Thanks, it's a great lens.. On the infinity focus, there's a setting that allows the focus to be kept after going into standby etc. Make sure that's off. I keep the setting in the my menu section for quick access.
Great review thank you. This is very revealing. Yes the 20S looks very sharp, but I'm a bit concerned with the magenta halos (chromatic aberration) around bright stars in the centre of the frame particularly noticeable above the trees and lake near the end of your video. Do you have any comment about that.?
That trick to find infinity on the Z I did not know about, totally awesome you threw that little morsel in the video. Adorama currently has this lens on backorder, so I have to wait.
Wow, now I’m excited! I just got my 20 mm f/1.8 S last week. Hoping for clear skies here in Pacific Northwest. Amazing work and you have mad skills. Thank you for sharing.
I will try that thing about the focusing because it is frustrating to have such an expensive set of gear with very low manual focus capabilities, thanks for sharing
that opening beach timelapse is stellar. Did you use Unleashed gadget to do the ramping? ... i would really love to see a video of how you shot and edited the sequence. great work!
Yo elegiría el 14-30 con rastreador. Le brinda más versatilidad al tener cierto rango de zoom. Recomiendo usar el 14-30 durante el crepúsculo náutico y astronómico como primer plano. Luego sigue el cielo y combina las 2 imágenes para obtener resultados limpios y nítidos.
Mike awesome photos. Do you think 20mm is good enough to do full milkyway pano like a rainbow with some foreground water reflection in one row? Did you do any pano of the full milkyway?
Great video! I'm looking forward to getting a Z6 and the 20mm. Probably will be a while but that's what I'm planning on. Thank you for such a thorough review, very helpful and informative.
Hey Mike. Whats the Z6 like to use with MF lenses at night? Is focusing on stars any easier than DSLR's? I'm presuming that the turning on and finding infinity thing you mention will only work with Z lenses? I'm so tempted by this 20mm lens but I'd have to sell my 24mm 1.4 Samyang and 15mm 2.8 Irix. 🤔
The infinity will bar will only show up with Z lenses as far as know. You would have to resort to the other methods like using a flash light 20 - 30 feet away to focus on or focus during twilight at infinity and then tape down your focus ring so you don't bump it at night or you can zoom in on a bright start using the LCD screen and manually focus on that star so it is a nice sharp circle.
Thanks for this detailed review Mike. One thing about the infinity focus when the camera is restarted - I tried it with my Nikon 14-24 F Mount lens and it did not work. Maybe it works only with the Z Mount lenses!
@@Milkywaymike But is it really tack sharp at infinity or do you still have to manual focus on a star? That would be a pain to have to refocus each time the camera turned off.
I own the 20mm f1.8, and I am satisfied with it; I would also like to buy the 14-24. you advise me to keep the 20mm or is the 14-24 so good that it can be replaced even if it has a smaller opening?
Love your fantastic explanations. I have 14-30 F4, but am looking at a 20 right now. Trying to decide which way to go on a budget for my beginnings into Astro. Wondering if you may have heard anything about the Viltrox 20 1.8 Z mount? Should I continue to play with 14-30 or bite the bullet on the Nikon 20 1.8s?
Steve Kunder I recommend saving up the extra money to get a nikon 20mm over the manual focus viltrox. Having the ability to get instant infinity auto focus with the 20mm 1.8 saves me so much time. Also in the past I use to get 3rd party lenses just end up selling down the road to get the real thing later.
Never clicked so fast for a video. Thanks for your time Mike! Hard to admit but I am really thinking of moving to mirrorless. Superb lenses, I would never thought the Z mount lenses will be that much sharper, especially around the corners. I am also curious how the Z 14-24 F2.8 will be. Now I have to save money for a Z6 + 20mm 1.8 combo :D
The Z 14-24 2.8s should be amazing, however it will be much heavier and bigger. I don't think it will take filters as well so they will need to make a filter holder which will require large and expensive filters. As someone who is trying save space and weight, I will have to pass on the 14-24 2.8s when it is released. I might rent it for a video review, but other than that I know I can get the shots with the gear I have now.
