For anyone who may be interested Viltrox are running a photography contest. Check out the details here: viltroxstore.com/blogs/news/viltrox-global-photo-contest-2022
@@nightscapeimages.richard Hi this is Troy Many thanks for the reply I saw just wondering if you used the auto focus for the initial focus before shooting manually cheers also what camera you used to fillm your self Oh by the way I been in Australia my self Brisbane to cairns 1 month cheers Troy
I am a student living in Korea, a small country in the East.When I happened to see your video, I felt my eyes twinkling.It's so beautiful.Thank you for always showing us good videos.
I just ordered one based on this review. I already own a sigma 14mm f1.8 that I use on my Z7 however as much as I love that lens the distortion is kind of crazy and some days I need something like this viltrox. Love your review man, thank you
Beautiful pictures Richard, Really Really Really enjoy all of your vids, All your pics and light painting of landscapes are AWESOME....Really looking forward to all your next vids....73s from little old england....Take Care....
You are awesome Richard! The work and effort you put out for free on the niche realm of astroscapes is phenomenal. I mentioned this too to another RUclipsr, Aaron King, but I shoot nightscapes in the Southern California desert. I shoot my tracked skies fairly close to my car. One of the tools I love being able to pull out of the trunk….beach umbrella to block the wind from hitting the tracker, camera, tripod. I know you sometimes track from nearly the trunk of your car, but thought I’d throw you that tip.
Great review Richard, many thanks for putting so much effort into this test. I tried the Viltrox 35mm lens myself and also found that it lacked sharpness in the corners. That's why I decided to get the Nikon lens instead. It might not be so important for a wider angle lens, but with 35mm I regarded it to be an issue at least when shooting panos.
Aurora and rum balls! What a great night! 😃 I only have the 20mm f1.8 for nightscapes and could really do with a longer FL prime…I found this review very interesting. Your images are amazing as always! Loved the windmill pano 🤩 Lisa
Great video. Many thanks thats really well explained. I have just purchased a viltrox 20mm for nikon fit. I am looking forward to seeing waht it can achieve.
As usual, you're dead on right and honest with the performance of that Viltrox. That approximate halving of price from the Nikon makes a BIG difference for some of us photographers on a smaller budget!!!!! And I HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF VILTROX BEFORE - SO THEY SHOULD BE THRILLED!!!! Many thanks!!!!
Thanks so much for watching Burt. I think you are spot on. Viltrox are a fairly new company and have a small range of lenses mainly catering for the Sony and Nikon mirrorless market.
Phenomenal video Richard, great comparison between the two. I certainly agree that even through RUclips compression the Nikon not only seems a little sharper but especially looking at the stonework, it shows so much more detail. However, as you quite rightly pointed out, for almost half price the Viltrox will make all but the most discerning very happy. And like you, I love my 20mm Nikon 1.8 😊
Haha, thanks Peter. Amazing what you can achieve when there isn't a mosquito buzzing around in the microphone ...!!! Also, I replaced the faulty cable.
Hi Rochard! Nice video! Love your job! Do you know if the viltrox 24mm have the autofocus the infinity when you start the camera like the 35mm and prime Z lenses? Thanks!
Good to see the Rumballs back , well done on the lense reviews , hopefully you get more to test from both Nikon and other lense manufactures , and i bet you had more time with the aurora .Just cool images .
hello, always quality videos full of pedagogy. well done. Stupid question but when is the best time to photograph the Milky Way and bulb of milky way in Australia? is it the same for the whole southern hemisphere? thanks to you.
Thanks so much for your great comments Soyons. Well it's possible to see the milky way galactic core in Australia and pretty much everywhere in the southern hemisphere from early in the morning in February til early in the evening in October. Hope that helps.
I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for this video, I am debating between the 24 or the 20mm too. I own the Sigma 14mm f1.8 for my Z7. I want something less wide for some shots.
Great video! Nice comparison on the lenses. My go-to wide angle lens is 24mm, with a declicked aperture - Samyang/Rokinon Cine T1.5. It gives me amazing pictures. I love the performance I get from it.
Great review Richard of the Viltrox lens. I agree with your points. Well built and when you stop down a bit the sharpness improves marginally. The lenses I’ve tested (35mm and 50mm) were pretty good value for the money I thought. Thanks for sharing the video mate. Cheers 🍻 👍🙏
Thanks for looking Adrian. I thought as a daytime walk around lens this one would be awesome . .very snappy auto focus and light weight. It's pretty good for astro work although that's really quite demanding as you can see from the video. Take care mate.
That's a great video, Richard, and the results were truly surprising. I shoot my night stuff (when using f2.8 lenses) at f3.5 anyway, so this is an attractive option. It's also great to se the return of the Rum Balls!! I wish we had them in the UK!
27:18 - That's interesting because I was thinking the upper right corner was worse than the other 3 corners. That said, when you have to pixel peep and you have to take time to peek side by side, lenses are close enough where they should cost close to the same money. When ones clearly much less expensive, you've found the clear winner.
I did enjoy this video. I thought I saw a slightly better colour rendition on the Nikon. Perhaps a slight green cast on the Viltrox. Problem is, I’m viewing this on an iPad (it is colour calibrated with an XRite app) and it says 480p. How did it look on your computer?
Thanks a lot for watching Edward. Yes it's always problematic when looking at youtube videos. Even on a large monitor the colors etc will be off. They both look pretty good on the original shots.
Great video! I am looking for a budget way to get into landscape astro, and Viltrox seems to be putting out good options. Have you also tested the Viltrox 20mm f1.8? The wider lens might be a better choice at night knowing that the wider lens will collect a bit more light, right? Is ti worth getting a budget lens at f1.8 knowing it needs to be stopped down? I have seen other lenses at 20mm f2.8, including one from Viltrox (the 20mm has a bulbous front element, though, so might be less useful during the day since filters would be difficult).
Thanks for watching. I've not used the Viltrox 20mm but I think it would be a very good budget option. I do love the 20mm focal length. There is more vignetting on these lenses wide open but still quite good performers. Not sure about the filters as I don't have the 20mm version.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Well, I'm going to find out; I saw an open box sale for a decent price, so ordered the 20mm. I'll see fairly soon if I made a good choice!
Great video Richard! I love that these 3rd party manufacturers are having a real solid crack at making very capable, budget oriented lenses. A decent amount of corner aberrations and light fall off like you say, didn't see much in the way of chromatic aberrations though. Did you see anything like this on a closer look? Seems like a very good option if you're not wanting to drop a lot of money on a lens.
Thanks a lot Dominic. Yes there was a little bit of chromatic aberration but I must have already corrected for it .. but to be fair, both lenses had it. I think if you're not going to push these lenses to the limit they'll be fine for most users. I rarely shoot wide open anyway.
Bloody legend! Great content mate, just got my hands on the Viltrox 13mm for the Fuji system - handles and reacts exactly the same. Still a great workhorse for the price of the Viltrox. Love your work mate, keep clicking away!
Hello Richard, thank you for this detailed review. I currently have the Sigma 20mm 1.4 F Mount on my Z6. The Viltrox has the appeal of being significantly smaller and could work well for video. Outside of the difference in focal length do you feel the quality of images would be comparable? I feel on the Sigma I need to have it stopped down to 2.8 to avoid all the coma. thanks again
Thanks for watching Matt. Yes that's a problem with the Sigma 20mm .. it has lots of coma wide open. The Viltrox 20mm for Nikon Z is a manual only lens. The 24 and 35mm Viltrox are auto focus and pretty good value. None of them are as good as the Nikon 20mm f1.8Z lens though.
26:23 - Not too many folks would be unhappy getting those kinds of results from a lens costing half that of Nikons lol. Great buy, for sure! Great photo too there Richard. One of your best in fact. Real nice soft glow to your light painting. Nice. Oh, interesting. Z mount only. No love for those of us with DSLRS? That's odd. Wonder why they're limiting themselves.
Gr8 video Richard very informative I know this is not your normal stuff but do some more like this every now and then have a good week see you under the stars 😀
Love your videos and the high standard continues. Richard please buy yourself a 10x LumiLoupe for focussing on the back LCD it really is faultless and makes focussing a dream. You're welcome 🙂
Great comparison & video especially for those starting out, on a budget or who like to get the most for there money! I also like 20mm for night skies (but I shoot Sony) and I think in this case if I were looking for Nikon, I'd go Viltrox & a MSM tracker & maybe still have some change left over!
Hi Richard, I think about this brand Viltrox, the only complaint about it, is the non sealed design and the usb port on lens mount... this could be risk for lens and the camera
Yes I can certainly see why you'd be concerned. I have used plenty of unsealed lenses at night . .they can get wet from dew but I've never had a problem with any of them.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I´m from Central America and the dust on this kind of climate can be annoying, have a problem with Rokinon 18mm for Sony E, the dust on it caused AF problems, I solved with some cleaning but I will not take it out at night again, cheers!
Hmmm ... Very interesting, Richard. Makes you wonder why a modern, 20 or 24mm digital lens has to be so big though doesn't it? I have, among other things, three manual Nikon lenses from the '80s; a 100, a 50 and a 28, and they're more than half the size of any of those 24s or your 20. Not only are they smaller, they're lighter, nicer to focus manually than any of my digital lenses, and when you put 'em on infinity they actually focus at infinity, which, obviously, makes getting stars sharp much easier. I was a magazine shooter for 30 years and I've NEVER owned a digital wide-angle that knew where infinity was. I guess that's why they stopped putting distance and depth-of-field scales on lenses.
Yes very good comments indeed Barry. All of these "Computer" lenses are fly by wire. .which is a pain to adjust manually. They just endlessly spin around.
