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Anyone using a PC Nikkor?

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Marvo

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Hi all,

Is anyone out there using a PC Nikkor on the S2? I do a lot in the studio with the Sinar 5x4 and need more control over (and more of) depth of field. If I can achieve this with the S2 then I can probably "hang up" the Sinar (for anything under 12x16 in repro). A share of anybody's experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Marvo.
 
I was toying with the idea of buying one after using a buddy's 35mm PC - however, subsequently, I have discovered that PS does an excellent job with it perspective tool. I have done 24X30s of some architectural work in Chicago which was corrected in PS and the results are fantastic.
Marvo said:
Hi all,
Is anyone out there using a PC Nikkor on the S2? I do a lot in the
studio with the Sinar 5x4 and need more control over (and more of)
depth of field. If I can achieve this with the S2 then I can
probably "hang up" the Sinar (for anything under 12x16 in repro). A
share of anybody's experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Marvo.
Click to expand...
 
Hi Marvo

I use the 85mm PC Nikkor for that very reason. It's an excellent lens and works very well on the S2, however, due to the 1.5 factor can be a bit long for some shots.
I have hung up my 4x5 some time ago.
Gunter
 
Günter Pichler said:
Hi Marvo
I use the 85mm PC Nikkor for that very reason. It's an excellent
lens and works very well on the S2, however, due to the 1.5 factor
can be a bit long for some shots.
I have hung up my 4x5 some time ago.
Gunter
Click to expand...
Hi Gunter,
"> can be a bit long for some shots" was one of my reservations.

I need more depth of field though and the quality of zooms at f22 leave a little to be desired. How does the PC Nikkor hold up at the f32 - f45 end of the scale? My trouble is, I'm used to being able to stop my Schneiders down to f45 with no loss of quality.

"Perspective control" is not such an issue now with Photoshop standing by, but control of the plane of focus IS an issue to any studio pro. I'd dearly love to avoid having to shell-out for a large format digital back!
Marvo.
 
I too use the 85mm PC Nikkor and love it. As for using it at f/45, I don't usually need to go that far, after all, this lens also has tilt on it which gives you the control to adjust the plane of focus. I can't remember ever shooting it beyond f/22. A wide angle version would be really nice.

Chuck C
Marvo said:
Günter Pichler said:
Hi Marvo
I use the 85mm PC Nikkor for that very reason. It's an excellent
lens and works very well on the S2, however, due to the 1.5 factor
can be a bit long for some shots.
I have hung up my 4x5 some time ago.
Gunter
Click to expand...
Hi Gunter,
"> can be a bit long for some shots" was one of my reservations.
I need more depth of field though and the quality of zooms at f22
leave a little to be desired. How does the PC Nikkor hold up at the
f32 - f45 end of the scale? My trouble is, I'm used to being able
to stop my Schneiders down to f45 with no loss of quality.
"Perspective control" is not such an issue now with Photoshop
standing by, but control of the plane of focus IS an issue to any
studio pro. I'd dearly love to avoid having to shell-out for a
large format digital back!
Marvo.
Click to expand...
 
Chuck Canfield said:
I too use the 85mm PC Nikkor and love it. As for using it at f/45,
I don't usually need to go that far, after all, this lens also has
tilt on it which gives you the control to adjust the plane of
focus. I can't remember ever shooting it beyond f/22. A wide angle
version would be really nice.

Chuck C
Click to expand...
Hi Chuck,

Thanks for the reply. Could you tell me if you perceive any difference in quality between f22 and say f8-f11? Also, how does this lens hold up wide open? Thanks.
Marvo.
 
Marvo said:
Günter Pichler said:
Hi Marvo
I use the 85mm PC Nikkor for that very reason. It's an excellent
lens and works very well on the S2, however, due to the 1.5 factor
can be a bit long for some shots.
I have hung up my 4x5 some time ago.
Gunter
Click to expand...
Hi Gunter,
"> can be a bit long for some shots" was one of my reservations.
I need more depth of field though and the quality of zooms at f22
leave a little to be desired. How does the PC Nikkor hold up at the
f32 - f45 end of the scale? My trouble is, I'm used to being able
to stop my Schneiders down to f45 with no loss of quality.
"Perspective control" is not such an issue now with Photoshop
standing by, but control of the plane of focus IS an issue to any
studio pro. I'd dearly love to avoid having to shell-out for a
large format digital back!
Marvo.
Click to expand...
The 85 is very sharp in the f8 - f22 range and quite good atthe rest. Lets hope that nikon adds the tilt to their next wider PC lens, 28mm or maybe even 24.
Gunter
 
