NIKON Z 8 (28mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO640)
First outing with the Nikon Z 20/1.8 S. St. Stephen’s Cathedral Vienna again like a couple of weeks ago. Back then I used the Z 14-24/2.8 S. Here are my findings.
Why even get the Z 20/1.8 S if you already own the Z 14-24/2.8 S? It’s not about size and it’s not about quality. The 20/1.8 is not a small lens at all and the 14-24/2.8 is excellent so there is no real prime bonus here. And they are only 1 stop apart regarding aperture.
So why did I also get the 20/1.8? The reason is simple. Less is more. As mentioned above I visited the same cathedral a couple of weeks before with the 14-24/2.8. Here is my report from this visit. What I found was that I started to shoot a lot at 14mm even though 14mm is too wide most of the time. I’m much more comfortable with a fixed, less extreme focal length. At least for street photography and architecture. It’s a different story for landscape photography for which I planned to use the 14-24/2.8.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO900)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec, ISO1250)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec, ISO720)
The 20/1.8 will replace my all time favourite lens from Fuji the X 14/2.8 R. For the last 11 years this was my most used lens by far. It is still my most used lens whenever I choose to shoot with my X-Pro2 so it was only natural to have the equivalent from Nikon. Like the Fuji the Nikon is a fantastic lens too. It’s a little big (or better long) for my taste but image quality is impressive.
This focal length just works for me. There is no option to zoom out to 14mm and I like that. Because if I easily can zoom out I will. It takes a lot of self control to resist this and I don’t have that. To shoot at ultra wide i.e. 14mm comes at a price. There is massive perspective distortion. Everything in the foreground of the image is massive while things further away become very small. It is not a balanced look. It’s not a problem in landscapes shots (if you have a foreground element) but it is an issue for architecture or street.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/20 sec, ISO640)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO2200)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO2000)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO2500)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO2800)
A 20mm lens gives you the feel that you are part of the scene but still allows you some distance to your subject. I recently learned that it is Steven Spielbergs favourite focal length and you can clearly see that on “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.
Even though I spent much less time in the cathedral, I didn’t pay the entry fee to get inside, I still prefer the results over the images I got with the 14-24/2.8. Not because of image quality but because I shot at one focal length and was able to focus on making the best of it. The image below is the only example where I shot at f2 to focus on the candles in the foreground. All other images could have been taken with the 14-24/2.8 but it was easier for me to get them with the 20/1.8.
I think the 20/1.8 is among the best Z lenses. Just like the 14-24/2.8 and the 50/1.8. And those lenses helped me to decide to finally go back to Nikon after almost 20 years with other camera brands (mainly Canon and Fuji). Of course my Fuji is much smaller. Camera and lens are about half the size and half the weight but the Nikon has some advantages too. The 20/1.8 is a stop faster, high ISO image quality is at least 1-1.5 stops better and the Z8 has IBIS which helps to keep ISO low. Regarding the later I meanwhile returned to 1/60s or 1/80s though for my longest shutter speed because most of my images include people too.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2, 1/80 sec, ISO720)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/2.8, 1/80 sec, ISO2200)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO280)
Since it was sunny and warm I didn’t spend a lot of time inside the cathedral. Vienna sees a lot of tourists especially during summer. It was always like that but within the last couple of years it has gone crazy. Of course many locals don’t like it but I have lived in Vienna for almost 20 years. I moved there in the early 90s. During winter it was a dark and gloomy place and it felt like Eastern Europe before the iron curtain came down. I was happy when the long winter was gone and tourists roamed the inner city. Finally some happy faces! When you live here it is easy to miss how beautiful Vienna is. The tourists are going to help you to recognise that.
I love people and I love them in my pictures. Just imagine the images in this blog post without the people. I love to take images of people who are sightseeing, taking pictures or taking pictures of each other.
Today’s main camera is the phone. Most of the time I’m the only person with a camera around my neck and because of that people assume that I’m a good photographer. So they ask me if I could take a picture of them with their phone. Of course I never refuse a request. I usually take two images. One that I like and one that I think they will like.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO640)
NIKON Z 8 (40mm, f/2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO64)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO500)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO250)
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO250)
The many tourists also help that the Fiaker (the traditional horse carts in Vienna) won’t die out. Recently there is a slightly cheaper option: an awkward looking “oldtimer” with an electric motor. The unholy cross of a golf cart and a Ford model T seems to be everywhere now. No idea how many of those “cars” are in operation but every single one is one too many. So here is a request: if you visit Vienna please just walk or if that is not an option pay a little more and take a Fiaker. Nobody wants to see those Frankenstein golf carts. This is not Disneyland, Vienna is a city where people live. End of rant.
Of course when I lived in Vienna I didn’t like the Fiaker either. Especially during the summer months. They used to park right next of the St. Stephens Cathedral and the stench of the horse urine was unbearable. They are a very pretty sight though.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO280)
NIKON Z 8 (40mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO450)
I also took some shots with the Nikon Z40/2 that I bought together with the Z8 simply because it is small and light and cheap. It’s similar to the Fuji XF 27/2.8 but AF is fast and silent and the lens is one stop faster. Stopped down it is sharp but of course it is no match to the 20/1.8.
The Nikon Z 20/1.8 S is a fantastic lens. Just like the Z 14-24/2.8 S. I love wide angle so I’m happy that Nikon has some excellent options. I even consider to get the Z 26/2.8 pancake in order to have a super small lens that doesn’t stick out. Because that’s the only bad thing about the Z 20/1.8 S: it’s a rather long lens and its lens shade is ugly.
NIKON Z 8 (20mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO100)