"Good Glass" - Nikon 20mm F2.8
Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 11:07AM 7 Comments "Save and buy good glass" is a common tip you will hear from many seasoned photographers and sales people. As my passion for photography grows, I have heard this saying more and more. I also find it to be true and sound advice.
Recently, I found a used 20mm Nikon F2.8 for less than 1/2 of current street/market price. I sold some bike and camera stuff and picked it up. I'm having so much fun with it. On my APSC DX-Format D90, the 20mm equates to a 30mm focal length. It's wide and bright too. The pictures are super sharp compared to my kit lens. There clearly is a difference. The color and contrast are fantastic too.
Shooting with a single focal length lens has some great benefits.
- I think it helps you become a better photographer because you spend more time thinking about the framing. Your feet are the zoom.
- It's lighter and smaller than a zoom, thus I think it encourages you carry your camera more. Thus, you shoot more and learn more.
- Single focal length lenses are typically brighter (Lower F-Stop). This lens is a 2.8 and this gives you more options for depth of field. In certain situations where a subject has depth, you can choose to make a single part in focus or set it to make more or all of it in focus.
All in all I couldn't be more pleased with this little lens.