Your choice for owning only one wide angle lens for z mount?

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Activert

Activert

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8If you want to own only one of the best wide angle lens for landscape and astrophotography for the Z mount? The lens should be wide open with the best quality image. Will you go for a zoom or a prime and what it will be your choice? I don’t own any lens less than 70mm reach and I only want to add one for landscape and astro to my bag. I appreciate your opinion and your experience will definitely help me with my choice. Thank you !
 
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Not much of a choice when you limit yourself to a Z type lens. I am keeping my 14-24mm f/2.8 and 18-35mm and 19mm PC-E lens for landscape photogrpahy. No issues or concerns to using the FTZ adapter and a f-mount lens for landscape photography.
 
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14-30 f4S as I shoot astro rarely. This is a superb compact zoom. I keep my 18-35 G as backup and for use with DSLRs.

I also have 24-120 f4S and its shorter end is most useful.
Also read Thom Hogan's z system pages and this essay
 
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Calson said:
Not much of a choice when you limit yourself to a Z type lens. I am keeping my 14-24mm f/2.8 and 18-35mm and 19mm PC-E lens for landscape photogrpahy. No issues or concerns to using the FTZ adapter and a f-mount lens for landscape photography.
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Thank you! Too bad for me! I sold all my DSLR lenses and I do regret selling some of them
 
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I own the Nikon 14-30mm Z lens and added a Laowa 15mm f/2 in Z-mount for Astro. The 14-30 is much lighter and smaller than the 14-24 for travel and hiking, while the Laowa is a nice manual focus lens for night sky use.
 
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I also have Zeiss 15 f2.8AIP and 21 f2.8AIP - superb primes which continue to hold their own. However the 14-30 is simpler and easier to use, and this includes its 82mm screw in filters.
The key criterion remains - get the 14-24 f2.8S if astrophotography is the main use, especially as optically it has no flaws to worry about. Otherwise the 14-30 f4S is the more affordable, lighter all rounder

PL is the other reliable review site with detailed reviews of these Z Nikkors - https://photographylife.com/nikon-z-series

Here are a couple more BCG threads,

Nikon 14-30 ???

I am considering buying a Z14-30mm wide angle zoom. This seems a good value lens. I am currently using 14-24mm 2.8 & 16-35mm F4, with Z adaptor. The reviews I have seen comparing it to the old 14-24mm f2.8, are remarkably good. I would almost certainly get rid of the 16-35mm and ultimately the...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com

Wide Angle for Landscape Photography?

I am primarily a wildlife photographer (amateur), but also enjoy shooting landscapes/seascapes occasionally. For the latter, I mostly use a Nikon 24-70 f2.8 ED VR, and sometimes a Nikon 70-200 f2.8 ED VR for isolated scenics and visual extractions. I'm toying with expanding my range to include a...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
 
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I have the 14-30Z and the 14-24Z. The 14-30Z is very light and takes 82mm filters. The 14-24Z is great and only slightly heavier. It's definitely sharper in the corners but a little more annoying for using filters.

I use the 14-30 for longer hiking / backpacking and the 14-24Z for closer to the car. If I only had to pick one, I would probably go with the 14-24Z as its already light enough. I had bought the 14-30Z before the 14-24 was announced, assuming the 14-24Z would be much heavier. But when the 14-24 was announced, it is actually quite light.

I would sell the 14-30 but it seems like on Keh.com, I can't get enough $ for it to justify selling it.
 
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Interview with Nikon engineers in 2019 discussing the new Z ultra wide zooms

Mount Wars: Guess what? Z-mount really DOES help lens design… and AF! (Nikon technical Q&A)

I had a chance to sit down with a group of top Nikon executives and engineering managers last month, as part of my yearly pilgrimage to Yokohama, Japan for the annual CP+ trade show. We talked about lens design and how it's…
www.imaging-resource.com

