Hey Everyone ! I hope you are all keeping safe ! As always I hope you find this video useful when it comes to deciding between these two wide Angle lenses. I Was really surprised by how well the 14-30mm held up against the prime in the centre of the image and when both lenses are stopped down. For now the 14-30 is still my go to wide angle lens. What do you think let me know !? Thank you so much for watching !

This analysis helped me to finally decide. I know it's a lot of work for you to do all these tests, but they really are very helpful. 👍👍

Thanks for the review, I’ve just purchased the 14-30 and I am pleased with the astro shots I am getting at 14mm. I won’t be changing to the 20mm prime either.

Thanks for this thorough analytic video. I recently migrated to mirrorless with a Z6ii. I do landscape and portrait. The kit lens 24-70 that came with the z6ii is really good but a little limiting while doing landscapes. I was struggling trying to make my mind between the 20mm and 14-30mm. Now you just helped me make up my mind, I am going for the 14-30. Thanks again.

Extremely useful as always. This lens isn't high up on my shopping list - I have the 14-30mm f/4 and really have no complaints. I did consider it might be useful for astro but I hadn't considered the points you made on that subject, so thanks. 👍

Thank you for the comparioson, Ricci. This, along with your previous comparisons, definitely helps me narrow down my options to realistic numbers.

Perfect as always - thanks for this comparison

Incredibly helpful! Thank you for the detailed reviews.

Exactly what I've been looking for, Thanks.

I was waiting for this. Thanks Ricci

I like your reviews and the way you compare lenses, it's helpful for us who moved to Z mount to choose what we need Thank you 👍🏻

Great comparison Ricci, and it’s kind of what I assume the results would be. The 14-30 lens is really stellar for such a nice small light ultra wide zoom. Only thing I’m disappointed in is I wish Nikon would come out with a 70-200 f/4 in a nice small light package, that would be dream lens for landscape photography

Thanks for the videos man ! Great job :)

That's an excellent comparison of the 2 lenses. I really enjoy using the 14-30mm lens. It is very light, sharp and gives me the 14mm focal length when I need it for landscapes. I frequently using it as a walk around lens as the performance is great at 30mm.

Love your videos. These comparison angle is very special and useful. A lot channels ignore this kind comparison.

Ricci, a very helpful comparison. I certainly am one of those who has had the struggle to choose between the two. I rented both at the same time and was a bit shocked at how well the zoom held up in comparison.

Hi Ricci, thanks for doing this. I have just picked up the 14-30 along with the 85 1.8s, it’s really useful to see these comparisons.

Great Video, just what i was looking for!!

Very useful and interesting on the Astro shutter speed thing at the end. I've never owned anything wider than a 20mm, so I'm tempted to try the 14-24mm.

I just re-watched this video as I was going to buy the 20mm F/1.8S to shoot some astrophotography. Your summary regarding this type of photography has now saved me £1000 as I already have the 14-30mm, which I will stick with and save the money towards the 24-105mm or 100-400mm lenses when they eventually get released.

Thank you! I was debating if I jumped too quickly with the 14-30mm and not given myself much room in my budget for a faster lens, however, this puts the anxiety to rest, especially on the astrophotography concerns I had. I now have $$ for one of the new Z's to be announced on the other end of the spectrum. Great job as always.

Regarding astro photography, the 20mm prime at f/1.8 will still let in more light on the sensor. There's a spreadsheet which you can download from this article: petapixel.com/2017/04/07/npf-rule-formula-sharp-star-photos-every-time/ And in that spreadsheet I used the Nikon D750 as a "stand-in" for the Z6 since it's still got the same size sensor. Copying the data for the Nikon D750 to new rows I change the lens info in each new row, for 14mm f/4 and 20mm f/1.8. I set ISO to 6.400 for both. The 14mm f/4 lens allows a shutterspeed of 22.75s and the EV value calculated is -6.51EV. The 20mm f/1.8 lens allows a shutterspeed of 12.08s and the EV value calculated is -7.90EV. Lower EV means you can shoot with less light available; the wider aperture will make up for the shorter shutterspeed. Of course, if you're happy with the astro photos which you get using the 14mm f/4 lens then there's no need to change, and the extra wide angle is very welcome! But for pure light-capturing ability, 20mm f/1.8 wins.

Hey Ricci, when are we getting the video on the 24-200 lens? Waiting for that to see if I should preorder it. As always, thanks for all the detailed testing you do!

