Nikon to ship bright, ultra-wide 20mm full-frame prime, video-friendly SB-500 Speedlight imminently
posted Friday, September 12, 2014 at 12:01 AM EDT
Nikon shooters: Have you got a little extra cash burning a hole in your pocket? If so, we have the cure: two new accessories that will pair nicely with your Nikon DSLR!
Announced today, the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED lens is a bright, ultra wide-angle prime lens for FX-format cameras that, says its maker, "is ideal for architecture, interiors, wide-angle landscape and creative group portraits".
(Of course, you can shoot with it on a DX-format camera too, but the focal length crop will tame its ultra-wide nature, resulting in a 30mm-equivalent optic.)
The new lens has a 94-degree field of view on full-frame, or 70-degree on an APS-C camera body, and sports 13 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherics and two ED glass elements. It has a 7-bladed, rounded aperture diaphragm, Nano Crystal Coat, accepts 77mm screw-on filters, and has a maximum magnification of 0.23x. Autofocus is provided for with a Silent Wave Motor, and the optic has an internal-focusing design that will work down to 0.2 meters.
Dimensions are 82.5mm in diameter, 80.5mm in length, and weight is around 355 grams. The product bundle includes a snap-on front cap, rear cap, HB-72 bayonet hood, and soft lens case. Priced at US$800, the Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G ED prime lens goes on sale in the US market from late-September.
At around the same time, the video-friendly SB-500 Speedlight will be arriving, priced at US$250. Features include simplified controls, a guide number of 24m / 78.7 feet at ISO 100, a 90-degree bounce / 180-degree swivel head, and a 100-lux LED video light that will cover a 24mm lens on FX-format or 16mm on DX-format.
It includes support for Nikon's Creative Lighting System in Commander or Remote modes, and is also pretty compact (2.6 x 4.5 x 2.8 inches; 8 ounces), thanks in part to a design that requires only two AA batteries. Recharging time is rated at 3.5 seconds with NiMH rechargeable batteries.
If you're ready to preorder now, you can get an early spot in the queue and help support Imaging Resource by using the links below: