Nikon 20mm f/3.5 Ai-S : Specifications and Opinions

Reviews

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The following opinions have been automatically translated with Google Translate.

FotografiaDigitale

sent on 21 Maggio 2025

Pros: Better than f/2.8 AF, quality, performance

Cons: Nothing

Opinion: Using the AF Nikkor f/2.8 for years I was always a little dissatisfied with quality and performance. Once I found and tried the AI f/3.5 model, I immediately sold it. The quality of this lens is incredible, rendered sharp and warm on the Nikon full frame (D700). It resists flare and is great for taking infrared photos (with the Hoya R72 filter and tripod). For me it is superior to the autofocus model, albeit 2.8, in terms of overall quality and output. It is not very easy to find in the second-hand market, it is not easy to find (perhaps those who have it hold on to it...). It is all metal and plastic made in Japan, almost indestructible, the AF model is still made of plastic... It's not autofocus but on 20mm it's almost never a problem. With the K1 ring you have a macro effect with an extraordinary perspective, you get a magnification of 1: 3.8 at a free working distance of 6.3 cm. Also good on FX but loses a bit of the sense of 20mm. For me it remains an irreplaceable lens.

Rossostarter

sent on 07 Marzo 2024

Pros: Small lightweight filters 52mm

Cons: Little or mull

Opinion: A lens of character, so to speak... The older brother should have a more homogeneous yield, especially at the edges... but several specimens have an aging of the adhesive of the rear doublet... so I prefer the f3.5... maximum yield at f11 pee where it is useless to refer to the useless mtf tests published at f8 And for the infinite yield, pay attention to the adapter rings because not all of them focus to infinity perfectly, I had to take the bumps

Aledrog

sent on 21 Febbraio 2023

Pros: Quality

Cons: f 3.5

Opinion: Another AI-S lens to have in the kit... He gave me some really nice shots. At a low weight and size you have a wide-angle lens of the highest level on FF, while on APSC you have an excellent 30mm equivalent. The yield is warm and sharp, I also took beautiful photos of the Milky Way at full opening. Like any AI-S maybe the problem is the price, but these days the prices are all higher in general... The second-hand market is full of speculators

Monticola

sent on 07 Giugno 2019

Pros: Excellent optical and mechanical quality, good flare containment, weight and small size, diameter filters 52

Cons: Indefinitely it does not offer maximum yield, sensitive curvature of the field with presence of purple fringing at the edges

Opinion: Having never owned a 20mm, comforted by the various positive reviews, a few weeks ago I ended up finding an AI in very good condition thus completing a set of AI and AF D targets. I pair it with an adapter ring to a Sony Alpha 7 / 7II. I am very satisfied with its use in landscapes based on what Has been tried so far. I agree in particular with the considerations of the first two reviews. I usually use it from F/8 to F/11; it returns an excellent degree of sharpness, resisting well the internal reflections and in general provides warm shades that sometimes remind me a bit of the old Kodachrome. I also appreciate the small size and the diameter of the 52mm filters

Vittorio Barretta

sent on 13 Giugno 2017

Pros: 20mm 3.5 hc ud modif to extraordinary optics rendered superb colors and sharpness unique details

Cons: No defect

Opinion: The 20mm 3.5 nikkor hc ud is an extraordinary objective as are some other nikon designed targets in the 60s and 70s to 80's still today unsurpassed by other nikon sophisticated optics today, especially designed to have a better contrast and therefore fit Only for digital cameras, this nikkor is a real gem to be kept jealously guarded like other nikkor optics, lens treatment is like that of 85 1.8 hc, made very beautiful and warm, 20 3.5's It's a little less hot because of the new lens treatment but always a beautiful goal I was looking for the latter I had owned by young 20mm f 4 and I proposed the 20 3.5 hc ud that i changed to immediately and it was instantly shot Lightning, thanks again to nikon who has entered in the manual configuration of optical optics the corrections for the old nikkor optics, splendid objective like the super angulon leica r 21 4 which i possess

Fabrizio.diletti

sent on 06 Ottobre 2016

Pros: mechanical and optical quality, size

Cons: none

Opinion: large lens from nikon history. minimum distortion can also be used for architecture. pocket-sized for a superb quality wide angle. good image quality already at room temperature and excellent from f / 5.6; I agree with Caneca regarding the use on super pixelated today where 20 3.5 suffers a little but remains at the highest levels. It recommended to keep in the bag if you do not have other wide-angle zoom. used on d700 and d750 also for long night exposures with excellent results.

Ayps

sent on 04 Luglio 2016

Pros: Compact, strong. Yield vivid, realistic and pasty. Resolving enough, lacking in character.

Cons: I would say no one in particular.

Opinion: excellent lens: easy to focus when focus, and very quick. E 'sufficiently sharp for all uses, keeping warm and deep tones. The images do not 'fry', then, but rather cutlery, full-bodied and very vivid, with the 20mm wide-angle momentum of that on short distance do not caricatures forms. It is not indicated for pixel-peepers, but for me it is the ideal lens of this focal length, as it is very balanced. In terms of sharpness ranks one step away from Voigtlander Color Skopar 20 f3.5 (which costs twice, again) and two from the Nikkor 16-35 f4 (which costs four times as much, use) and has a low distortion, and a excellent resistance to flare. E 'best of f2.8 version (both ais that AFD, which share the optical scheme) and could adapt to dell'f4.rnForse is not particularly dense sensors (eg: D800 / D810). On 12Mp it is spot on. I think 18-20Mp are the expressive limits of this lens, then begins to sgranare.rnA infinite does not give the best ofthough, it must be said. A TA is very good, and f5.6 becomes sharper and chanted, up to f11, which then begins to affect diffraction, but without much quality falls. rnPermette of compelling close-up, thanks to the CRC system. rnBell'oggetto: useful, powerful, practical. Smart Purchase.