A very interesting video. Considering the circumstances, you managed to get a hell of a lot done in one evening. And yes, the Viltrox does look like a nice lens. I have a couple of "cheaper" third party lenses which are also good, but generaly they are manual focus ( this doesn't bother me for astro work as I only use manual in this scenario ). By the way, it was great to see the rum balls making an appearance. The final pano images were very nice and unexpected.
G'day Richard Bloody marvellous work mate! Dollar to quality there's no choice 👌. I've a 50mm 1.4 lens from my film days and back then, I really use f1.4. It was a great general lens. I believed with a fast lens compare to a slower lens, that smaller the apparatuses difference are corresponding to the speed of the lens are correlated in quality of the shot. Eg. F1.4 lens shooting at f2.4 is better than a f1.8 lens shooting at f2.4. Havagooday my friend Greg
Thanks heaps for watching Greg. Yes I totally agree with you regarding getting the widest aperture lenses and stopping down. Always appreciate your comments.
Greetings, excellent video, what type of monitor do you use to edit your photos and print them out with the colors you want to obtain? I imagine you use ones with adobe rgb?
Thanks for watching Javier. Well to be honest I don't use top end monitors. I just replaced one of mine and got an ASUS VA27AQSB. It seems really good for photo editing.
@@nightscapeimages.richard And how do you get those great colors out of your photos when printing? It is not difficult because of the type of monitor? Are you srgb? Greetings from Mexico
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks for the reply Richard. I am considering changing from Fujifilm crop sensor cameras and lenses to Nikon full frame. Were the lenses you used on the d750 FX lenses? Or DX lenses?
I only watched for the rumball😂😂😂 Awesome video as always mate, got so much respect for how much effort you put into making these videos! Great in depth test and that shot at 26:30 is an absolute ripper! Have a great weekend Richard!
A very fair and objective comparison Richard, I'm sure that Viltrox will be extremely pleased with your findings! You certainly put in the hours so goodness knows what time you finally got to bed 😴. Just a thought - seeing as you own both the Nikon 20mm 1.8S and Sony 20mm 1.8G, how about putting them head to head?
Thanks so much for watching Paul. Yes it was a very late night .. followed up with a couple more very late ones in the following week . .videos to come. I sort of did compare the Nikon and Sony 20mm lenses when I shot the A7S3 video a while back. See here: ruclips.net/video/RD8K2Ale7Ys/видео.html
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thanks for the reminder Richard, I'd forgotten that episode. I am attracted to the Sony 20mm 1.8G for several reasons, not least the performance, price and form factor, but I've heard that focus breathing is a bit of an issue. Just wondering how it compares to your Nikon 20mm 1.8S where you have close foreground subjects?
@@paultutton9443 I haven't actually tested that characteristic of the Sony lens. You'll laugh at me I'm sure, but I rarely take any images with the Sony .. it's my video camera and it excels at that ..!!!
Enjoyed the video. Guessing you don't have issues at using a lower aperture when shooting video. I hate coma so always step down when doing photos. Frustrating when you spend so much for a lens .
Thanks a lot for watching Bruce. I agree with you regarding the dreaded coma. I shoot my on location videos wide open at f1.4 but there isn't too much coma on the Sony 24mm f1.4 GM lens .. wouldn't want to be for the price of that one.
Yes I think you're right Spike . .that's probably why I've never really been on the hunt for one. I am using the Sony 24mm f1.4 GM lens for my videos now though . .that's a beauty.
@@morgankarno7335 Oh, ok. Well they are very similar. I prefer the 20mm focal length and I use that lens on a regular basis. I don't actually own the Nikon 24mm Z lens .. but I've tested it twice now and used it quite a bit.
Lately I have concern about the Viltrox lens in general and other china makers. Seen to me that there is no after sale service repair if the warranty expired. I wrote to one official Viltrox online store they said 2 year warranty but never replied me on the product if expired. So it is concern if I buy more Viltrox lens as I already had one is ok. Since no weather seal after sometime the lens can get in water if shot under drizzling condition the electronic part will be failed sometime and you want to get it repair. For long term investment in lenses, there is concern for me as I rather paid more for other third pary lens like Samyang they have after sale service .
Thanks for watching Daniel. It's interesting that you mention that . .I thought the same thing. . but later on I thought they were the same .. who knows. . maybe my lighting favored the Viltrox a little more on that shot.
It great we have the option of quality budget lenses but the weather sealing is so sound on the Z cameras that it leaves me thinking it almost worth spending the extra.
I think it comes down to your use case. I don't have any issues with weather sealing on lenses but I don't shoot in the rain. No doubt the genuine Nikon lenses are better across the board.
Well you have to consider that the field of view if fitted to the Z50 would actually be 36mm focal length. That makes it a bit tight for a lot of nightscape shooting. However on the crop sensor you'll be able to lose a large portion of the coma present when using it on a full frame. If you want that focal length then I think it would be ideal for the Z50.
