Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D review

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Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D

In short

The Nikon 20 / 2.8D is an old comradely comrade for wide angle reach. For 35mm cameras, 20mm focal length is the borderline between ultra-wide and wide-angle optics. Overall, the lens is good. It is compact, not heavy, with good / good image quality. The lens is well suited for landscape and architecture photography, as well as for creative perspective play, and any situation where a wide angle of view is required. Unfortunately, for our time Nikon 20 / 2.8D is a bit outdated (already Nikon 20 / 1.8 и Sigma 20 / 1.4stepping far forward).

On the wonderful YouTube channel NHCC (Nikon Help Hotline Center), which is currently unavailable, the Nikon 20mm f / 2.8D AF was called 'One of the Mighty Wide Angle Lenses' - 'One of the Mighty Wide Angle Lenses'. IMHO, NHHC - were among the most sensible quality reviewers on YouTube.

Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D on a film SLR camera

History

The first 'twenty' was shown back in 1967 and was called Nippon Kogaku Japan NIKKOR-UD Auto 1: 3.5 f = 20mm. October 1984 is published Nikon Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8 AI-Swhich in February 1989 turns into autofocus Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8.

Please note that there are two versions of the Nikon AF 20 / 2.8 lens:

• Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8 (MKI) Feb 1989 - Apr 1994
• Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D (MKII), April 1994 - present. The version is shown in this overview.

There are not so many ultra-wide-angle autofocus lenses Nikon FX:

Nikkor F for SLR cameras:

1. Nikon 14 mm 1: 2.8D AF
2. Nikon 16 mm 1: 2.8D Fisheye AF
3. Nikon 18 mm 1: 2.8D AF
4. Nikon 20 mm 1:2.8 AF
5. Nikon 20 mm 1: 2.8D AF
6. Nikon 20 mm 1: 1.8G N AF S
7. Nikon 8-15 mm 1: 3.5-4.5E Fisheye AF S
8. Nikon 14-24 mm 1: 2.8G N AF S
9. Nikon 16-35 mm 1: 4G VR N AF S
10. Nikon 17-35 mm 1: 2.8D AF S
11. Nikon 18-35 mm 1: 3.5-4.5D AF
12. Nikon 18-35 mm 1: 3.5-4.5G AF S
13. Nikon 20-35 mm 1: 2.8D AF

Nikkor Z for mirrorless cameras:

1. Nikon 20 mm 1:1.8 S
2. Nikon 14-24 1:2.8 S
3. Nikon 14-30 mm 1:4 S
4. Nikon 17-28 mm 1:2.8

Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D on a film SLR camera

Main technical characteristics of Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D:

I want to note that optical design in 20 mm lenses has not changed for 30 years. Since version Nikon Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8 (AI-S) and before the Nikon AF version, the Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D (MKII) uses the same optical design introduced in 1984. Only in 2014 the lens comes out Nikon N AF-S Nikkor 20mm 1: 1.8G ED which finally fundamentally changed the optical design.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D

Assembly

The lens is compact and pleasant to the touch. Nikon 20 / 2.8D - the lightest Nikkor autofocus super-wide ever. The outer part of the case is made of strong plastic (most likely it is polycarbonate) with a metal bayonet mount. It is well assembled, I did not notice any negative features in the build quality. It’s only a pity that the hood is not included in the package and must be purchased separately.

The Nikon 20 / 2.8D has the same design as many older Nikon Nikkor 'screwdriver' lenses.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D is included in the list of professional Nikon NPS equipment, while it is neither dust nor waterproof.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D

Focusing

Nikon 20 / 2.8D focuses very fast. While working on cameras Nikon D90, D70, Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro I had no complaints about the accuracy, tenacity and speed of auto focus. There are no problems in the Live View mode.

During focusing, the front lens moves back and forth, but does not rotate. During focusing, the frame of the body (the trunk of the lens, together with the front lens) extends about half a centimeter. The rear lens, while focusing, also moves back and forth.

The focus ring rotates 135 degrees. Manual focus is very smooth, pleasant, without any friction or backlash.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D has focus distance window in meters and feet. There are also depth of field scale for F / 11 and F / 5.6. Near the focus distance window, you can also find a small white dot, which is responsible for accurate focusing during photography in the infrared spectrum.

The minimum focusing distance is 0.25 meters, and the maximum magnification ratio is 1: 8.3 (weak). The lens uses an exclusive system Nikon CRC (Close Range Correction - image correction at small focusing distances), which allows you to maintain good image quality at any focusing distance. Nikon CRC It works on the principle of floating elements - during focusing, not only the entire lens unit moves, but individual optical elements move relative to each other ..

Feature 1: Nikon 20 / 2.8D does not have a focus mode switch. To translate the lens into manual focus on cameras with motor For focusing, use the focus mode switching lever located near the camera mount. For cameras without motor Only manual focus mode will always be available for focusing.

