My new AF-S NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED is on it's way!

Today is August 11, 2016. Tonight is supposed to be the peak of the Perseid meteor shower and it is predicted to be the best event for quite a few years (the next event estimated to be as good will be in 2099 - I don't know if I'll make it or not). 

It seems like just yesterday that I got my AF-S NIKKOR 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR. In fact, it was May 3, 2016. Due to my never ending health issues this year, I think I've shot maybe a couple of dozen images with it. 

AF-S Nikkor 20mm f/1.8G

And yet here I am ordering another lens. This time I'm adding the AF-S NIKKOR 20mm f/1.8G ED. I am planning to go out tomorrow evening to use it to shoot some night sky and hopefully capture some of the meteors!

This lens has a much faster aperture than my other wide angle lens, the AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR. I'm using that excuse to add another lens with a focal length that I already have, which I've been avoiding until this point.

Plus, this is a prime, for what that's worth.

I have not been completely unhappy with my 16-35mm f/4 for night skies, but I really got good results last year at the Grand Canyon National Park - North Rim when I used my very cheap AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. That lens is pretty cool since it DOES have a physical focus stop at infinity; you run the focus into the stop and it's focused at infinity. Not beyond.

My 16-35 will continue to be useful, I imagine, for shots with more light and where I want to have more ability to compose with the zoom. I am planning to visit Yosemite National Park this September and I believe I will have a use for both of these lenses. I'm anxious to give it a try and will post more findings when I do.

Another part of my pleasure with that lens was the aperture. What I don't like about the 50mm f/1.8D is that it is a bit narrow. I'm hoping to get the benefits of a wide, prime lens to make up for it.

This lens doesn't have a stop at infinity focus but neither does my 16-35mm so I'm kind of used to it. It just means you need to address focusing in the dark some how (or pre-focusing the lens before it gets dark).

Similar to my 50mm, this lens doesn't have any VR (Nikon for Vibration Reduction). That seems weird when paying this much for a lens (about $800 from Adorama.com). But, that means there's no VR functionality to go bad either. 

The lens is one of the Nikkor "Gold Stripe" lenses, which they appear to put on lenses with the "Nano Crystal Coat", indicated by the "N" with the gold background. 

I've read a good number of reviews for this and some other lenses and the worst review I saw was from Thom Hogan - and it was still good. He just had a bit more detail about it's weaknesses. I don't see how I can go wrong with it - unless illness continues to keep me home bound!