Great comparison !!! Thanks. Specifically for Astro/Milky way, I would actually value the F1.8 a lot more than the wider 14mm but with F4, to me this is HUGE difference, I would rather use the 20MM and do a simple stitching, with all the software out there this task become so easy these days, but I am amazed how great the image quality that we can get out of a little F4 zoom lens.

Great video as always, one of the reasons I picked up the 20mm to compliment my 14-30 was for two reasons, better shaped and sharper stars at the edge of frame and a more accurate ability to shoot MY panos. As soon as lockdown is eased I’ll be out there with my new 20mm f1.8 👍

I haven't got my hands on the 20 1.8S yet, but I'm finding the 14-30 sublime. Comparing it to my older 16-35 really showed up a world of difference in terms of corner sharpness. I was thinking of the 20 1.8S but think I'll wait for the 70-200 2.8S first, very jealous of you being able to get one!

Your Explanations are really helpful, so would I be happy when you continue. thank you

Thanks for the extremely useful vid Ricci! It really has made me realize what a brilliant lens Nikon have made with the 14-30. The ultrawide 2.8 zooms have always been an imperfect fit for landscape photographers because f2.8 is wasted for them. And that makes them larger and heavier, always a con for landscape shooters, and on top of that they are very difficult to use with filters. But landscapers have always been forced into them to get the image quality they need. Now Nikon comes along with an extremely small and light ultrawide zoom, that accepts standard threaded filters, and that has fantastic performance at f8 and up - which is the only performance that really matters for landscapes. It's the lens that maybe even most landscape shooters didn't know they needed, and it really shows how much effort Nikon has put into understanding the needs of real photographers when designing their Z lenses.

Another excellent video. Love the analysis methods you use to compare the Z lineup. I personally have both the 24 and the 14-30. I use both although have only shot Astro with the Z6 50mm f1.8. Probably won’t be purchasing the 20 anytime soon. I’m thinking the 70-200 will be my next lens a little down the road. Thanks many many times for all you do for us in the Z world! -Bud

Thanks for your review! I, too, am comparing these lenses. I shoot events, not landscapes so the 2.3 stop advantage the 20mm offers is huge for me, not only to get a fast enough shutter speed in dark indoor situations, but also to feed the AF system more light to better focus in dark situations. I'll probably eventually end up with both lenses, although at this time I can borrow a Nikon 16-35mm f4 AF-S when I need to go really wide so the 20mm f1.8 will likely be my next purchase. I would love to have an 18mm f1.8 (or even f2) for the Z mount!

Thanks Ricci, Appreciate the comparison of the 2 lenses. I can now make an informed decision. Great video

Nice comparison, really helpful, thanks a lot.

Thanks for your efforts. This is what a comparison should be.

Great video. Thanks for that!

Very instructive. I own the 14-30/f4 and can confirm the results. It's a great lens.

Really helpful & informative, I have both of these lenses on my wishlist. I've always been a fan of a nice 20 prime lens, and so far that's what I'm leaning towards. New sub here as well. :)

Great comparison, i'm going to have to wait for a wider prime lens for astro and landscapes. Just wish I had that 70-200 already!! I'm insanely jealous!

Good video Ricci :) I might opt also for the 14-30mm although I also prefer to wait for the new 14-24mm before deciding. It will all depend on the ability of the brighter lens to take filters. If they make it like the Canon, I will definitely go for it, if it is bulbous like the current F model then the smaller brother wins... decisions, decisions.

Thank you for your reviews! The 14-30 is absolutely fantastic. A comparision with my Fuji 10-24 would be great - but I know ... you only do Nikon reviews :)

Thanks for the Great comparison!

Just found your video today. I am shooting with a Z6ii and it confirmed that the 14-30mm is the lens that will be the one that works for me rather than going to a prime. The one prime that really works for me is the Sigma Art 50mm for street and portrait it's edge to edge is amazing. Thanks again for the video.

Richie, thank you very much for your concise info & opinion. You helped me greatly!

Hey man great stuff as always, thanks for your upload. I regard your channel as one of the very few actually worthy of peoples time, the other one being Steven Perry’s backcountry gallery. I am really going into mirrorless once the 14-24 f2.8 is available, to cater for my landscaping needs , mostly I shoot wildlife . Hence why I cannot wait for your thoughts on the D6. Currently shoot D5 and a pair of D850s, and TBH I cannot find myself excited about the D6. I never judge on spec sheets and never rely on what the various “Big” brand shills YT channels say. If one goes back in time a bit and see what they said about the Zees then one can never take any of these channels seriously!! Therefore your uploads on the D6 are highly anticipated !! Thanks for your efforts man Stay safe and God Bless.