@@nightscapeimages.richard very true, thank you. Wonderful video as always, your passion for photography and teaching shine bright. I’m looking forward to your zoom workshops! On a side note, what would someone have to do to get a delivery of rumballs? I enjoy your sense of humor in your videos. 😂
@@michaelandrus989 Well these rum balls are made at a local bakery here in Australia Michael. They may not last the trip to the US . .sorry about that ...!!!!
Hey Laura. I have both the ioptron sky guider pro and the sky watcher star adventurer. They are both very good. I tend to use the ioptron more because it has a polar camera built in which makes polar alignment a lot easier here in the Southern Hemisphere. These are both quite rugged. You could look at the Move Shoot Move tracker but I reckon it may be a bit light duty for many applications. Happy to help further if you need it.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thank you very much for getting back to me! 🙂 I've wanted to do astrophotography for a while now and usually just use what I have on hand to make it work. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and have a great day!
24mm is the best overall. It's my go to focal length. It captures the most scene without distortion. Once you go down lower, say just to 20MM you start getting stuff leaning in on the sides and it's not natural. 24mm is the bomb! I did just pick up a 35mm sigma art also for when I don't need so much at once and pull in the Milky way but I still expect my 24mm to remain king. Of course, we'll see but I'd never go wider. I know you like the 20mm Richard, but I just can't handle the leaning on the sides it produces. Plus, the sky starts to get pushed back too far under 24mm too. Anyway, I'll listen to the video. Haven't watched yet. :)
I must have a dirty mind - the bright arch in the image looks like a penis. It ruins that aurora shot for me because I can only see that phallic arch. But congrats on getting the aurora. From the mainland, the aurora had no colour and just looked light bright light pollution.
Thanks heaps for watching. Well I didn't quite see the arch in that light .. but now that you mention it .. !! This is taken from the mainland in Victoria.
![BRASIL vs. URUGUAY [1-1] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 12](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-hWBAuxF1eY/mqdefault.jpg)
For anyone who may be interested Viltrox are running a photography contest. Check out the details here: viltroxstore.com/blogs/news/viltrox-global-photo-contest-2022
nice video but your video does not show the auto focus working also what camera where you filming your self ? thanks Troy
@@TP_LANDSCAPE_PHOTOGRAPHY Thanks for watching Troy. I don't use auto focus when shooting nightscape images. I was using the Sony A7S3 to film myself.
@@nightscapeimages.richard
Hi this is Troy
Many thanks for the reply I saw just wondering if you used the auto focus for the initial focus before shooting manually cheers also what camera you used to fillm your self
Oh by the way I been in Australia my self Brisbane to cairns 1 month cheers Troy
I am a student living in Korea, a small country in the East.When I happened to see your video, I felt my eyes twinkling.It's so beautiful.Thank you for always showing us good videos.
Many thanks indeed for watching my friend, it really means a lot. Thank you for your support.
I just ordered one based on this review. I already own a sigma 14mm f1.8 that I use on my Z7 however as much as I love that lens the distortion is kind of crazy and some days I need something like this viltrox. Love your review man, thank you
Thanks a lot for watching Rick, really appreciate it.
Beautiful pictures Richard, Really Really Really enjoy all of your vids, All your pics and light painting of landscapes are AWESOME....Really looking forward to all your next vids....73s from little old england....Take Care....
Thanks heaps for taking the time to watch and comments Keith. I hope you can find some clear skies in little old England soon my friend.
You are awesome Richard! The work and effort you put out for free on the niche realm of astroscapes is phenomenal.
I mentioned this too to another RUclipsr, Aaron King, but I shoot nightscapes in the Southern California desert. I shoot my tracked skies fairly close to my car. One of the tools I love being able to pull out of the trunk….beach umbrella to block the wind from hitting the tracker, camera, tripod. I know you sometimes track from nearly the trunk of your car, but thought I’d throw you that tip.
Hey Ryan, thanks so much for your very encouraging comments. I love your comments regarding the beach umbrella .. I'll keep that one in mind for sure.
Excellent presentation Richard. very interesting. Lots of good tips for getting sharp stars.
Thanks so much for watching Martin
Great review Richard, many thanks for putting so much effort into this test. I tried the Viltrox 35mm lens myself and also found that it lacked sharpness in the corners. That's why I decided to get the Nikon lens instead. It might not be so important for a wider angle lens, but with 35mm I regarded it to be an issue at least when shooting panos.
Thanks so much for watching Mille. Yes I agree with you that overall the Nikon Z lenses are better than Viltrox .. especially in the corners.
Aurora and rum balls! What a great night! 😃 I only have the 20mm f1.8 for nightscapes and could really do with a longer FL prime…I found this review very interesting. Your images are amazing as always! Loved the windmill pano 🤩
Lisa
You are very kind as always Lisa. I think the rum balls made this video all the more worthwhile. It's a good lens and well worth considering.
I love your equipment reviews, and obviously, your images are more than amazing!
Thanks so much for watching Walter
Recently bought Viltrox 85mm which is actually a performer for the price. Now i am going for the 24mm. Thanks for this detailed review.
Thanks so much for watching the video, really appreciated.
