Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 20mm F/1.8G ED

This 2014 wide-angle prime suits photographers who shoot landscapes, architecture and interiors on full-frame Nikon F bodies. Its 20mm focal length takes in tight spaces, from small rooms to narrow streets. The f/1.8 aperture also makes it a practical choice for night skies and dim evening light.

The main trade-off is the fixed focal length. You frame by moving rather than zooming, and a zoom lens is often the more flexible travel companion. Some photographers enjoy the discipline of a single focal length, others find it restrictive.

Nikon still lists this 2014 design as in production, so it remains a current option.

At 12.5 oz (355 g), this prime is light and easy to carry. It stays compact at 3.25 in (82.5 mm) wide and 3.17 in (80.5 mm) long. The 77mm filter thread is a common size, so screw-in filters are easy to find and can be shared with many other lenses.

On a full-frame body, 20mm gives a very wide view. It suits sweeping landscapes, building interiors and tight streets where you cannot step back. Getting close to a foreground subject makes it loom against the scene, which gives landscape images strong depth.

The f/1.8 maximum aperture is the main photographic tool here. Wide open, it passes much more light than a slower wide-angle zoom, so you can keep ISO low indoors or hold exposures short after dark. For night-sky work, that speed helps exposures stay brief enough to record stars as points rather than trails.

At 20mm, depth of field runs deep at normal landscape distances, even wide open. Front-to-back sharpness is therefore straightforward, and stopping down adds a comfortable margin. The optics score for this lens is 82/100.

Close subjects are a real option. The lens focuses to 0.7 ft (20 cm), so a foreground rock or doorway can fill the frame while the background stretches away. Maximum magnification reaches 0.23x, which gives near details solid presence.

This lens has no image stabilisation. At 20mm, camera shake is far less visible than on longer focal lengths, so most photographers can use slower handheld shutter speeds before blur appears. The omission matters less here than it would on a telephoto.

There is no weather sealing either. Keep the lens sheltered from rain, sea spray and blowing dust, which limits its appeal for coastal and desert trips. The front element also lacks a fluorine coating.

The Nikon F mount fits full-frame and APS-C bodies alike. On the smaller sensor, the view tightens into a milder wide angle for everyday shooting.

Aspherical elements help correct distortion, which matters here because a wide frame often holds straight walls and horizons. Low-dispersion ED glass helps reduce chromatic aberration, where different colours focus differently and leave coloured fringes along high-contrast edges. The lens uses internal focusing. The construction specification score is 54/100.