The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Samyang 20mm F1.8 and the Nikon 12-24mm f4G ED-IF for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Nikon 12-24mm f4G ED-IF is the longer of the two lenses at 90mm. The Samyang 20mm F1.8 with a length of 88mm, is 2mm shorter. On the other hand, there is no difference between the max diameters of these lenses, both coming at 83mm.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Nikon 12-24mm f4G ED-IF weighs 485g, 2% (12g) lighter than the Samyang 20mm F1.8's weight of 497g.
Filter Threads
Both the Samyang 20mm F1.8 and the Nikon 12-24mm f4G ED-IF have the same Filter thread size of 77mm.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for these lenses:
Lens Mounts
The Samyang 20mm F1.8 has the Nikon F (FX) lens mount whereas the Nikon 12-24mm f4G ED-IF has the Nikon F (DX) lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are Nikon D6, Nikon D780 and Nikon D3500 for the Nikon F (FX) Mount and Nikon D3500, Nikon D7500 and Nikon D5600 for the Nikon F (DX) Mount.
Samyang 20mm F1.8 is also available in the Canon EF , Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, Pentax KAF, Samsung NX, Sony Alpha and Sony E mounts.
Focal Range
Samyang 20mm F1.8 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 20mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
30mm.
On the other hand, the Nikon 12-24mm f4G ED-IF has a focal range of 12-24mm and 2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 18-36mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