Ricci, Thank you very much for doing this video comparison, these were exactly the two lenses I was trying to decide on which one to get. You’ve helped me decide and I’m going to do opposite as you and purchase the 20mm 1.8S. I like the sharpness it provides throughout the entire frame and it’s also the cheaper lens. I don’t plan on doing much photography other than Astro photography at 20mm so I figure saving a little money and getting a slightly sharper image is a good trade off for not being able to go extra wide at 14mm. Thanks again for helping me with this decision.

I purchased the 13-30 largely on your recommendation. Very satisfied in terms of my use case. Thank you.

LOL Gotta love Ricci -- who else would have a D6 as a prop!

thank you so much for this review.....I can't wait to see the comparison between the nikon z 14-30 f 4 and the nikon z 17-20 f 2.8

fantastic review! helped me understand the capability of 14-30 in astrophotography. changing my mind to the zoom lense which can more flexibility in landscape shooting.

great comparison, thank you - I bought the 20mm but am going to change it out for the 14-30

Thank you for posting another great video about these new Z lenses. These comparisons give me exactly the kind of info I want to know about when considering a new lens. Like you, I think I will stick with the 14-30mm for now. For travel photography, having that focal range and optical quality packed into such a small lens is unbeatable. I can't wait to see how the 20mm 1.8 and 14-30mm f/4 stack up against the 14-24mm f/2.8 when it launches.

I totally hadn’t factored in the shorter speed for the 20mm for astro. Makes it about the same. Thanks for that, you just saved me a lot of cash!!

Excellent vid. Thanks.

Great video, I am trying to make this decision as we speak.

Thank you for your time Ricci

Great review. Thanks :)

Great video Ricci - hope you are keeping safe! Chris.

Great work

Extremely helpful. I was considering getting the 20mm as I really prefer prime lenses. But, since I already have the 14-30 there just doesn't seem to be enough of a difference to justify the price.

Thanks for the helpful video. Unfortunately, I'm still hesitating because I have no experience with a 14mm focal length and have found f1.8 to be extremely appealing. Always perfect light and great perspectives. Greetings from Germany Raule

Nice comparsions as always, Ricci! I tend to agee with your conclusion, though I rarely do astrophotography. Especially since you've shown that image quality between these lenses are virtually equal at f/8 in the center, I'd rather have the versatility advantage of the 14-30. I do wonder how the sharpness of the 14-30 at 24mm @say, f/8, compares to the 24-70 f/4 at same settings? Thank you!

thanks exactly what i was looking for

Thank you Ricci . Verry good video as usual. I have the Z6+14-30 and i'am really pleased with both . When are you going to test the 24-200 ? The quick look was a too big Teasing for me 😉 !

Good Video. i have the 14-30 also, and same for me, once the 2.8 is released, i will end up trading up. but first, seriously the release of the 70 - 200 2.8 delays are killing me.

Really helpful thank you

Nice love it

Thanks Ricci, for another very clear comparison. I agree with you about the 14mm focal length, even with my f-mount lenses. I have the 20mm 1.8, and the 14-24 f/2.8, and prefer the 14-24 for astrophotography. (although both are excellent) Take care, and stay safe!

Really like to see a comparison between the 20 1.8 vs 14-24 2.8 at f8 outside

pretty astounding for zoom to compare well to prime, I'm sold....except for the 14-24 f2.8 that is waiting in the wings

Hey Richie I really like the systematic and standard way you test your lenses. Please keep up making more videos. One thing however I would like to ask you. Have you ever considered making test comparisons between Nikon Z lenses and comparable 3rd party lenses like Tamron? I would really love if you can compare the Z 14-30 f4 against the Tamron 17-35 f2.8-4 OSD DI.

Great review and as said; it depends on the use or purpose of the lens. I recently had the option of a 2nd hand 14~30 or a new 20 mm Z for my Z6ii, and considering I love shooting low light dance / social events (available light only), I opted for the prime 20mm lens for the light capture and better shutter/aperture choices. I already have the Z 50mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8 for this purpose as the primes give me the results I want, and when the light is better (and for general everyday use) I use my Z 24~120 S which is a brilliant all-rounder. They are all great lenses and I don't discount the notion of acquiring a 14~30 sometime in future.

What a teaser having the 70-200mm standing there :-). I am very happy with the 14-30mm and it also works very well in IR

That little 14-30 is impressive. I was really surprised by the focus breathing on the 20, doesn't really affect me, but still surprising.

Thank you for these very detailed comparisons Ricci - they are very informative. One aspect that wasn’t covered was coma: do you know if the 14-30 handles coma as well as the 20mm?