Great video. Many thanks thats really well explained. I have just purchased a viltrox 20mm for nikon fit. I am looking forward to seeing waht it can achieve.
I don't think you'll be disappointed Austen. Thanks heaps for watching.
I liked the windmill pano mate. Cheers
Thanks a lot Brett. It was probably my favourite as well. Funny as this happened as I was trying to leave for the night . .always the way isn't it.
Thanks Richard. Video chock full of information, as usual. Great images mate. Keep well.
You're very welcome John. Thanks for watching.
Great review Richard. Loved the 8 shot panorama.
Thanks a lot for looking Mark. Yes I loved that panorama also.
As usual, you're dead on right and honest with the performance of that Viltrox. That approximate halving of price from the Nikon makes a BIG difference for some of us photographers on a smaller budget!!!!! And I HAVE NEVER EVEN HEARD OF VILTROX BEFORE - SO THEY SHOULD BE THRILLED!!!! Many thanks!!!!
Thanks so much for watching Burt. I think you are spot on. Viltrox are a fairly new company and have a small range of lenses mainly catering for the Sony and Nikon mirrorless market.
Phenomenal video Richard, great comparison between the two. I certainly agree that even through RUclips compression the Nikon not only seems a little sharper but especially looking at the stonework, it shows so much more detail. However, as you quite rightly pointed out, for almost half price the Viltrox will make all but the most discerning very happy. And like you, I love my 20mm Nikon 1.8 😊
Thanks a lot Paul. Yes the difference is there to see but it's not a real lot when stopped down to f2.8. Appreciate your comments.
Great Video Richard >> Your sound too was superb here too
Haha, thanks Peter. Amazing what you can achieve when there isn't a mosquito buzzing around in the microphone ...!!! Also, I replaced the faulty cable.
Hi Rochard! Nice video! Love your job! Do you know if the viltrox 24mm have the autofocus the infinity when you start the camera like the 35mm and prime Z lenses? Thanks!
Yes they both do that. Very handy.
Good to see the Rumballs back , well done on the lense reviews , hopefully you get more to test from both Nikon and other lense manufactures , and i bet you had more time with the aurora .Just cool images .
Thanks heaps for watching Erny. Yes the rumballs went down quite well ...!!!!
Fantastic video Richard and a great comparison 👍
Thanks so much for watching Dennis. As always I appreciate your comments.
Love your videos thank you.
I am really contemplating that 24 z
Thanks for watching Morgan. You won't go wrong with any of the Z lenses.
hello, always quality videos full of pedagogy. well done. Stupid question but when is the best time to photograph the Milky Way and bulb of milky way in Australia? is it the same for the whole southern hemisphere? thanks to you.
Thanks so much for your great comments Soyons. Well it's possible to see the milky way galactic core in Australia and pretty much everywhere in the southern hemisphere from early in the morning in February til early in the evening in October. Hope that helps.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks so much for your answer
I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for this video, I am debating between the 24 or the 20mm too. I own the Sigma 14mm f1.8 for my Z7. I want something less wide for some shots.
They are both really good lenses Rick. I tend to prefer the 20mm but not a lot between them.
Great video! Nice comparison on the lenses. My go-to wide angle lens is 24mm, with a declicked aperture - Samyang/Rokinon Cine T1.5. It gives me amazing pictures. I love the performance I get from it.
Good on you Derek. I think a lot of people shoot with 24mm lenses because that's been a standard focal length for many years.
Great review Richard of the Viltrox lens. I agree with your points. Well built and when you stop down a bit the sharpness improves marginally. The lenses I’ve tested (35mm and 50mm) were pretty good value for the money I thought. Thanks for sharing the video mate. Cheers 🍻 👍🙏
Thanks for looking Adrian. I thought as a daytime walk around lens this one would be awesome . .very snappy auto focus and light weight. It's pretty good for astro work although that's really quite demanding as you can see from the video. Take care mate.
That's a great video, Richard, and the results were truly surprising. I shoot my night stuff (when using f2.8 lenses) at f3.5 anyway, so this is an attractive option. It's also great to se the return of the Rum Balls!! I wish we had them in the UK!
Thanks so much for watching Simon. Yes this lens becomes a realistic option especially when stopping down a bit. Love my rum balls ..!!!!
That Aurora at the bottom right
I was about to ask you if you have Aurora shooting lately as It was visible in South of Australia.
Yes we've had a few lately which is great. I think the sleeping giant is waking ..!!!!
Amazing videos, as ever. Thanks from Spain.
Thank you so much for looking Jose, it means a lot.
The fact that youtube doesn't accidentally classify that tunnel as non-PG13 is amazing! :)
Oh dear.
27:18 - That's interesting because I was thinking the upper right corner was worse than the other 3 corners. That said, when you have to pixel peep and you have to take time to peek side by side, lenses are close enough where they should cost close to the same money. When ones clearly much less expensive, you've found the clear winner.
