When I originally purchased this lens I was using a DX camera body and was looking for something sharp, fast, and wide to replace my old kit zoom lens. While it was a competent performer, it didn't really set my world on fire. On a DX body it's just not wide enough to create wide-angle distorted close up photos where the wide aperture would come in handy. When shooting landscapes the wide aperture didn't present much use and even though it was very sharp, I didn't notice much difference from my kit lens as I was typically stopping down enough that both lenses produced sharp photos.
All this changed when I upgraded to a FX camera. With the full-frame sensor this lens comes alive producing amazingly wide-angled views with sharpness all the way to the corners. This is now my go-to lens for landscapes, architecture, panoramas, astrophotography, and abstract street photography. I really can't stress enough how great this lens is. I'm sure a lot of people looking at this lens are debating between this and the renowned 14-24 f/2.8 Nikkor. While that lens is undoubtedly better in most ways, I wouldn't discount getting the 20mm Nikkor if it's wide enough for your needs (which for most people I would say it is), especially at a third of the price. If you're a DX shooter and plan on staying that way, I would recommend getting one of Nikon's wider zooms (i.e. 12-24mm) instead as this probably won't be wide enough for your needs.
A big warning for FX shooters, you can pretty much forget about using a filter with this lens as even the thinnest filters will produce visible vignetting in almost any situation.
In summary here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
Amazingly sharp
Fast autofocus
Fast aperture
Very reasonable price for wide angle lens
Very wide angle on FX cameras
Built like a tank
Cons:
Not wide enough on DX camera
Can't use filters when shooting with FX camera
Won't autofocus on entry-level DSLRs (i.e. D3000, D5000, D40, D60, etc.)
This thread hopes to address the question, "If you could only take three lenses on your photo expedition, which lenses would you take?" Your mileage will definitely vary, but here's my take on it:
If I had to choose just three lenses, I would take one from each category:
1. A super-wide.
2. A super-fast "normal" lens.
3. A super-telephoto.
My personal selections are the following:
1. Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D AF (discontinued: $700-$1,300, used)
2. Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D AF-S G $439 (import)
3. Nikkor 300mm f/4.0D AF-S ED-IF $1,369 (import)
Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 lens on a DX-format Nikon D70.
For those less-inclined to go with all-fixed lenses, here's a more-affordable choice which keeps two, short fixed lenses (which I highly recommend):
1. Nikkor 20mm f/2.8D AF $539 (import)
2. Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D AF-S G $439 (import)
3. Then, for your long lens, you could select from a number of affordable (and one, not so affordable) Nikkor zooms:
A. Nikkor 70mm-300mm f/4.0-f/5.6G $135
B. Nikkor 70mm-300mm f/4.5-f/5.6D AF-S VR version $539 (import)
C. Nikkor 55mm-200mm f/4-f/5.6G ED AF-S $155 (import)
D. Nikkor 80mm-400mm f/4.5-f/5.6D AF VR ED $1,499.95 (import)
E. Nikkor 200mm-400mm f/4.0G AF-S ED IF VR $5,899 (import)--top pick!
Sure, the slower zooms won't win any speed contests or be able to produce shallow depth-of-field effects at their short- and mid-lengths, but at their long ends, they should look pretty good (see sample shot below of Nikkor 70mm-300mm f/4.0-f/5.6, zoomed to 300mm, irised at f/5.6).
Notice that in the first list (my personal selections), these are all fixed-focal length lenses--no zoom lenses. After owning a pile of zooms over the years (including the much-favored, Nikkor 70mm-200mm f/2.8, which I still own), I've finally realized that I'm always either on the shortest end of my short zoom, or on the longest end of my long zoom. So, I think I'm done with zooms. Now, I want to spend the money on speed and focal length alone.
The
rather spartan lens choice above represents what I use (and will use)
the most. For general editorial shots, I plan to use my newly acquired,
Nikkor 18mm f/2.8 almost exclusively. For people shots, I'll use my new
'S' version, 50mm f/1.4 AF-S. Lastly, my long lens selection . . . a
fixed-focal length, Nikkor 300mm f/4.0 AF-S. It's long, pretty fast,
sort of affordable, and has a Nikon 'S' internal-focus motor (but no
vibration-reduction). Conversely, the Nikkor 80mm-400 f/4.5-f/5.6, my
second-in-line, long-lens candidate, does have vibration-reduction, but
no S-motor. I'm actually still on the fence between the two: the fast,
300mm f/4.0; or the 400mm f/5.6 zoom. What to choose--speed or length?
Tough call.
[A note about "import" lenses. These are so-called "gray-market" lenses. The only difference between an import and a USA lens, is that Nikon doesn't warrant these in the US. They're exactly the same lens. I own mostly import lenses and have never had to send a single Nikon lens in for service. Caveat emptor, but in my experience, imports have been fine.]
1. The (almost) Super-Wide.
Nikon D70; Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 AF; w/Nikon polarizer.
ISO: 200; exposure: f/4.0 @ 1/1,000th; lighting: daylight.
Digital manipulation: none.