@@Milkywaymike I do not think it would be possible for that lens to have a filter thread due to the front element design but if by any change Nikon finds a solution for that I am 100% sold :)
@@Milkywaymike If one ignored the weight and filter, would the 0.8 more light intensity of the prime Lens or the possibility to zoom be more important to you?
Looks like every Z-lens is bigger and more expensive than the G-lens equivalence. Not sure if the extra sharpness in the extreme corners are enough to justify the lens for normal shooting. But I guess that's the way things are going they add more glass to the lenses to make the corners better. When you compare two images I would suggest you pan less and let the viewer look at the the photos without pausing the video, kinda hard to judge sharpness when you flick-pan. Thanks for the videos, keep up the good work.
@@Milkywaymike That's a good point. I suspect many will buy the Z6/Z7 with the adapter as they have a collection of G-lenses; I would because there's no 300mm for the Z-system yet. Although the weight and size of all the new lenses doesn't really make that big of a difference it's always hard to pack the camera bag. I never pack just my D750+a lens, I always pack it to the brim, just in case :)
Hi, great video, can i know if you please if you face any issue with the image when you do infinity focus? i took some star photos with my Z6 and the Z20mm 1.8 lens, i was focusing on the infinity but the stars was not in focus! 🤔
No issues here... did you try turning off the camera and then turning it back on? Also if you manually focus at infinity don’t turn your lens all the way on infinity as it go out of focus
@@Milkywaymike thank you for the replay, when i was shooting stars with my 16mm fisheye i know not to go all the way to infinity for the correct focus, but with this 20mm lens the manual focus al little tricky..
im debating between this and the 14-30. Im new and I mostly do landscape photography however would like to have the option to do astro. If you had to get one which one would you get?
My most used lens for landscape is my 14-30 F4 and before that it was my 14-24 2.8 for my D800, however the 14-30 F4 will not serve you well for astrophotography unless you are using a star tracker or you are using advanced stacking techniques. So for example if I was using that lens without a tracker I would take my foreground at astronomical twilight and then take 15 photos of the milky way to stack since you have to use really high ISO with an F4 lens (10,000 - 12,800 iso) The 20mm would be better for astro but you are limited to that single focal length. However, if you want to go wider to get a similar focal length of the 14mm you could do panoramas. The last thing option is to save up or finance the extra $1400 for the new Nikon 14-24 F2.8 S lens for the Z cameras. I know its expensive but it will serve your purpose and will be your most used landscape / nightscape lens. I'm actually considering selling my 14-30 F4 and my lowa 15 F2 so I can get that lens.
What’s your experience with focussing this lens at night? I used focus by wire with my 14-30 as well and I had little problems getting the focus right.
I turn the camera off and turn it back on to focus at infinity which works well. If you need to focus on a subject that is too close for infinity then I recommend lighting it up with a flashlight and focus on it or getting to your location at dusk to focus while you still have a little bit of light left.
Yeah you can go shorter if need be. I typically stack images with 10 second shutter speeds using the Z7, but 13 seconds isn't too bad either. You have to find the happy medium between star blur and noise from high ISO.
@@Milkywaymike yes i ask becourse of i own the sigma F1.4 and normaly for stars use 4 a 5 sec.....but now i like to buy the Z 20 mm F1.8 and if you say it takes about 10 sec that is 2x the time :-(
Some of that could be due to stretching since this is a wide angle lens. I do use a star tracker, however not for this particular video lens test. This lens stopped down a little on a tracker is ridiculously sharp 🤩
Check out this video: ruclips.net/video/StBQNgKanxw/видео.html If you use a PC then check out this video: ruclips.net/video/C-MCvbYj-hA/видео.html Those are star stacking programs that separate the foreground from your sky and automatically align the stars of each photo then stack them to reduce noise. The mac program is Starry Landscape Stacker which is around $40 and Sequator is for PCs which should be free (last time I checked)
Yeah... it looks crazy. I hope they paint the other satellites or come up with an idea to minimize their visibility. Between starlink, amazon and Elon Musk we are looking at 30-60 thousand satellites in the near future.