Yes I think you're right. Also we have to take into account the youtube compression which always impacts on screen clarity.
I did enjoy this video. I thought I saw a slightly better colour rendition on the Nikon. Perhaps a slight green cast on the Viltrox. Problem is, I’m viewing this on an iPad (it is colour calibrated with an XRite app) and it says 480p. How did it look on your computer?
Thanks a lot for watching Edward. Yes it's always problematic when looking at youtube videos. Even on a large monitor the colors etc will be off. They both look pretty good on the original shots.
Great video! I am looking for a budget way to get into landscape astro, and Viltrox seems to be putting out good options. Have you also tested the Viltrox 20mm f1.8? The wider lens might be a better choice at night knowing that the wider lens will collect a bit more light, right? Is ti worth getting a budget lens at f1.8 knowing it needs to be stopped down? I have seen other lenses at 20mm f2.8, including one from Viltrox (the 20mm has a bulbous front element, though, so might be less useful during the day since filters would be difficult).
Thanks for watching. I've not used the Viltrox 20mm but I think it would be a very good budget option. I do love the 20mm focal length. There is more vignetting on these lenses wide open but still quite good performers. Not sure about the filters as I don't have the 20mm version.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Well, I'm going to find out; I saw an open box sale for a decent price, so ordered the 20mm. I'll see fairly soon if I made a good choice!
Great video Richard! I love that these 3rd party manufacturers are having a real solid crack at making very capable, budget oriented lenses. A decent amount of corner aberrations and light fall off like you say, didn't see much in the way of chromatic aberrations though. Did you see anything like this on a closer look? Seems like a very good option if you're not wanting to drop a lot of money on a lens.
Thanks a lot Dominic. Yes there was a little bit of chromatic aberration but I must have already corrected for it .. but to be fair, both lenses had it. I think if you're not going to push these lenses to the limit they'll be fine for most users. I rarely shoot wide open anyway.
Bloody legend! Great content mate, just got my hands on the Viltrox 13mm for the Fuji system - handles and reacts exactly the same. Still a great workhorse for the price of the Viltrox. Love your work mate, keep clicking away!
Good on you Matt. Thanks heaps for your input mate . .all the very best.
Hello Richard, thank you for this detailed review. I currently have the Sigma 20mm 1.4 F Mount on my Z6. The Viltrox has the appeal of being significantly smaller and could work well for video. Outside of the difference in focal length do you feel the quality of images would be comparable? I feel on the Sigma I need to have it stopped down to 2.8 to avoid all the coma. thanks again
Thanks for watching Matt. Yes that's a problem with the Sigma 20mm .. it has lots of coma wide open. The Viltrox 20mm for Nikon Z is a manual only lens. The 24 and 35mm Viltrox are auto focus and pretty good value. None of them are as good as the Nikon 20mm f1.8Z lens though.
26:23 - Not too many folks would be unhappy getting those kinds of results from a lens costing half that of Nikons lol. Great buy, for sure! Great photo too there Richard. One of your best in fact. Real nice soft glow to your light painting. Nice. Oh, interesting. Z mount only. No love for those of us with DSLRS? That's odd. Wonder why they're limiting themselves.
They also make a Sony E mount lens. I'd imagine they are thinking the mirrorless market is where the new developments will be.
Excellent and fair, thanks!
Thanks again for watching Dominic
Nice photos. That Viltrox did well.
Yes it sure did do well my friend. Thanks for watching.
Gr8 video Richard very informative I know this is not your normal stuff but do some more like this every now and then have a good week see you under the stars 😀
Thanks so much for your comments Tree Man, appreciate you watching.
Love your videos and the high standard continues. Richard please buy yourself a 10x LumiLoupe for focussing on the back LCD it really is faultless and makes focussing a dream. You're welcome 🙂
Now that's a great suggestion Spike . .and possible not the first time it's been suggested . .Appreciate you watching.
Great comparison & video especially for those starting out, on a budget or who like to get the most for there money! I also like 20mm for night skies (but I shoot Sony) and I think in this case if I were looking for Nikon, I'd go Viltrox & a MSM tracker & maybe still have some change left over!
Yes all really good thoughts Lee. I very much appreciate you watching.
Hi Richard, I think about this brand Viltrox, the only complaint about it, is the non sealed design and the usb port on lens mount... this could be risk for lens and the camera
Yes I can certainly see why you'd be concerned. I have used plenty of unsealed lenses at night . .they can get wet from dew but I've never had a problem with any of them.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I´m from Central America and the dust on this kind of climate can be annoying, have a problem with Rokinon 18mm for Sony E, the dust on it caused AF problems, I solved with some cleaning but I will not take it out at night again, cheers!
@@ProfJM_UNICA Yes that's fair enough Jorge .. .and these mirrorless cameras are a dust magnet to the sensor as it is.
