Nikon Perspective Control Lenses

[Ara Ghajanian]

Before I ask this question... No, I'm not going to buy a view camera.

Now, the question: what are people's experiences with Nikkor PC lenses? I'm thinking of investing in a 35mm f2.8 PC lens, but I'm not sure which version of this lens is best. There have been several over the years and the MIR website (photography in Malaysia) states that:

"A new version of the PC-Nikkor f/2.8 was introduced during Photokina in 1980. This was not solely a normal lense update but rather a thorough revamp optically and cosmetically. It uses one element lesser in its new 7 elements in 7 groups optical design and has improved areas such as light fall-off from center to edges, while common optical aberrations such as field curvature, coma, and chromatic aberration are also very well corrected. Many users feel, the revised lense supersedes the predecessor in optical performance."

Does this statement hold any validity?

I want to use the lens for correcting architecture and to create strange perspectives also.
Ara

 

[Markok765]

Canon is the best! get the TS-E 28mm F3.5L

 

[cdholden]

Ara,
I've not used the Nikkor/Nikon PC lenses, but it's my understanding they are only shift. If you're looking for control, there is a lens in the Canon FD line that has tilt *and* shift... 35mm/2.8 (and can be changed to move tilt from horizontal to vertical). I know there are EF alternatives, but they cost more and require different bodies. You could pick up an older FD body with Nikon adapter and have your choice of either manufacturer's offerings. Sadly, it won't work the other way around due to lens-to-film distance.
I know this doesn't answer your question, but thought I'd add my two cents anyway.
Best of luck.
Chris

 

[Claire Senft]

I have no experience with the Nikon PC lenses. I have both a 35mm and 28 mm PC lenses. I find the 28mm the more useful focal length.

 

[resummerfield]

I have the 8-element PC-Nikkor 35mm f2.8. It’s an earlier version of the f2.8 series, with NIC coating, but made before the 1980 version with the cover over the adjusting spindle. It will give you 7mm shift, or 11mm rise, depending on how you rotate the lens in it’s mount. Most people consider the 8-element versions better than the earlier f3.5 6-element design. I think mine is exceptionally sharp, slightly better than my 35mm f2.0, and much sharper than the modern AF zooms.

 

[John Koehrer]

I believe the new 80-85mm Micro nikkor also has a tilt capability.

 

[Sparky]

Tilt is ridiculously overrated. It's one of those things that everyone shops for but nobody actually uses beyond the first few months (and that's only because they're wanking!). Seriously...!

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

Hello Ara,

I rented a few versions of both the 28mm and 35mm before buying my own 35mm f2.8. I thought the 35mm showed less edge distortion than the 28mm, which was a greater reason for me to choose that than trying to get a wider view. I did not notice a difference between the older 35mm and the later version, other than the mount is machined slightly differently. That slight difference might be important if you are using a Nikon body that does not have a flip up AI tab. The bodies that have that are the F2, FM, FE, F3, F4, or the F5 and F6 when modified (if I missed any, some please post the others).

In general, I think the 35mm f2.8 shift lens makes a great wide open straight (unshifted) 35mm. I use it often unshifted or shifted. It is not very user friendly, and easy to make mistakes, since it is a preset lens. A lens hood also helps, though needs to be used carefully when a filter is mounted, in which case the shorter lens hood can be better. I have the HN-1, HN-2, and HN-3, and vary between those depending upon filter usage or shift amount.

Ciao!

Gordon

 

[narsuitus]

After I sold my large format system (I kept my medium and small format systems) I purchased the Nikon 28mm f/4 PC to give me some of the perspective control that I had with my large format system and to give me the ability to remove the camera as the distracting object in mirror shots. Some people use the shifting feature to produce panoramic shots but I do not.

Here are some of my notes on the lens:

1. The perspective control feature is limited (compared to a view camera) but it is better than nothing.

2. When I don’t need perspective control for 35mm architectural work, I usually use the Nikon 28mm f/2.8 lens and the Nikon 35mm f/2 because they are smaller, have an automatic diaphragm, and are faster to operate.

3. When I need perspective control for 35mm architectural work, I find I need perspective control more at the 28mm focal length rather than the 35mm focal length.

4. The 28mm lens perspective control feature would be useless to me if I were shooting with an APS-sized digital SLR.

5. The shifting mechanism and especially the adjustment knob on this lens are delicate.

6. Using through-the-lens metering with this pre-set lens is a pain for me. It is much easier for me to use a hand held light meter or the Sunny 16 Exposure Guide to determine exposure.

7. Too often I lose a shot because I forget to stop down the preset diaphragm before taking the shoot.

8. One thing that really surprised me was the slight amount of barreling in the lens. The barreling is not a real big problem for me -- I was just surprised because I assumed that a lens designed for architectural work would have no barreling.

9. Even though all I really need for architectural work is the shifting perspective control feature, I wish Nikon would produce a revised version of this lens that also offered the tilting/swinging feature for some depth-of-field control.

 

[Petzi]

I case you didn't know, the Schneider PC-Super-Angulon 2.8/28mm is also available with the Nikon mount. It has 12 lens elements and interchangeable lens mounts.