20/2.8ais

[richardHaw]

i have always been curious about this lens...

i had the 20/2.8D for a couple of years and had shot MANY photos with it, mostly landscapes

while I like it a lot, i found that it is not as sharp as what id imagine a prime lens would be.

now, i have been hearing that the ais is much better optically...i also assume that they both have the same optics, how could this be?

can anybody confirm that the ais is indeed better optically? Roland, Eric? Bjirna? anyone?

[Birna Rørslett]

The AIS is not perfectly identical with the later AF as the optics of the  latter was tweaked to function better for autofocusing.

The 20/2.8 AIS does best at fairly short distances, but is not bad for landscapes either. I used it mainly in an underwater housing for which its near-distance capabilities can be well exploited.  It has a propensity for flare that I could do without, though.

[longzoom]

2017-01-15 002-1-2 by longzoom, on Flickr.   This lens is among the sharpest ever but needs to be adjusted manually. First of all, be sure the lens is not decentered, even to the smallest amount, corner-to-corner. Then, after opening it from the front, adjust its floating compensation optical group. It is a very, very precise job, almost microscopic one, but possible. Will take you about 15-20 hours, without coffee, hah! The result is directly in front of your eyes. Taken at f 4.0. Good luck!  LZ

[John Geerts]

The 20/2.8 Ai-S is ideal for travelling for its size and general quality.  I like it.  Had the AF before, but prefer the Ai-S version.



Granville, France   August 2020


Donville Les Bains,  August 2020


Also France


Den Haag, November 2019

[pluton]

My copy of the AiS was very good, sharpness-wise; the best of the Nikon manual focus 20mm lenses in my experience. Seemed fine at long distance on the D3 camera. It had the most pronounced case of wave-type distortion from any lens I have ever used. More pronounced than the Zeiss ZF 21/2.8!

[richardHaw]

jeeeeeeez....

i dont want to be adjusting anything on the ais...

i just want to overhaul and document one

these still cost a lot in the used market, even for junk

[Akira]

I have only unfortunate experiences with 20/2.8, Ais or AF.  I had used an Ais with my F100, but the peripheral areas are always soft, and the corners are always smeared.  Since then, I have tested around ten samples of Ais and AF on D750, but never found even a decent sample.  I have very good experiences with all of the previous 20s: f3.5 (52mm filter), f4.0 as well as f3.5 (72mm filter).

The quality of the images that have been posted by Longzoom look unbelievably amazing to me.

[Bern]

jeeeeeeez....

these still cost a lot in the used market, even for junk

is $420 a good price for a brand new copy? its advertised as a discounted price in a local store. 

[longzoom]

The quality of the images that have been posted by Longzoom look unbelievably amazing to me.
[/quote]  m2017-05-12 023-1 by longzoom, on Flickr 2017-05-12 023-1-2 by longzoom, on Flickr     Thank you, Akira! One more TECHNICAL image with the crop, to check color of this dinosaur.  F8.0, for DOF.  LZ

[richardHaw]

is $420 a good price for a brand new copy? its advertised as a discounted price in a local store. 

yes it is

[David H. Hartman]

The 20/2.8 AIS does best at fairly short distances, but is not bad for landscapes either. I used it mainly in an underwater housing for which its near-distance capabilities can be well exploited.  It has a propensity for flare that I could do without, though.

When I first bought my 20/2.8 AIS I was seriously considering selling my 20/3.5 AI. I checked your legacy site...

"This tiny lens is extremely well corrected for flare and ghosting; accordingly is the inside tip for nature photographers fond of shooting into the sun (I am one of those)."

This one sentence saved me from a major mistake. I had taken the flare resistance of the 20/3.5 AI for granted. I still own both lenses.

Thank You!

Dave

I like the 20/2.8 AIS because it can be hand held at low shutter speeds in low light and I can still get good results. The second shot was at 1/30th f/8.0...

[Zang]

Does anyone have experience with those Tokina, Vivitar, Tamron manual 17mm? How do they compare to Nikkor?

z.

[Akira]

Hmm...not only Longzoom, but also John and Dave found good samples...

[Birna Rørslett]

Add me to that list as well ... I like the 20/2.8 AIS quite well, but for me it is a lens that waxes and wanes in its frequency of use. Just compiled my usage pattern off the data base and apparently it has been used mostly for IR the last years.

I made a small collection of images below to show what the 20 can be used for. (the night bus in Amsterdam is ISO 25600 on the Df, by the way).

[mxbianco]

I would add to the comparison between the AIs and the AF-D 20/2.8 the fact that the AF-D is a plastic lens, while the AIs is the usual Nikon tank of a lens. When presented with both samples side by side in the early nineties, I had no doubt and chose the AIs.
It proved being a tank: it survived falling off my camera bag from a sea cliff in Andøya, Vesterålen, and caroming down the rocks it landed at the bottom. I had a hard time climbing down to recover it: only one of the rabbit ears was slightly bent, quickly straightened with pliers. Quality was good  before and after the fall...

Ciao from Massimo