Hmmm ... Very interesting, Richard. Makes you wonder why a modern, 20 or 24mm digital lens has to be so big though doesn't it? I have, among other things, three manual Nikon lenses from the '80s; a 100, a 50 and a 28, and they're more than half the size of any of those 24s or your 20. Not only are they smaller, they're lighter, nicer to focus manually than any of my digital lenses, and when you put 'em on infinity they actually focus at infinity, which, obviously, makes getting stars sharp much easier. I was a magazine shooter for 30 years and I've NEVER owned a digital wide-angle that knew where infinity was. I guess that's why they stopped putting distance and depth-of-field scales on lenses.
Yes very good comments indeed Barry. All of these "Computer" lenses are fly by wire. .which is a pain to adjust manually. They just endlessly spin around.
A very interesting video. Considering the circumstances, you managed to get a hell of a lot done in one evening. And yes, the Viltrox does look like a nice lens. I have a couple of "cheaper" third party lenses which are also good, but generaly they are manual focus ( this doesn't bother me for astro work as I only use manual in this scenario ).
By the way, it was great to see the rum balls making an appearance. The final pano images were very nice and unexpected.
Thanks as always for your great insights David, always a pleasure hearing from you my friend.
Nice work Richard
Thanks a lot for checking it out.
G'day Richard
Bloody marvellous work mate!
Dollar to quality there's no choice 👌.
I've a 50mm 1.4 lens from my film days and back then, I really use f1.4. It was a great general lens.
I believed with a fast lens compare to a slower lens, that smaller the apparatuses difference are corresponding to the speed of the lens are correlated in quality of the shot.
Eg. F1.4 lens shooting at f2.4 is better than a f1.8 lens shooting at f2.4.
Havagooday my friend
Greg
Thanks heaps for watching Greg. Yes I totally agree with you regarding getting the widest aperture lenses and stopping down. Always appreciate your comments.
Greetings, excellent video, what type of monitor do you use to edit your photos and print them out with the colors you want to obtain? I imagine you use ones with adobe rgb?
Thanks for watching Javier. Well to be honest I don't use top end monitors. I just replaced one of mine and got an ASUS VA27AQSB. It seems really good for photo editing.
@@nightscapeimages.richard And how do you get those great colors out of your photos when printing? It is not difficult because of the type of monitor? Are you srgb? Greetings from Mexico
Thanks for the lens review, Richard. Does your D750 see any action these days, or had it been retired?
Thanks so much for watching David. I sold both my D750's. Great camera but I much prefer the new "Z" lenses . .they are superb.
@@nightscapeimages.richard thanks for the reply Richard. I am considering changing from Fujifilm crop sensor cameras and lenses to Nikon full frame. Were the lenses you used on the d750 FX lenses? Or DX lenses?
@@davidletz9123 I only ever used FX lenses on the D750. You'll get bad vignetting if you use DX lenses on a full frame.
I only watched for the rumball😂😂😂 Awesome video as always mate, got so much respect for how much effort you put into making these videos! Great in depth test and that shot at 26:30 is an absolute ripper! Have a great weekend Richard!
Haha, well I only really lasted during the night til the cuppa and rumball Peter ,,,!!!! Really appreciate your kind words mate ..means a lot.
A very fair and objective comparison Richard, I'm sure that Viltrox will be extremely pleased with your findings! You certainly put in the hours so goodness knows what time you finally got to bed 😴. Just a thought - seeing as you own both the Nikon 20mm 1.8S and Sony 20mm 1.8G, how about putting them head to head?
Thanks so much for watching Paul. Yes it was a very late night .. followed up with a couple more very late ones in the following week . .videos to come. I sort of did compare the Nikon and Sony 20mm lenses when I shot the A7S3 video a while back. See here: ruclips.net/video/RD8K2Ale7Ys/видео.html
@@nightscapeimages.richard
Thanks for the reminder Richard, I'd forgotten that episode. I am attracted to the Sony 20mm 1.8G for several reasons, not least the performance, price and form factor, but I've heard that focus breathing is a bit of an issue. Just wondering how it compares to your Nikon 20mm 1.8S where you have close foreground subjects?
@@paultutton9443 I haven't actually tested that characteristic of the Sony lens. You'll laugh at me I'm sure, but I rarely take any images with the Sony .. it's my video camera and it excels at that ..!!!
Hi! did you try the 20mm 1.8 Viltrox manual focus? thanks.
No I haven't tried that lens. I will be looking at the Viltrox 35mm soon though.
Enjoyed the video. Guessing you don't have issues at using a lower aperture when shooting video. I hate coma so always step down when doing photos. Frustrating when you spend so much for a lens .
Thanks a lot for watching Bruce. I agree with you regarding the dreaded coma. I shoot my on location videos wide open at f1.4 but there isn't too much coma on the Sony 24mm f1.4 GM lens .. wouldn't want to be for the price of that one.
Great video thank you have a good day
You're welcome Phillip, thanks for watching.
Is 24mm to close to your favourite 20mm ?
Yes I think you're right Spike . .that's probably why I've never really been on the hunt for one. I am using the Sony 24mm f1.4 GM lens for my videos now though . .that's a beauty.