Feature 2: there is the effect of 'Focus Breathing' (changes in viewing angle during focusing)

Feature 3: during focusing, the lens and camera are quite noisy

Feature 4: During focusing, the focus ring rotates and must not be touched

Feature 5: the lens has a manual aperture ring. To be able to control the value aperture from camera or for automatic installation aperture on modern central control valves, you need to turn the control ring to F / 22 and fix it with a special switch, which is located to the right of the marks aperture. The F / 22 value and the latch mark are highlighted in orange to align them. If this is not done, then on a number of cameras, the display will display an error - 'fEE' (ring is not installed aperture) Some cameras having diaphragm rheostatallow you to control the aperture using the ring aperturebut only in metering modes exposure 'M' and 'A'. You can read more about this issue in the section on Non-G Lenses. Ring aperture rotates with clicks, the values ​​F / 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22 (full stops) are plotted on it; set an intermediate value between pairs of numbers using the ring aperture impossible. Intermediate values ​​can only be set using the camera menu.

Feature 6: Nikon 20 / 2.8D has hard stop (hard infinity mechanical stop) which allows you to accurately and quickly focus the lens at infinity under any external conditions.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D

Image quality and sample photos

In the center of the frame, the lens is sharp at f / 2.8. At F / 4-F / 11, the center of the frame is very sharp. Unfortunately, on full-frame cameras, the corners and edges of the image at F / 2.8 are much worse. Even on a DX camera, the edges of the frame sag noticeably. Covering the aperture noticeably improves sharpness around the edges and corners.

The lens tolerates backlight work well. The amount of glare and flare is minimal. The lens has a nice contrast. From bright sources of light, you can get the effect of a 14-ray star, which is most pronounced at F / 5.6

At F / 2.8 on full-format cameras, the lens suffers from strong vignetting. Vignetting is greatly increased when using filters. The vignette completely disappears only at F / 8. On Nikon DX cameras, vignetting disappears at F / 4. Also tangible chromatic aberration, especially closer to the edge of the image.

Distortion is not very strong, but has a complex character (more barrel-shaped). A fixed lens should have a much lower level of distortion.

NHHC note a slight staining of the image in green and a slight shift in cold tones. During real shooting, such a deviation is difficult to notice, the settings of a digital camera sometimes introduce more color distortions than the lens itself.

In general, the image quality is excellent for 1989, but rather weak for 2016.

Better image quality is achieved at F / 5.6-F / 8.0 apertures (valid for FX and DX cameras). Photos in the gallery are shown without processing. Source photos can download from this link.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D

My experience

This is a really good lens. Many people use it on Nikon DX cameras, on which it gives a fairly wide angle of view (EGF equals 30 mm). Unfortunately, for Nikon DX cameras there are no fast fixes that would give an ultra-wide viewing angle. To receive EGF 20 mm on Nikon DX cameras, you need to use lenses with a 13 mm focal length (13 * 1,5 \u20d XNUMX). Owners of Nikon DX cameras have to use zoom lenses to achieve a wide angle Nikon 12-24mm f / 4G, Nikon DX VR AF-P Nikkor 10-20mm 1: 4.5-5.6G or Nikon 10-24mm f / 3.5-4.5G. But, unfortunately, only third-party lenses can allow the use of F / 2.8 (we are talking about Tokina 116DX, Tokina 116DXII и AT-X 11-20 F2.8 PRO DX).

Nikon 20 / 2.8D, in comparison with full-format super wide-angle lenses, very much wins in size, weight and price.

I really liked the Nikon 20 / 2.8D. He is better than Nikon AF NIKKOR 20-35mm 1: 2.8D 20 mm, but worse Nikon 17-35 / 2.8D.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D

Prices

Real prices for Nikon 20 / 2.8D lens can see here, or in the price block below:

Original alternatives

There are not so many super-wide ones, they include:

Nikkor F for SLR cameras:

1. Nikon 14 mm 1: 2.8D AF
2. Nikon 16 mm 1: 2.8D Fisheye AF
3. Nikon 18 mm 1: 2.8D AF
4. Nikon 20 mm 1:2.8 AF
5. Nikon 20 mm 1: 2.8D AF
6. Nikon 20 mm 1: 1.8G N AF S
7. Nikon 8-15 mm 1: 3.5-4.5E Fisheye AF S
8. Nikon 14-24 mm 1: 2.8G N AF S
9. Nikon 16-35 mm 1: 4G VR N AF S
10. Nikon 17-35 mm 1: 2.8D AF S
11. Nikon 18-35 mm 1: 3.5-4.5D AF
12. Nikon 18-35 mm 1: 3.5-4.5G AF S
13. Nikon 20-35 mm 1: 2.8D AF

Nikkor Z for mirrorless cameras:

1. Nikon 20 mm 1:1.8 S
2. Nikon 14-24 1:2.8 S
3. Nikon 14-30 mm 1:4 S
4. Nikon 17-28 mm 1:2.8

In fact, only the Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8 (MKI, NON-D) can be a little cheaper than the Nikon 20 / 2.8D.

Nikon 20 / 2.8D and Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm 1: 1.8, MKII version, NJ (NIKON JAPAN)

Results

Nikon AF Nikkor 20mm 1: 2.8D is a sturdy baby. A relatively inexpensive option for full-frame ultra-wide. Excellent sharpness in the center of the frame, good resistance to highlights, but strong vignetting and chromatic aberration. There is nothing lighter and more compact from the native super-wide.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram