Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6 VR Review

Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Handling and Features

There's no denying the usefulness of the 10-20mm range, on the APS-C format this being a “35mm format equivalent” of 15-30mm. The 230g weight and restricted aperture of f/4.5 to f/5.6 all help to contribute towards the miniscule form factor. There is even VR (Vibration Reduction) built in, the on/off selection being controlled from within the camera menus. Also controlled by the camera are the aperture and the AF/MF selection. All this no doubt saves space in the actual lens construction itself.

The front element is surrounded by a 72mm filter thread and this in turn is surrounded by the bayonet fitting for the (supplied) petal lens hood. There is a thin manual focusing ring, fully active during AF as well as MF, and this allows a maximum magnification of 0.17x at the closest distance of 0.22m, or 0.8 feet.

The only other control on the lens is the wide zoom ring, with the settings marked very clearly at 10, 12, 14, 16 and 20mm.

If the lens is removed from the camera body, this reveals a plastic mount and a baffle to help reduce flare. Plastic mounts can be perfectly serviceable and durable and with such a light lens this is not likely to become an issue. The mount is fixed to the lens by just three screws where some lenses may have up to five even on plastic mounts, but to be fair it does seem solid.

Compatibility lists are provided in the instructions as the use of older Nikon bodies is not supported by the lens. In some cases the bodies that are usable may need a firmware upgrade to use the lens correctly.

The optical formula comprises 14 elements in 11 groups, including 3 Aspherical elements. The diaphragm has 7 blades and Nikon claims these to be rounded. When viewed through the lens though the usual diaphragm shape can be seen and it is a little way off being a circular aperture.

VR (Vibration Compensation) is provided in compatible bodies and this is controlled by a menu option “Optical VR”. The only question mark is how much VR might be needed in an ultra-wide lens, but the inclusion of settings up to 30mm (equivalent) does bring the lens potentially to near a standard focal length.

In use, the lens is absolutely fantastic, a real joy to shoot with. The viewfinder image is bright and clear, the AF is snappy and utterly reliable and the actual focal length range allows for a very wide range of photographic expression. This is all in a very compact package that is ideal for travel.

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