Nikon Z 20mm 1.8 S

The Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S is an excellent ultra-wide-angle lens that also illustrates the progress that lens design has made over the last few years. In terms of resolution, the broader center quality is nothing short of outstanding at f/1.8. The borders are also impressively sharp whilst the corners are still very usable for applications such as astrophotography, where good corner sharpness is required. Stopping down boosts the corners to a very good level. Image distortion is on a medium level and CA's are fairly well controlled even in RAW images. The only real weakness of the lens is vignetting which is very high in RAW images at large-aperture settings. Using software correction is advisable here. A really surprising aspect is the high quality of the bokeh which is much smoother than what we have seen from other lenses in this class. The build quality of the lens is on a very high level. There are some plastic parts on the lens body yet it feels sturdy and solid. Controls on the lens are reduced to a minimum with just an AF/M switch and the focus-by-wire control ring. The latter works electronically with variable speed and can be customized to control a (small) selection of other functions. The stepping AF motor is both fast and quiet. While not cheap, it's quite obvious that the Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S deserves our highest praise - highly recommended!

The Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S is an outstanding fast 20mm ultra-wide for Nikon Z cameras.

he Nikon Z 20mm f1.8 S is a unique proposition for owners of Nikon's full-frame mirrorless cameras: It is the widest large aperture lens with autofocus designed specifically for the short flange distance of the Nikon Z system. All alternatives are older DSLR designs which can be used via FTZ adapter but do not produce the same image quality. It may be the largest f1.8 Z Nikkor so far but its size and weight are still acceptable, its performance inside the APS-C image-circle is very good even at very short shooting distances and it focuses very fast and reliably. The lens renders very contrasty images and lets you shoot confidently under adverse contra-light situations which is a boon especially with the very wide angle of view. But it's a bit soft in the FX corners especially at longer distances like landscape shots and longitudinal CAs occasionally rear their ugly head. Sony's FE 20mm f1.8 GM is proof that a modern lens design can be smaller and produce better corner sharpness and less loCA. This makes the Z Nikkor miss out on our top award but the Nikon Z 20mm f1.8 S still deservedly earns a recommendation.