild Look des Z 20 erinnert mich stark an die Sigma ART Reihe (z.B.: 35 1.4) welche mir schon sehr gefallen hat.Wer rein auf Landschaft aus ist wird mit dem 15-30er flexibler sein. Wer auch mal Menschen drauf hat kann mit dem 20er ganz besondere Aufnahmen zaubern. Sollte sich das 20 1.8er doch mal in die Wildnis verirren macht es auch eine sehr gute Figur.lgMichaelP.s.: Beide sind von der Abbildungsqualität meilenweit über das 16-35 4.0 von Nikon zu stellen!

This lens delivers some really nice images. The bokeh and colors are excellent and it's very sharp even wide open.

星空撮影が趣味なのですが、今までのレンズでは画角が足りずあれこれ迷った末このレンズを買い足しました。結果から言えば大満足です！20㎜の画角は欲を言えばもう少し広くてもいいかもしれませんが、f1.8の明るさは何物にも代えがたく、今まで以上に星を描き出してくれます。また解放でも画面の隅々まで流れることなく解像してくれ、PCで写真を見たときはため息が出るほどです。また美しいボケをするので星空だけでなく物撮りのレンズとしても優秀なのでこれ1本でもいろいろな用途に使っていけそうです。（写真は赤道儀、ソフトフィルター使用）

Wer eine Z6 / Z7 hat, kommt, auch wenn FX-Objektive mittels Adapter angeschlossen werden können, um Z-Objektive nicht herum. Die Z-Objektive sind, da macht das 20mm keine Ausnahme, durchgehend spitzenmäßig gut. Obwohl ich schon das 24mm besitze, habe ich mir noch das 20mm gekauft, weil es noch etwas besser auflöst als das 24mm. Lediglich bei Offenblende gibt es an den Rändern leichte Unschärfen. Doch schon ab Blende 5,6 ist alles scharf. Entweder benutze ich das Weitwinkel für Landschaftsbilder mit Blende 11 bzw. höher oder ich fokussiere bei Offenblende in der Mitte, dann sind die Ränder sowieso unscharf. Verzeichnungen kennt das 20mm nicht. Mit dem RAW Konverter von Nikon werden die wenigen Objektivfehler restlos beseitigt.

I bought this mainly for astro and occasional landscape use when I need something wider than my 24-120 f4. It's probably the best all round option for astro in Nikon land if you just like taking single images and don't own a star tracker. It's sharp at f1.8 and improves a bit in the corners (less coma) as you stop down to f2.2 & beyond. It is well corrected but you will still get distortion at the edges but that won't be an issue if you keep any foreground subjects fairly central. I do notice some CA (purple fringing) around stars but this is easily fixed in post. The focus ring is very smooth and the front filter thread is a common size (77mm) which is great if you already own 77mm filters like I do. One very nice feature with the Z lenses is they automatically focus at infinity when you turn the camera on and so you don't need to worry about manually focusing on the stars as was the case with DSLR's. Being f1.8 also allows more light in so you can shoot at lower ISO values (having said that I have been very happy with results at ISO 12800 on the Z7ii). For astro shooting at this focal length, 10 second exposures are optimal for eliminating trails, though even 13-15 second exposures look fine at normal viewing sizes.