@@Milkywaymike Yep, I saw that streak and cant even imagine a massive grid of thousands of them moving, as its planned... just got home from trying to timelapse a meteor shower, who needs sleep anyways haha (Got my first legit milky way core pic with inspiration from you - took it 2 days ago lol, long time follower though)
![Coheed and Cambria - Searching for Tomorrow [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hDsYGLbmadg/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks, it's a great lens..
On the infinity focus, there's a setting that allows the focus to be kept after going into standby etc. Make sure that's off. I keep the setting in the my menu section for quick access.
Good tip, thank you!!
Great review thank you. This is very revealing. Yes the 20S looks very sharp, but I'm a bit concerned with the magenta halos (chromatic aberration) around bright stars in the centre of the frame particularly noticeable above the trees and lake near the end of your video. Do you have any comment about that.?
That trick to find infinity on the Z I did not know about, totally awesome you threw that little morsel in the video. Adorama currently has this lens on backorder, so I have to wait.
Thanks for watching! I was able to get mine on Amazon, but I pre-ordered it over a month ago... B & H also might have it in stock.
Wow, now I’m excited! I just got my 20 mm f/1.8 S last week. Hoping for clear skies here in Pacific Northwest. Amazing work and you have mad skills. Thank you for sharing.
Appreciate it! Thanks for watching!
I will try that thing about the focusing because it is frustrating to have such an expensive set of gear with very low manual focus capabilities, thanks for sharing
that opening beach timelapse is stellar. Did you use Unleashed gadget to do the ramping? ... i would really love to see a video of how you shot and edited the sequence. great work!
Hola, Gracias por el vídeo... Si tuvieras que elegir entre el 20mm sin tracker o el 14-30 + Tracker, para VL. Que elegirías?
Yo elegiría el 14-30 con rastreador. Le brinda más versatilidad al tener cierto rango de zoom. Recomiendo usar el 14-30 durante el crepúsculo náutico y astronómico como primer plano. Luego sigue el cielo y combina las 2 imágenes para obtener resultados limpios y nítidos.
@@Milkywaymike Muchas Gracias por la respuesta compañero. 👍. Se lo agradezco. 👌
Thanks for the video and thx for the tip about the focus in the end!!!
Mike awesome photos. Do you think 20mm is good enough to do full milkyway pano like a rainbow with some foreground water reflection in one row? Did you do any pano of the full milkyway?
Great video! I'm looking forward to getting a Z6 and the 20mm. Probably will be a while but that's what I'm planning on. Thank you for such a thorough review, very helpful and informative.
Thanks Joe!
Hey Mike. Whats the Z6 like to use with MF lenses at night? Is focusing on stars any easier than DSLR's? I'm presuming that the turning on and finding infinity thing you mention will only work with Z lenses?
I'm so tempted by this 20mm lens but I'd have to sell my 24mm 1.4 Samyang and 15mm 2.8 Irix. 🤔
The infinity will bar will only show up with Z lenses as far as know. You would have to resort to the other methods like using a flash light 20 - 30 feet away to focus on or focus during twilight at infinity and then tape down your focus ring so you don't bump it at night or you can zoom in on a bright start using the LCD screen and manually focus on that star so it is a nice sharp circle.
dang, loved those time lapses. I really need to try some like that, it's so trippy looking
Geremy Grey thanks!!!
Thanks for this detailed review Mike. One thing about the infinity focus when the camera is restarted - I tried it with my Nikon 14-24 F Mount lens and it did not work. Maybe it works only with the Z Mount lenses!