As always you provide great comps and review and an invaluable service to the Nikon community! Bravo! I just bought the Z7ii so trying to decide what to do with my full set of D500, 800 and 850 cameras and lenses. Sell the lot and go all in on the Z lenses or hold for now and make gradual sales and swaps. Have you kept all your DSLRs and F-mounts?

I keep my 20mm f1. 8 F mount because of how Nice sunstars I can get and The close up almost wideangle macro.

So glad I bought the 14-30, it has to be one of the very best lenses I've ever invested in. I have the 35 1.8 and the 50 1.8 so I don't need a bag of primes and my wide angle shots are not needing that extra DOF. One damn fine lens that 14-30.

Very Good video. Other reviews I have seen were also positive for the 14-30 F4. I bought the 24-70 F4 when I got the Z 6 II. Now the 100-400 S lens is on the Z 6 II. I also should add I use the Z fc with the 16-50 a LOT! am buying the 14-30 f4 which is being delivered with the Z 9. The Z 9 will be also used when I get the 800 F6.3 PF when I can afford that!

The 14-30 shows itself to be an almost perfect super wide angle landscape lens. I don't recall ever shooting a landscape shot at f4.

Compare? I would like to have both:). But thanks for the comparison! First getting the 14-30 f4 because of the versatility. Man I love the Nikon Z system. Not one native lens is dissapointing

First Thank You! I have the 20mm but not the 14-30mm, hoping for 14mm prime for astrophotography. Use a 14mm Rokinon but not thrilled with it. I love your comparisons! Had I seen it earlier (not possible) I likely would have bought the 14-30mm instead. Drawback of being an early adopter! Still, happy with the 20mm.

Well done, Ricci. I never shot zooms and am not going to change that. I have to say, that Nikon made a leap forward in the optical quality of these new Z/S zoom lenses. Wow. Yes, between them, the differences are marginal and arbitrary. The argument to go with the 14... for astro - totally valid. I thought in a couple side-by-side comparisons that the zoom had slightly less contour sharpness and with astro, with all those tiny twinkly spots, that is what you need. Also it seemed that the zoom had a couple shots where certain color patches were either less saturated or brighter (for instance in the first side by side, the left bottom brown patch). But still marginal. Side by side you have a hunch, but really need measurement equipment to figure it out. That means in normal use, even in difficult circumstances, there is no difference. The focus breathing of the zoom was impeccable. Wow. I can totally imagine that lens one Z camera doing movie, whether in FX or DX.

When it comes to reviews I enjoy this presenter's information.I have been thinking about buying both lenses.These lense, my standard view I guess is prime is always going to win over zoom at their respective lengths. Seriously I am wondering if it's now down to light room skills as much as any correct lens choice ,given the correct choice has been made . Now I would like to say I have found this information really useful. I am not sure which the 14-30 mm z or the 20mm z (has weight helps to sway me more than price) . I look at photos constantly, my overall opinion before purchasing a lens is to consider these old and tried statements before purchase . 1 ( it's a bad craftsman that blames his tools .) And my own take on that is 2( it's an even worse craftsman that has no tools !) In Lightroom some errors are corrected some seemingly by magic brought to life ,by being recreated too bring out the awe factor. Equipment , capture , and light room skills only enhance composition. Many good a tune is played on an old fiddle, but seriously I know the temptation to purchase the latest and greatest..... My point is for any incoming wanna be photographer, learn your craft. Once you are up and running purchase accordingly . I chose to purchase the 14-30 for two reasons. One light room ,and two weight .In All forms of photography from street to landscape and everything in-between, what makes the photo work is its appeal to the viewer. Learn to choose wisely use the reviews and learn about both Lightroom and equipment . We learn quicker by listening to those more experienced . My one greatest thrill is having the expectation my next photo is going to be great. That thrill alone is priceless. It makes getting up or staying up worth something. I got a lot out of the review. Even at the age of 68, it's always worth checking out stuff from whatever source there is. Because the saying goes " There's no fool like an old fool". Great review very helpful.

Thanks @Ricci Talks, another outstanding video. You and Steve Perry are my go-tos. I shoot with a Z6 and will shoot astro for the first time on a trip to a Bortle 1 site. Excited to try my 14-30 f/4 S lens. Do you use (or recommend) Long Exposure NR when shooting astro with the 25s exposure you mentioned? Thanks, and stay safe.

I love my 14-30, but I use it in low light vlogging and would really love Nikon to release a 14mm, or even 16mm 1.8 prime, S line of course. It would be an absolute game changer.

