Nikon 20mm f/2.8D AF Lens

Nikkor AF 20mm f2.8D Wide-Angle Nikon, an ultra-wide-angle compact lens containing a first-rate optical design for shooting buildings, weddings and landscapes. It contains a 94-degree (70-degrees when mounted on a Nikon DX camera) image coverage sharpness edge-to-edge. Close Range Correction (CRC) allows for high execution at both ends of the focusing range, for distortion-free photos as near as 0.85 ft.

An ideal prime wide-angle lens for photographing landscapes, travel shooting, and even interior photographs, if you have a need to encompass a wide scene. Although the 20mm Nikon is a somewhat old design, dating a minumum of twenty years, however it's still a capable performer with fine contrast plus high resolution. There's no question, it's a fine wide lens that's great for both DSLR and SLR film photographs.

The lens has an aperture ring and the mount is metal, the AF is the "screw type" an it's compatible with every past Nikon camera, does not autofocus on Nikon D40, D60, D300 or D3000, D3100, or D5000. May 9, 2011

• AF - Nikkor's initial autofocus label, signifying that focus handled by a motor integral to the body of the camera.

• CRC - Close-Range Correction is another Nikon extremely significant focusing break-through, as it allows advanced image perfection at close focusing range and expands the focusing distance.

• D- Distance. Denoted after the  f-number. It signifies the lens has the capacity to use Nikon's 3D Matrix Metering on camera bodies where it is supported.

• SIC - Nikon Super Integrated Coating
Nikon uses an elite multilayer lens coating to augment the operation of its lens elements which also helps diminish ghosting and flare to minute levels. Nikon Super Integrated Coat also accomplishes several purposes,

Like all of Nikon's AF-D type lenses, it supports both auto-focusing and program mode along with fully manual operation through dedicated aperture and focus rings. This makes the lens a good candidate for adaptation, 20mm lenses are still pretty scarce, so a lens that can be (relatively) easily adapted to most modern cameras, is quite welcome. Naturally, you should be comfortable handling a manual lens in the first place, since any adapted lens will loose its auto-focusing capabilities. An adapted Nikkor AF-D lens will also loose some of its more advanced functionality, such as 3D Matrix Metering. All AF-D lenses have a chip embedded in the lens body, which transfers information about the distance to subject to the camera to enable more accurate matrix metering.

Compared to the Nikon ultra-sonic motors, the AF system of the lens is pretty noisy. This is partly obviously due to the mechanical prong coupling between the camera body and the lens itself - focusing starts with a loud click, then then equally loud 'wroom' and another click, which means the AF locked on the target. The speed of the AF is reasonably fast, but that's primarily due to the relatively short distance the ring has to travel.  The ring rotates about 90 degrees when going from the infinity to the minimum focusing distance. there is not much 'room' for precise focusing, but again, this is a wide angle, so precise focusing might not be as necessary - the depth of field is pretty vast and will likely mask minor errors in focusing

62mm lens cap, rear lens cap