Yes it only works with Z Mount lenses which I could sworn I mentioned, but maybe not. Thanks for watching
@@Milkywaymike But is it really tack sharp at infinity or do you still have to manual focus on a star? That would be a pain to have to refocus each time the camera turned off.
I own the 20mm f1.8, and I am satisfied with it; I would also like to buy the 14-24. you advise me to keep the 20mm or is the 14-24 so good that it can be replaced even if it has a smaller opening?
I suggest you keep both of you can.
Love your fantastic explanations. I have 14-30 F4, but am looking at a 20 right now. Trying to decide which way to go on a budget for my beginnings into Astro. Wondering if you may have heard anything about the Viltrox 20 1.8 Z mount? Should I continue to play with 14-30 or bite the bullet on the Nikon 20 1.8s?
Steve Kunder I recommend saving up the extra money to get a nikon 20mm over the manual focus viltrox. Having the ability to get instant infinity auto focus with the 20mm 1.8 saves me so much time. Also in the past I use to get 3rd party lenses just end up selling down the road to get the real thing later.
Thanks, I was kinda thinking along those lines, guess I could try to learn Astro with my 14-30 until I can afford Nikon 20 1.8
Never clicked so fast for a video. Thanks for your time Mike!
Hard to admit but I am really thinking of moving to mirrorless. Superb lenses, I would never thought the Z mount lenses will be that much sharper, especially around the corners.
I am also curious how the Z 14-24 F2.8 will be.
Now I have to save money for a Z6 + 20mm 1.8 combo :D
The Z 14-24 2.8s should be amazing, however it will be much heavier and bigger. I don't think it will take filters as well so they will need to make a filter holder which will require large and expensive filters. As someone who is trying save space and weight, I will have to pass on the 14-24 2.8s when it is released. I might rent it for a video review, but other than that I know I can get the shots with the gear I have now.
@@Milkywaymike I do not think it would be possible for that lens to have a filter thread due to the front element design but if by any change Nikon finds a solution for that I am 100% sold :)
@@Milkywaymike If one ignored the weight and filter, would the 0.8 more light intensity of the prime Lens or the possibility to zoom be more important to you?
Can you make a tutorial on how to shoot astro panorama, like this 12:34..thank you!
Very good and informative. Thanks
Nice review man you came hime with some great images hopefully i can get to some dark sky’s soon
Gonna get one as soon as they're available again in my area.
Wow, 0:44, no wind, water is like a mirror. Not the slightest ripple of a wave. Where on earth you have conditions like that?
North Carolina ;)
Looks like every Z-lens is bigger and more expensive than the G-lens equivalence. Not sure if the extra sharpness in the extreme corners are enough to justify the lens for normal shooting. But I guess that's the way things are going they add more glass to the lenses to make the corners better.
When you compare two images I would suggest you pan less and let the viewer look at the the photos without pausing the video, kinda hard to judge sharpness when you flick-pan.
Thanks for the videos, keep up the good work.
If you are using a Z camera then you have to use the FTZ adapter ont he Nikon 20mm 1.8g which makes it about the same size and weight.
@@Milkywaymike That's a good point. I suspect many will buy the Z6/Z7 with the adapter as they have a collection of G-lenses; I would because there's no 300mm for the Z-system yet.
Although the weight and size of all the new lenses doesn't really make that big of a difference it's always hard to pack the camera bag. I never pack just my D750+a lens, I always pack it to the brim, just in case :)
Look at the new sony 20 mm f1.8 and you will see whats really possible
@@dr.sommer5069 Looks like a great lens for Sony shooters. Same size and weight as my Nikon 20mm.
Nice comparison Mike, really getting tempted by the 20mm, is the body of the 20mm all plastic or is the some metal on it??
I believe it is the same as the other Prime S lenses.. A magnesium alloy frame holding in the lens elements surrounded by a poly-carbonate exterior.
