Ridiculously cheap! Ridiculously light! Ridiculously small! Yet absolutely brilliant, particularly for those times when I really don’t want to carry loads of equipment. It may not have the ultimate level of quality compared to NIKKOR Z but I’ve yet to meet a client who pixel peeps or even questions the kit that I use! I love mine ❤
I needed a small light wide angle for a two week visit to my hometown and attend a 56th high school reunion. My cameras for the trip was a Nikon Z9 for daylight and a Z5 for 720nm IR photos. The 200+ images of the reunion were superb and the IR photos were excellent. My walk around images at a zoo, in the countryside and at an historic mansion convinced me that this lens is a keeper. I took two other lenses, the Nikon Z50mm f2.8MC and the Nikon Z28mm f2.8SE. The color results of all thee lenses were a match.
I bought this lens last month to take with me on vacation in Rome. It performed very well! I like the build quality and the pictures came out very sharp. My next trip I’ll hopefully have an opportunity to do some astrophotography.
I bought this lens about a month ago, and have been very happy with it. Although it is full frame, and I have a Z5, I’ve been using it as a “30mm” on my Zfc and Z50. It’s a great light, compact item that stays on whichever small camera I take with me on motorcycle trips. The weak glare protector mount has been an issue for me as well. At first I thought it was broken.
I got one at a 14% discount from Amazon. I can’t believe how good this lens is with my Z7II. Small, sharp, and light. No need to worry about harming it. Fun to shoot with, I use it most of the time now.
I have this lens and it's a love and hate relationship. What I love - easily corrected distortion, excellent sharpness in the center, light and portable, cheap. What I dislike - very strong vignetting, I don't agree it disappears at f5.6. I feel it's there at smaller apertures, corner sharpness not acceptable for me from f2.8 to f4. But it's a keeper for me and a fun lens to shoot with.
I have been shooting this lens for a few weeks now and I really like it, pretty much agree with everything you have said about it. The hood does kind of click into place but so weakly that it is easy to think it doesn't. I must have nudged mine taking it out of my camera bag and found myself wondering why the vignetting was worse in the top right corner, the hood was rotated slightly, Doh! So small and light it is always in my bag, and for the price a real bargain.
I am becoming a fan of this. I have the 20mm 1.8 if I know I will need it. But this is great to keep in my pocket/bag just in case I need a wide angle. I took it out today.
Lenshoods are not Viltrox's strong point! On my 85mm 1.8 it"s too tight and confusing and on my 13mm 1.4 it's too loose so it falls of regularly. But at all the rest they are really superb! I will get this one too, probably. Thanks Becky and Kon! Cheers
Got it last week. Love it. 52mm filter tread is on the same line with Nikon preAi/Ai manual lenses what makes me feel happy. Mechanically and optically very decent lens. Vignetting is probably the greatest flaw. Yet I have Viltrox 85/1.8. I can say that Viltrox makes very nice lenses.
I purchase the Viltrox 20mm lens and love it. The also got a Viltrox 85mm on the same day and like both of them. On a side note, if I didn't lose my Nikon Z f1.8 50mm from Nikon in New York, USA (I sent it to them for cleaning), I would of never purchase them if that haven't happen.. Nikon sent the lens back to me via UPS and it was stolen from my front door. The box was open and UPS or Nikon wasn't going to anything about it, so I sold my old F-mount lens via mpb and used that money to purchase both lens.
I bought this lens for my ZF and find it un crisp in comparison to my manual focus 28mm lens, it takes pictures on par with a mid range cell phone. However every thing said in this review is spot on and the price was so low it put me in a "why not" situation. I am going to keep it and enjoy it.
I took it with me on a trip to south africa in my 11kg camera bag. Later at home when i was scrolling through the photos i realised i used it 75% of the time 😂
Loverly and infuriated video as allway’s. Would love to see more none Nikon lenses tested against the none branded one . As well as the more unusual none branded life the shift lenses and fish eye that are out for the Z cameras . Now I have the ZF I find the manual lenses easy to use .
Sigh, more stuff I don’t need - but you’ve convinced me I want. Are you trying to bankrupt me?😂 BTW you sound like you’ve got a cold Becky - speedy recovery…
Hi lovely Nikon lovers, first very nice office … I love your… books :). Then, this lens seems very interesting, I didn’t hold it but it seems even better built than the SE line… and it gets a metal ring what avoids it to look like a toy. Shame on you Nikon. If Viltrox put on this line a diaph ring (even for 100$ more) I am afraid it would be a best seller. What are the advantage of the 20mm f 1.8 : 3 times the price, two times the weight , more far than two times the length… and only 1.3 aperture faster… for a lens that (believe me I own 4) will be used 90% of the time between f5.6 and f11… So except for night and sky photographers really no real advantage to pay for a big and too long three times more expensive f1.8 Nikon S lens…
Ridiculously cheap! Ridiculously light! Ridiculously small! Yet absolutely brilliant, particularly for those times when I really don’t want to carry loads of equipment. It may not have the ultimate level of quality compared to NIKKOR Z but I’ve yet to meet a client who pixel peeps or even questions the kit that I use! I love mine ❤
I needed a small light wide angle for a two week visit to my hometown and attend a 56th high school reunion. My cameras for the trip was a Nikon Z9 for daylight and a Z5 for 720nm IR photos. The 200+ images of the reunion were superb and the IR photos were excellent. My walk around images at a zoo, in the countryside and at an historic mansion convinced me that this lens is a keeper. I took two other lenses, the Nikon Z50mm f2.8MC and the Nikon Z28mm f2.8SE. The color results of all thee lenses were a match.
