Nikkor 20 mm UW

Nikkor 20 mm f2, 8... a valid lens for underwater use with the D800? It is an economic lens, small and light, excellent optical quality. Someone uses it?

Hi Claudio,

we have to menage the same problems ... I've made some shot with my oldest Nikon AF 20/2.8 (non D) on Nikon D800, and they are quite good.

But the significative comparison is with 17-35/2.8, or the newest 16-35/4 (but I've only the first), in a housing system with a huge dome port.

I'm very interested about this argument too.

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I used to habitually use the 20mm nikkor on my 35mm film cameras. It needs quite a strong dioptre close-up lens to get a sharp image from side to side. I used it on my D700 to photograph manta rays at Nusa Penida once and immediately wished I'd stuck with the 15mm fish-eye!

I've not tried a Nikon 20mm lens but the Canon equivalent fixed focal 20mm is not very good on digital above water and worse underwater - I sold mine off quite quickly after having tried it. I suspect that the problem is the pre-digital design of the lens (same with Nikon) and it simply wasn't well suited to digital (full-frame). I've come across similar comments about Nikon 20s so its worth having a look on the web at revues to see if they share the Canon's relatively poor performance.

Sometime on the web we read a lot of strange indications, and sometime I think that there are a lot of people that love the newest without a critical approach to the real necessity.

In my personal experience the NiKon AF 20/2.8 on D3-D700 camera sensor is a good tool, in terms of optical performance. The difference is about AF performance, it's absolutely obvious that the oldest lens offer a very slow focus speed (and sometime a non particular precise focusing, but we talk about a wide lens intrinsically "field deeper" )

So, next week probably I'll be able to measure a real difference between the lenses 20/2.8 AF, 17-35/2.8 and, more, 8-16 Sigma on MDX D800 with big acrylic Sea&Sea Fisheye Dome port. It should be an answer to the original question, but honestly I've preferred to read here some indications (I'm a bad tester).

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I think that the 20mm is a waste of a D800. It is OK for occasional use, but not the best option.

Ok, thank you Alex!!

I'm happy to know that, so I can prevent a dive with a wrong tool. You know, it is very annoying to discover that only at the end of the dive!

thanks a lot