Hi, great video, can i know if you please if you face any issue with the image when you do infinity focus? i took some star photos with my Z6 and the Z20mm 1.8 lens, i was focusing on the infinity but the stars was not in focus! 🤔
No issues here... did you try turning off the camera and then turning it back on? Also if you manually focus at infinity don’t turn your lens all the way on infinity as it go out of focus
@@Milkywaymike thank you for the replay, when i was shooting stars with my 16mm fisheye i know not to go all the way to infinity for the correct focus, but with this 20mm lens the manual focus al little tricky..
im debating between this and the 14-30. Im new and I mostly do landscape photography however would like to have the option to do astro. If you had to get one which one would you get?
My most used lens for landscape is my 14-30 F4 and before that it was my 14-24 2.8 for my D800, however the 14-30 F4 will not serve you well for astrophotography unless you are using a star tracker or you are using advanced stacking techniques. So for example if I was using that lens without a tracker I would take my foreground at astronomical twilight and then take 15 photos of the milky way to stack since you have to use really high ISO with an F4 lens (10,000 - 12,800 iso)
The 20mm would be better for astro but you are limited to that single focal length. However, if you want to go wider to get a similar focal length of the 14mm you could do panoramas.
The last thing option is to save up or finance the extra $1400 for the new Nikon 14-24 F2.8 S lens for the Z cameras. I know its expensive but it will serve your purpose and will be your most used landscape / nightscape lens. I'm actually considering selling my 14-30 F4 and my lowa 15 F2 so I can get that lens.
hi mike, can you share the sample raw? then I can check the corner, thanks in advance
What’s your experience with focussing this lens at night? I used focus by wire with my 14-30 as well and I had little problems getting the focus right.
I turn the camera off and turn it back on to focus at infinity which works well. If you need to focus on a subject that is too close for infinity then I recommend lighting it up with a flashlight and focus on it or getting to your location at dusk to focus while you still have a little bit of light left.
13 sec for the stars i quit long? cant that not be better with the F1.8 and nikon Z7?
Yeah you can go shorter if need be. I typically stack images with 10 second shutter speeds using the Z7, but 13 seconds isn't too bad either. You have to find the happy medium between star blur and noise from high ISO.
@@Milkywaymike yes i ask becourse of i own the sigma F1.4 and normaly for stars use 4 a 5 sec.....but now i like to buy the Z 20 mm F1.8 and if you say it takes about 10 sec that is 2x the time :-(
Amazing footage✨
Awesome Video Mike!
Do you use a tracker ? At 1.8 seems to me that stars are streaking, more than coma..
Some of that could be due to stretching since this is a wide angle lens. I do use a star tracker, however not for this particular video lens test. This lens stopped down a little on a tracker is ridiculously sharp 🤩
Damn, that 20mm is so nice :)
sharp photos and price
Mike, it’s still not clear to me how you can stack multiple photos of the stars. Don’t the stars move in between photos?
Check out this video: ruclips.net/video/StBQNgKanxw/видео.html If you use a PC then check out this video: ruclips.net/video/C-MCvbYj-hA/видео.html Those are star stacking programs that separate the foreground from your sky and automatically align the stars of each photo then stack them to reduce noise. The mac program is Starry Landscape Stacker which is around $40 and Sequator is for PCs which should be free (last time I checked)
👍👍
Like your photos, but your they are over exposed such that it doesn’t look like a real nightscape.
Just look at Starlink go in that second clip haha
Yeah... it looks crazy. I hope they paint the other satellites or come up with an idea to minimize their visibility. Between starlink, amazon and Elon Musk we are looking at 30-60 thousand satellites in the near future.
@@Milkywaymike Yep, I saw that streak and cant even imagine a massive grid of thousands of them moving, as its planned... just got home from trying to timelapse a meteor shower, who needs sleep anyways haha (Got my first legit milky way core pic with inspiration from you - took it 2 days ago lol, long time follower though)
Ducking Starlink.