EDITED filter options are much improved on both Z mount UW zooms, largely thanks to their more optimized optical design with flatter front elements

landscapegear.co.za

NiSi Filter Solutions for Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8

Over the last 10 or so years, wide angle lens selection and filter compatibility has been a major headache for Nikon shooters. There are three critical things one looks for in a wide angle lens f/2.8 for shooting astro Excellent corner performance when stopped down Practical filter...
landscapegear.co.za landscapegear.co.za
 
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fcotterill said:
Interview with Nikon engineers in 2019 discussing the new Z ultra wide zooms

Mount Wars: Guess what? Z-mount really DOES help lens design… and AF! (Nikon technical Q&A)

I had a chance to sit down with a group of top Nikon executives and engineering managers last month, as part of my yearly pilgrimage to Yokohama, Japan for the annual CP+ trade show. We talked about lens design and how it's…
www.imaging-resource.com
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Thank you! Very interesting article and interview !
 
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Activert said:
8If you want to own only one of the best wide angle lens for landscape and astrophotography for the Z mount? The lens should be wide open with the best quality image. Will you go for a zoom or a prime and what it will be your choice? I don’t own any lens less than 70mm reach and I only want to add one for landscape and astro to my bag. I appreciate your opinion and your experience will definitely help me with my choice. Thank you !
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It's not wide, but if all I did was astro and landscape, and it had to be Z-mount I'd buy the 58 f/.95 Noct. That's based on what's available right now though. For wides and normals, I'm more interested in what Voigtlander and Zeiss will be offering in the future than what Nikon is. I think the widest prime Nikon has right now is a 20mm f/1.8.
 
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If your use is primarily astrophotography, I cannot recommend the Z 20mm F1.8 enough. It's an absolutely killer lens, almost no coma, distortion, fringing etc. By far the best astro lens I've used
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I rarely shoot landscapes with anything less than 50mm, and thus don't have one of the wide zooms, so I'm very glad that I have the 20 for those rare cases when I do want to go wide
 
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Activert said:
8If you want to own only one of the best wide angle lens for landscape and astrophotography for the Z mount? The lens should be wide open with the best quality image. Will you go for a zoom or a prime and what it will be your choice? I don’t own any lens less than 70mm reach and I only want to add one for landscape and astro to my bag. I appreciate your opinion and your experience will definitely help me with my choice. Thank you !
Click to expand...
I use the 20mm f1.8 for Astro and the 14-24mm for landscape.
But if I had to use only one then it would be the 14-24mm - not as fast but more versatile.
I found the 28-75mm to be a bit too soft wide open for astro.
If on a budget the 14-30mm is worth a look too..🦘
 
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As I shoot mostly wildlife I choosed to go with the 14-30. I use it for landscapes, but I have also shot some northern lights photography with it, but it requires to use high ISO.

Here‘s a post I shared using this lens:

Northern lights

Last saturday I saw the sky was getting that greenish light and I popped out with my camera. As I’m recovering from a fractured arm and shoulder after a skiing accident 4 weeks ago I didn’t dare wandering far from my car, but I snapped off a couple of shots. Not the best shots of the northern...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
 
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Kjellis said:
As I shoot mostly wildlife I choosed to go with the 14-30. I use it for landscapes, but I have also shot some northern lights photography with it, but it requires to use high ISO.

Here‘s a post I shared using this lens:

Northern lights

Last saturday I saw the sky was getting that greenish light and I popped out with my camera. As I’m recovering from a fractured arm and shoulder after a skiing accident 4 weeks ago I didn’t dare wandering far from my car, but I snapped off a couple of shots. Not the best shots of the northern...
bcgforums.com bcgforums.com
Click to expand...
The 14-30 is a great lens but f4 is a bit slow for astro...🦘
 
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JustinGriggs said:
If your use is primarily astrophotography, I cannot recommend the Z 20mm F1.8 enough. It's an absolutely killer lens, almost no coma, distortion, fringing etc. By far the best astro lens I've used View attachment 42566
View attachment 42567

I rarely shoot landscapes with anything less than 50mm, and thus don't have one of the wide zooms, so I'm very glad that I have the 20 for those rare cases when I do want to go wide
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Thank you your photos are amazing. I am going to get the z 20mm f1.8.
 
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