Didn't expect such focus breathing from a fix and total absence of it in a zoom... Not good for a focus stacking. But am still think ing of getting 20 mm to add to my 14-30 just for picture quality (thanks to your tests it's more obvious now, especially in the corners) and aperture. It seems to me that Z lenses offer more shallow DoF than F lenses at the same apertures. By the way, didn`t you think by chance of showing also some outdoor picture comparisons i.e. outside the studio? Just an idea, I do not insist of course.Your test are already good as they are and tremendously helpful

I just got my Z6 and went into the shop today - first time out in a long time now that they have started some openings. I was looking for the 20mm f1.8 instead of the 14-30 f4 because of my desire to do some astrophotography. I never considered the 20mm vs. 14mm differences you noted. Now I am torn, I never considered going all the way to 14mm for astro, but I have never shot astro before and always assumed the 1.8 vs 4.0 would be the real difference maker when it came to great astro shots. This is killing me...

I'd be curious if you could do a comparison (perhaps with a few lenses) to see how the in-camera Diffraction Compensation (option) works and if it's any good in helping reduce diffraction at higher apertures, like those at f/11 and beyond. Did you have that option turned on/off in this comparison?

NIce video. I was fascinated by the difference in focus breathing between the two. You didn't mention this, and I was wondering if you find it a big deal. I imagine it would be more of a problem if you are focus stacking in post. Thoughts?

This came back up on my list of vidoes and so I watched it again and I feel that at 7:12 when comparing the 20 to the 14-30 both at f/4, there might be a hint of more ghosting (especailly around the "D6" logo) but given the zoom level, you probably wouldn't see it in practice. But I do feel the 14-30 does exhibit some ghosting at f/4 (wide open). And even if you look at the Nikon logo in the center of the frame, the 14-30 looks slightly ghosted there too, and the 20mm is a bit more crisp in terms of the lettering.

Hello Ricci, Nice to see again, Supper video I one of the thing you said so true on these lenses reviews it the once you upload to youtube you loose some quality. Which make it even harder for us mortals. But the it youtube. I does look more and more like I am going to have to get into the Z series. I thing I am just waiting for the 105mm macro lens at that point I will get it and the Z7 or above. As I think this lens its still a bit away. Question I know you work for / with Nikon enjoying the D6 or liking the Z series or are they just different tools of different jobs? Thanks again.

Nice work, as usual. :bow: Nikon is really hitting the ball out of the park with these Z zooms. I was very quick to pull the trigger on the 14-30mm when it came out since the 12-24mm zoom F mount was a very popular lens for me. For some odd reason the 14-30mm has NOT been used that much. But it's an odd year so I'll wait and see. Thanks!

I love the old 20mm f1.8 F lens. But apart from landscapes and astro the convenience of a zoom is hard to ignore. There is a need for a faster ultrawide Zoom.

Ricci, we need a comparison between the 24-200mm and the 24-70mm f/4

nice channel📸

This 14-30mm is really outstanding !!! I will buy it quickly before the price increase. The no breathing on it is also very interesting.

nice review. I was looking for this 14-30 F/4 much cheaper than F/2.8 one but hesitated for the sharpness and I see your results look nice ! Do you see a huge difference on z6ii between 14-24 F/2.8 and 14-30 F/4, especially after using lightroom and/or some softs like topaz sharpen ai... ?

Thanks for the video. The difference is quite drastic. At 14mm you can shoot up to 25 sec and have sharp stars, at 20mm you can shoot up to 15 sec, which is less than a full stop, but you gain 2 and 1/3 stops and loose 2/3 stops, so practically you gain almost 2 stops of more light with the 20. Not to mention that the stars look better on more mm. I personally dont like wide angle astro shots, as the milky way doesnt have so much details as on 20 or, 24 or 50mm and panorama. So my go to lens for astro is actually 50 and panos, and 20/24 for timelapses. I have 20 1.8g, but its not that good for astro, so I might change it with 20 1.8s or 24 1.8s. But the 14-30 is so tempting for landscape work as it's so versatile and small.

It's crazy how compact the 14-30 is as well. Tbh I'd have been happy with an even slightly more compact 14-24 though because I couldn't see myself using a wide angle lens for above 24mm

Thanks a lot for this video! Focus breathing seems quite noticeable on the 20mm, how do you explain it? This lens hasn’t got focus breathing according to Nikon... I mean it makes the lens less attractive for video! Thanks, Cheers from Switzerland

Leave comments again. Very useful practical comparison. Not just read the lens profile. This is what we need