Digital SLRs Associated blog

Features

• Compact ultra-wide-angle lens construction
• Superb optical design for architecture, wedding, and landscape photography
• 94-degree (70-degree with Nikon DX format) picture coverage with edge-to-edge sharpness
• Close Range Correction for distortion-free pictures as close as 0.85 feet
• Nikon Super Integrated Coating for minimized flare and ghost, providing good color balance

Accessories

• Lowepro Lens Case 1S (Black)
• MADE Products CA-1110-SMK Lens Armor (Smoke)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description:
20mm D-Series Wideangle lens for Nikon cameras

Customer Reviews

Very Good 20mm lens from Nikon by John Kwok
This is an excellent lens for landscape photography, other travel photography, and perhaps even interior photography, if you need to cover a wide area. This 20mm Nikkor is a relatively old design, dating at least twenty-odd years, but it is still a capable performance with fine contrast and resolution. Without question, it is a fine lens for both digital and film photography. If I was still using Nikon equipment, I wouldn’t hesitate adding this lens to my kit.

Competent performer by J. Bert
The Nikon AF20mm f2.8 was designed as a “pro” wideangle lens back in the days when 20mm in autofocus was as wide as you could get. Originally introduced in 1989 it was the AF equivalent of the manual focus design of 1984 and uses the same optical formula as the MF. The subsequent addition of the D chip has changed nothing else. In it’s day an AF 20mm was pretty radical and it was only superceeded in 1993 by wider primes as the pros sought wider and wider views. For most amateurs however 20mm on film will get you into the “superwide” range without breaking the bank. For digital shooters, dealing with the 1.5 magnification factor in Nikon D-SLRs, it becomes effectively 30mm, which is still wide enough for most situations.

Optically it delivers typical Nikon high color saturation and contrast, with distortions well controlled for it’s focal length. While it is reasonably free from flare I strongly recommend the optional HB-4 lenshood designed for it and polarizing will be dificult for film shooters due to vignetting caused by the thick polarizing filter mounts of a “standard” polarizer. Digital shooters should not have this problem because the camera’s sensor is only using the central portion of the projected circle - inside the area of vignetting.

Mechanically it is all metal and well constructed with an nice “solid” feel to it for an AF lens but those of us who still miss the old manual focus “tanks” will find the undamped focusing ring a little too “loose” when manually focused. As part of a planned outfit, it can form the wide angle anchor for a travel kit standardized on 62mm filters. Add Nikon’s 28-105AF 3.5-4.5 and 70-210AF 4.5-5.6 and you have a lightweight kit for either film or digital SLR’s

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