I would imagine the 24mm probably compares to the 20mm? Do you think it does or close?
Well I haven't tried the Viltrox 20mm f1.8 but it would have to be good to come close to the native Nikon 20mm lens.
@@nightscapeimages.richard I meant how does the 20mm Nikon compare to the 24mm Nikon lol sorry about that.
@@morgankarno7335 Oh, ok. Well they are very similar. I prefer the 20mm focal length and I use that lens on a regular basis. I don't actually own the Nikon 24mm Z lens .. but I've tested it twice now and used it quite a bit.
@@nightscapeimages.richard yes I own the the 20mm but just curious how the 24mm coma ants sharpness compares, thank again chaars
@@morgankarno7335 They are very similar in every way.
Lately I have concern about the Viltrox lens in general and other china makers. Seen to me that there is no after sale service repair if the warranty expired. I wrote to one official Viltrox online store they said 2 year warranty but never replied me on the product if expired. So it is concern if I buy more Viltrox lens as I already had one is ok. Since no weather seal after sometime the lens can get in water if shot under drizzling condition the electronic part will be failed sometime and you want to get it repair. For long term investment in lenses, there is concern for me as I rather paid more for other third pary lens like Samyang they have after sale service .
Yes that is always a problem with lower cost lenses Graeme. That's why name brand lenses cost so much.
Coma = the thing that challenges lenses the most!
Yes that's for sure. Not too many lenses are totally free of it Andrew. Appreciate you watching.
Hello Richard, is it just me, or is the Viltrox lens a bit brighter than the Nikon in the first images you showed?
Thanks for watching Daniel. It's interesting that you mention that . .I thought the same thing. . but later on I thought they were the same .. who knows. . maybe my lighting favored the Viltrox a little more on that shot.
It great we have the option of quality budget lenses but the weather sealing is so sound on the Z cameras that it leaves me thinking it almost worth spending the extra.
I think it comes down to your use case. I don't have any issues with weather sealing on lenses but I don't shoot in the rain. No doubt the genuine Nikon lenses are better across the board.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Well l guess thinking about it if you need the stars in the sky for your shots it not likely to be raining eh.
Very true
Interesting review.
Thanks so much for watching.
🤣 excellent Richard, Richard😊
Thanks so much for watching.
I notice about 1/2 stop difference
I'm starting to realise how good some 3rd party lenses can be
Yes they are certainly catching up that's for sure.
Would you recommend this lens paired up with a Nikon z50?
Well you have to consider that the field of view if fitted to the Z50 would actually be 36mm focal length. That makes it a bit tight for a lot of nightscape shooting. However on the crop sensor you'll be able to lose a large portion of the coma present when using it on a full frame. If you want that focal length then I think it would be ideal for the Z50.
@@nightscapeimages.richard very true, thank you. Wonderful video as always, your passion for photography and teaching shine bright. I’m looking forward to your zoom workshops!
On a side note, what would someone have to do to get a delivery of rumballs? I enjoy your sense of humor in your videos. 😂
@@michaelandrus989 Well these rum balls are made at a local bakery here in Australia Michael. They may not last the trip to the US . .sorry about that ...!!!!
Just casual aurora!
Yes it just rocked up to the event ... a party crasher as they say ..!!!!
What kind or brand of star tracker do you recommend?
Hey Laura. I have both the ioptron sky guider pro and the sky watcher star adventurer. They are both very good. I tend to use the ioptron more because it has a polar camera built in which makes polar alignment a lot easier here in the Southern Hemisphere. These are both quite rugged. You could look at the Move Shoot Move tracker but I reckon it may be a bit light duty for many applications. Happy to help further if you need it.
@@nightscapeimages.richard Thank you very much for getting back to me! 🙂 I've wanted to do astrophotography for a while now and usually just use what I have on hand to make it work. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and have a great day!
@@laurag9306 Thanks a lot Laura . .always happy to help my friend.
24mm is the best overall. It's my go to focal length. It captures the most scene without distortion. Once you go down lower, say just to 20MM you start getting stuff leaning in on the sides and it's not natural. 24mm is the bomb! I did just pick up a 35mm sigma art also for when I don't need so much at once and pull in the Milky way but I still expect my 24mm to remain king. Of course, we'll see but I'd never go wider. I know you like the 20mm Richard, but I just can't handle the leaning on the sides it produces. Plus, the sky starts to get pushed back too far under 24mm too. Anyway, I'll listen to the video. Haven't watched yet. :)
All very good points you make. I also don't like the leaning in on the sides of ultra wide lenses.
I must have a dirty mind - the bright arch in the image looks like a penis. It ruins that aurora shot for me because I can only see that phallic arch. But congrats on getting the aurora. From the mainland, the aurora had no colour and just looked light bright light pollution.
Thanks heaps for watching. Well I didn't quite see the arch in that light .. but now that you mention it .. !! This is taken from the mainland in Victoria.
Yes your mind must be dirty because I thought the same thing. Lol