I bought this lens last month to take with me on vacation in Rome. It performed very well! I like the build quality and the pictures came out very sharp. My next trip I’ll hopefully have an opportunity to do some astrophotography.
I got this as well. It is the equivalent of the old F mount screw drive 20/2.8.. small and light. Just love it for travel.
I bought this lens about a month ago, and have been very happy with it. Although it is full frame, and I have a Z5, I’ve been using it as a “30mm” on my Zfc and Z50. It’s a great light, compact item that stays on whichever small camera I take with me on motorcycle trips. The weak glare protector mount has been an issue for me as well. At first I thought it was broken.
I got one at a 14% discount from Amazon. I can’t believe how good this lens is with my Z7II. Small, sharp, and light. No need to worry about harming it. Fun to shoot with, I use it most of the time now.
I have this lens and it's a love and hate relationship. What I love - easily corrected distortion, excellent sharpness in the center, light and portable, cheap. What I dislike - very strong vignetting, I don't agree it disappears at f5.6. I feel it's there at smaller apertures, corner sharpness not acceptable for me from f2.8 to f4. But it's a keeper for me and a fun lens to shoot with.
I have been shooting this lens for a few weeks now and I really like it, pretty much agree with everything you have said about it. The hood does kind of click into place but so weakly that it is easy to think it doesn't. I must have nudged mine taking it out of my camera bag and found myself wondering why the vignetting was worse in the top right corner, the hood was rotated slightly, Doh! So small and light it is always in my bag, and for the price a real bargain.
I am becoming a fan of this. I have the 20mm 1.8 if I know I will need it. But this is great to keep in my pocket/bag just in case I need a wide angle. I took it out today.
Lenshoods are not Viltrox's strong point! On my 85mm 1.8 it"s too tight and confusing and on my 13mm 1.4 it's too loose so it falls of regularly. But at all the rest they are really superb! I will get this one too, probably. Thanks Becky and Kon! Cheers
I'm waiting for mine here in Finland. It was -15% off
The lens hood is the same across the board - it's the same on mine and other reviewers I believe have commented on it.
Got it last week. Love it.
52mm filter tread is on the same line with Nikon preAi/Ai manual lenses what makes me feel happy.
Mechanically and optically very decent lens. Vignetting is probably the greatest flaw.
Yet I have Viltrox 85/1.8. I can say that Viltrox makes very nice lenses.
I purchase the Viltrox 20mm lens and love it. The also got a Viltrox 85mm on the same day and like both of them. On a side note, if I didn't lose my Nikon Z f1.8 50mm from Nikon in New York, USA (I sent it to them for cleaning), I would of never purchase them if that haven't happen.. Nikon sent the lens back to me via UPS and it was stolen from my front door. The box was open and UPS or Nikon wasn't going to anything about it, so I sold my old F-mount lens via mpb and used that money to purchase both lens.
I bought this lens for my ZF and find it un crisp in comparison to my manual focus 28mm lens, it takes pictures on par with a mid range cell phone. However every thing said in this review is spot on and the price was so low it put me in a "why not" situation. I am going to keep it and enjoy it.
So much cheaper than the Nikon Z version and does just what I need it to do, I love the lens.
Getting one for specific video use on my gimbal
Thank you for mentioning the IR capabilities. 🙂
I took it with me on a trip to south africa in my 11kg camera bag. Later at home when i was scrolling through the photos i realised i used it 75% of the time 😂
I love your zf with blue leather
Very good value and optically very good for the price. The US govt will call this Chinese made lens *" overproduction ".*
It can be used for nikon z50?
Loverly and infuriated video as allway’s. Would love to see more none Nikon lenses tested against the none branded one . As well as the more unusual none branded life the shift lenses and fish eye that are out for the Z cameras . Now I have the ZF I find the manual lenses easy to use .
Sigh, more stuff I don’t need - but you’ve convinced me I want. Are you trying to bankrupt me?😂 BTW you sound like you’ve got a cold Becky - speedy recovery…
Great Team! Nothing like this on the other side of the ocean.
Hi lovely Nikon lovers, first very nice office … I love your… books :). Then, this lens seems very interesting, I didn’t hold it but it seems even better built than the SE line… and it gets a metal ring what avoids it to look like a toy. Shame on you Nikon. If Viltrox put on this line a diaph ring (even for 100$ more) I am afraid it would be a best seller. What are the advantage of the 20mm f 1.8 : 3 times the price, two times the weight , more far than two times the length… and only 1.3 aperture faster… for a lens that (believe me I own 4) will be used 90% of the time between f5.6 and f11… So except for night and sky photographers really no real advantage to pay for a big and too long three times more expensive f1.8 Nikon S lens…
This lens is a bargain!