Wide ‘n Fast

The other day I was in at Henry’s Outlet Centre and while I was completing the transaction lens for a tele lens I had just purchased, I listened in to the conversation between a customer and a Henry’s salesperson.  The customer wanted a fast wide angle prime at a decent price for his Nikon D80.  As he wasn’t so sure about the fast Sigma primes (order only anyway) he was wondering what else is available.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing.  Sure you can get FX wide angle AF primes, but at f2.8, they’re not that fast.  The Nikon 35mm f1.8 is a standard lens on DX, and none of the fast MF Nikon glass is completely compatible with a D80.  The Nikon 24mm f1.4 is very nice, but it’s ridiculously expensive.

There are two other fast wide manual focus options; the Carl Zeiss 25mm f2 and the Samyang 24mm f1.4.  Sure MF can be a pain in the butt, and both these lenses are relatively large; but they are fully compatible with the D80 and, in the case of the Samyang, quite affordable.

So, the Samyang would be my pick, but I am quite happy with the Sigma 20mm f1.8 I have.

Edward Gardens blossom, Nikon D700 with Sigma 20mm f1.8 @ f1.8