Personal Super-Wide Top Pick: The Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D AF wide-angle [27mm equivalent; $700-$1,200 used]:
Sorry, no sample shots with the Nikkor 18mm f/2.8 yet! Although I also own a true super-wide, the Nikkor 14mm f/2.8 (photo below), but, it's just too darned big and heavy to want to bring anywhere. I typically have had the much lighter, far more compact, Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 on my body, 99% of the time (soon to be replaced with the Nikkor 18mm f/2.8). Not just for landscapes, both, the 18mm, and 20mm lenses are great for just about any subject you can get close enough to. They're great travelogue lenses--you see both the people, and their environment. Get close enough to an action sport, and you have an exaggerated-perspective shot that's full of dynamic form and scale.
[A note about "import" lenses. These are so-called "gray-market" lenses. The only difference between an import and a USA lens, is that Nikon doesn't warrant these in the US. They're exactly the same lens. I own mostly import lenses and have never had to send a single Nikon lens in for service. Caveat emptor, but in my experience, imports have been fine.]
1. The (almost) Super-Wide.
Nikon D70; Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 AF; w/Nikon polarizer.
ISO: 200; exposure: f/4.0 @ 1/1,000th; lighting: daylight.
Digital manipulation: none.
Personal Super-Wide Top Pick: The Nikkor 18mm f/2.8D AF wide-angle [27mm equivalent; $700-$1,200 used]:
Sorry, no sample shots with the Nikkor 18mm f/2.8 yet! Although I also own a true super-wide, the Nikkor 14mm f/2.8 (photo below), but, it's just too darned big and heavy to want to bring anywhere. I typically have had the much lighter, far more compact, Nikkor 20mm f/2.8 on my body, 99% of the time (soon to be replaced with the Nikkor 18mm f/2.8). Not just for landscapes, both, the 18mm, and 20mm lenses are great for just about any subject you can get close enough to. They're great travelogue lenses--you see both the people, and their environment. Get close enough to an action sport, and you have an exaggerated-perspective shot that's full of dynamic form and scale.
Nikon D70; Nikkor 14mm f/2.8
ISO: 800; exposure: f/2.8 @ 1/13th (handheld); lighting: fluorescent, neon, daylight.
Digital manipulation: none.
2. The Super-Fast "Normal."
Nikon D70; Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8
ISO: 400; exposure: f/2.8 @ 1/250th; lighting: electronic flash (Nikon SB-800 + SC-29 remote TTL cable).
Digital manipulation: none.
Personal Super-Fast "Normal" Lens Top Pick: The Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D AF-S [75mm equivalent] $439:
On a Nikon DX-format DSLR, with a crop factor of x1.5 (x1.6 for Canon), a 50mm lens is equivalent to a 75mm lens on a full-frame camera, so it's not really a true "normal" [a true normal lens on a DX camera would be the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 AF-S ($195), which has a 52.5mm, full-frame equivalent focal length]. But, the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 lens on a DX camera is actually a short-telephoto, that's great for shooting people. Even better . . . the Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 macro lens (shown above). Capable of 1:1 magnification, with a 90mm-equivalent 35mm focal length, this exceptionally sharp, flat-field lens is also excellent at shooting people when on a DX-frame camera. But utility wins . . . and the near-unbeatable speed, ultra-fast focusing silent-wave motor, and versatility of the new Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-S enables it to shoot in situations where others just can't.
ISO: 800; exposure: f/1.4 @ 1/60th; lighting: incandescent.
Digital manipulation: none.
This image of fresh Ahi above, was taken under available light, where often, the existing light sources are the most interesting--and, a super-fast lens allows you to capture that without overcranking your ISO. At an exposure of 1/60th of a second, this is barely hand-holdable, plus, I'm all the way open to f/1.4. I try never to shoot above ISO800, whenever possible--I just think the image suffers too much above that. Keeping your ISO low helps to preserve image quality, maintain more-accurate colorimetry, and minimize noise.
3. The Long Lens.
Nikon D70; Nikkor 70mm-300mm f/4.0-f/5.6
ISO: 640; exposure: f/5.6 @ 1/250th; lighting: daylight; selected focal length: 300mm.
Digital manipulation: none.
Personal Long-Lens Top Pick: The Nikkor 300mm f/4.0 AF-S ED-IF [450mm equivalent] $1,369:
The photo above is not from a 300mm f/4.0 (since I don't own one yet), it's simply there for illustration. The 300mm f/4.0 would have even more pronounced "bokeh" (the out-of-focus effect of fore- and background objects at large apertures) being a full-stop wider than my present 70mm-300mm zoom. Note that a 300mm lens on a Nikon DX-format camera is equal to a 450mm lens on a 35mm SLR. And, f/4.0 is fairly fast for that length. Note, however, that buying into a fixed-length telephoto of this length means that you absolutely must be able to freely adjust your subject-to-camera distance, at-will, to fit your subject into the frame.
So, above, I've summarized the ultimate kit lens assortment for my particular needs. Again, your mileage will definitely vary, but I think these are the fewest number of lenses I would personally take on a photo expedition, which, in my view, would offer the most speed and creative possibility for my particular shooting style. Yours could be and probably will be different. In my next post, I'll detail additional essential accessories for the "minimalist" kit.
Next . . . carbon fiber monopods.
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