Get the 20 1.8, equal build quality, equally as sharp, more versatile, smaller, lighter and cheaper. I returned my 24 to exchange for the 20. Lots of reviews on YouTube, Dustin Abbott has a good detailed one.
I'd say 24mm is definitely more versatile IMO. Works great for portraits, landscapes, astro, cropping to use as a 35mm f2 lens etc.
The 20 is great if you want to touch UWA focal length but doesn't work as well for environmental portraits.
I don't see why not. A bit of extra care may be needed but 20mm shouldn't be all that worse than a 24mm.
With lenses like this your issues will include perspective distortion but I assume you're not going for a tight head shot here so assuming the shot is taken from a distance and the subject isn't posed in a way which could make the perspective an issue you should be ok on that... which leaves converging verticals and the possibility of people at the edges being distorted. Be careful though and I don't see any great issue going from 24 to 20mm.
A while back I stumbled onto a blog and the guy had shot a series of what I'll call boudoir portraits with a wide angle, all in good taste mind and they were good. Googling may find some 20mm environmental portraits. I'll do some myself over the next few weeks, if I get the chance. I was intending to get my 20mm out anyway.
I don’t find it too wide tbh, guess it depends what your main use will be.I was trying to decide between them actually. I was thinking the 20mm might be starting to get a little too wide
There is a fair bit of difference better 20mm and 24mm and also between f1.8 at 20mm and f1.4 at 24mm.
It's nothing to do with taking care, you can almost use any lens for anything. It's just that 24mm in my experience just works better for portraits than 20mm or anything wider. I have had plenty wider lenses (still do in fact) and shot with them but I keep coming back to the 24mm/1.4 for majority of the portrait shots. I have (stupidly) sold it twice and bought it 3 times. Won't be making that mistake again.
That is not to take anything away from the 20mm, it's also a great lens but I don't think it's as versatile as 24mm.