Do you think this Viltrox is a good bargain ? Or would you rather save up for the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S? I also want to say a big thank you to Auckland Camera Centre for their continued support www.aucklandcamera.co.nz
Haven't done side by side comparison , but I believe this new lens is better overall in terms of image quality, not to mention it's a lot smaller, lighter and it has autofocus
I bought one. I'm impressed. It's not as sharp as my 14-30 Nikkor but nothing is. It is also 1/3 the size and 1/4 the weight. Now I'm waiting for a 14, and a 16 to go with it
Thanks for this comparison, Richard. I'm moving all the way back to Nikon for photo and video and selling all my gear from other systems. I got a Z8 and will add a Z6iii once I sell the other gear. I was very pleased to find that the Z8 with the Viltrox 20mm f/2.8 lens balances and fits nicely on my gimbal, and I'm sure the Z6iii will be even easier to use. Time to start listing all that other system gear!
Very interesting comparison Richard. I appreciate that you are a methodical and objective person. For me the distortion test where you can also compare the vignetting is the key. If I were to use the lens for landscape in nature the Viltrox could work but in the sample photos in the city it is difficult to find vertical or horizontal lines that remain straight and I understand that they are photos where the lens "correction" has already been applied.
Pixel peeping, zooming in on the picture. Once you take a picture, what do you do with it? Leave it on the memory card, shove it onto a very big hard drive? Make prints for display. I've always wondered about all talk about critical imaging. What happens to these pictures? I'm putting more on my walls and giving them to family members. A lens can be great, a camera can be the best but if no one sees these pictures, what good is it?
Thank you for this detailed and honest review! It's amazing that the Viltrox bokeh can change that male employee of the camera store into a female! Also, it is very smart of you to use the $158 purchase of the Viltrox lens as a way to borrow a great Nikon lens for comparison ;)
As I do mostly night fotography I missed some test shots there. I´ve the Nikkor Z 20mm and it is amazing, clear. but I think about a second body and would not like to buy another expensive Nikkor. What makes me a bit pensive is the strong vignette from this lense. That seems a bit too much for me.
Great to see Viltrox giving great products for less. I would love to see a new Viltrox 40mm f2 cheap version too. I have the 85mm 1.8 and the manual 20mm 1.8, both great lenses, love them.
@@Sebas-sg1kj No not yet. As the Nikon version is not available yet i believe. Only the Sony version was available when 7Artisans contacted me a few weeks ago
Thanks for review Richard, If I was going to purchase this lens, I would primary use it for Astrophotography. I like to take photos of the Milky Way, so how would this lens work at a dark sky site? Thanks!
With all the editing that goes on in LR these days, with all the ai, with all the noise reduction tech available, and the prolific joy of getting the cinematic/filmic grain look are high priced top of the line lenses necessary?
Thanks Richard. I am shopping for a lens like this Viltrox 20mm for my Nikon Z5 and this looks like a good choice for selfie vlogging video. I really appreciate the review. How was the focusing AF when you were self-vlogging with your face in the center of the frame? I am guessing it was better than objects at the edge of the frame in the video.
It has character! It is great to see 3rd party manufacturers producing lenses for the Nikon Z series. Viltrox has made a good looking 20mm af lens. Yes there are flaws some are minor. The vignetting isn’t disastrous as some lenses. It also ads that character to images. The fact that it can be updated is a plus. Weather sealed would have been great! I would like to have seen it have the option to be put in manual focus if you wanted to. As I shoot a lot of nightscape images. But I am thinking of getting one as I can see it as a nice cityscape lens. And for a $158.00 it is a bargain.
Hi Richard, I doubt this lens won't be that much of a purchase for me too like everyone else. But is the background separation enough if you're trying to do a medium half body portraits? I'm trying to also buy Viltrox 24mm f1.8 Z before this tiny 20mm came out. Thank you for the video beforehand!
The 24 1.8 would surely give you more background separation if that's what you desire. But the reason why this 20mm 2.8 is so popular and sold out in quite a few places is the very compact size and also the lower price. So i guess you have to decide what is more important to you.
I'm going to pick this up for sony fbut its good to know that you can easly fix the sharpness by just a simple 2 photo bracket for middle and corner shot and you have literally the same sharpness as 1000+ lens. Awesome lens for the price!
Just bought a z5. I shoot mostly flowers and gardens. Would this lens be a good choice for me just starting out? Many thanks for your time and the review!
Yes it would be a good and affordable lens for that, just note that this is not a macro lens, so while you can take nice close up photos, you can't get super close to the flowers
@@TheRealRichardWongthank you so much. I understand it is not a macro. I took some lovely photos a few years ago in the beautiful rose gardens in Auckland! I am going to purchase the lens.
Hi Richard. Great review. I am looking for an astro lense for my Z5. Budget limited. I was looking at buying the Viltrox 20mm f1.8 as it is being discounted. But the f2.8 could be an option. Thoughts?
I have the Viltrox 24mm f1.8 z mount for my star photography. Do you think it is necesary to add this 20mm Viltrox as it is smaller and lighter . Will it work for star photography exceptable for corner star distortions?
Probably not as I don't have a DX Z camera at the moment. But I have done a review of the Fuji version which should be the same in terms of image quality. You can find the review on my channel
I have to say I have shot only limited video with this lens, but even on my Z6, it seems to be quite reliable when I'm using Auto-area with human detection. if you do single AF point then there could be a bit of hunting especially when AF area is set to near the corner
The Voltrox 20mm is the worst thing I've ever had on my Nikon Z62. No, not even for in between or for short tours. EVERY SINGLE PICTURE IS CRAP. How do you even come up with the idea of starting a comparison here? Ah, but I have a hunch about that. 💲💲💲💲
Let's face it. A 20mm lens is going to be used for landscape and astrophotography most of the time. The photographer will want exceptional sharpness and image quality. Anyone trying to cheap their way through will be disappointed with the results. This type of comparison makes little sense to me.
@peterw1878 I own both the Viltrox for my ZFC for video conferences and a Nikon 20 1.8S for my ZF for astrophotography. It's the right tool for the job that matters.