Hi Marvo,

I'm not sure you realize that the Nikkor 85 PC Micro has both rize and fall (normal PC movement) and well as a TILT or SWING capability ( + and - 8 degrees). This plus the possible rotation of the lens on the camera mount every 30 degrees, allows for alignment of the plane of focus to cut precisely where needed, and has more than enough depth of field to use at f16-22 most of the time, as compared to needing the equivalent of f45 on the 4x5 format. This is a combination of both the inherent depth of field on the smaller format, especially with the tilt and shift, and the longer than normal focal length, that allows for less f/stop. Definitely saves you exposure time, or watt seconds in the studio. It can also be used near wide open and swung / tilted opposite the subject plane for very limited, and very much "artsy" style shallow DOF, ( aka hassy swing back or 4x5 the wrong way ), dream type images. Can't find issues with it other than it is a preset lens ( like all other PCs) and sometime you forget to stop it down. No harm done though, on digital, since you can see the image on the back of the camera, and do another. It does have the electronic contacts for D enabled bodies, so it communicates the distance to subject to the camera, and into the files info. The aperture blades are also more curved and look to be more of them than most lenses, which allows the actual aperture to be almost perfectly round, and precise (maybe less chromatic aberations, stopped way down), and especially helps for round not flat sided, out of focus "circles of confusion" at wide f/stops. At the other end the sharpness DOES NOT degrade at the f45 range as much as other macros ( 60 and 105 only go to f/32). As a tabletop and former 4x5 studio shooter, this gives me all the benefits of the view camera movements I needed to justify spending the bigger bucks. I rate it sharper than ANY of my other primes hands down. I WISH Nikon would come out with a 18 or 20 PC for digital architecturals. Hope this helps you decide. Mel
Marvo said:
Hi Gunter,
"> can be a bit long for some shots" was one of my reservations.
I need more depth of field though and the quality of zooms at f22
leave a little to be desired. How does the PC Nikkor hold up at the
f32 - f45 end of the scale? My trouble is, I'm used to being able
to stop my Schneiders down to f45 with no loss of quality.
"Perspective control" is not such an issue now with Photoshop
standing by, but control of the plane of focus IS an issue to any
studio pro. I'd dearly love to avoid having to shell-out for a
large format digital back!
Marvo.
Click to expand...
 
I have one of these, it's a very well-made lens. The main problem I see is primarily the focal length. Unless you are shooting pretty small items, like maybe hand tools, jewelry,miniatures or small electronics, I don't think you will be very satisfied.

Before you hang up the sinar, mount an equivalent focal length lens, which would be around 260mm on your 4x5, and you'll see exactly what I mean. Often it's nice to be able to get in tight and low and then correct with the shift, for a nice perspective, but with this lens, unless your subject is very small, it isn't really possible.

There was a relatively inexpensive Ukrainian lens called a Arsat PC-35. I don't know if it's still available, but you can read about it here.

http://www.kievcamera.com/camera.php?ID=17

Compared to the Nikon, the construction is completely Mickey-mouse, but the 35mm focal length becomes normal with a 1.5 factor. It was also very difficult to mount to my D1 because there is very little relief between the lens and the camera body. You had to hold the lens stationary while turning the mounting ring. Even so, I did get some good shots with this lens.

You can find a review of the PC85 on Bjorn Rorslett's site,
http://www.naturfotograf.com and also comments on that Ukrainian doodad here:

http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html

Regards,

Matt
 
Matt Chroust said:
I have one of these, it's a very well-made lens. The main problem
I see is primarily the focal length. Unless you are shooting
pretty small items, like maybe hand tools, jewelry,miniatures or
small electronics, I don't think you will be very satisfied.

Before you hang up the sinar, mount an equivalent focal length
lens, which would be around 260mm on your 4x5, and you'll see
exactly what I mean. Often it's nice to be able to get in tight
and low and then correct with the shift, for a nice perspective,
but with this lens, unless your subject is very small, it isn't
really possible.

There was a relatively inexpensive Ukrainian lens called a Arsat
PC-35. I don't know if it's still available, but you can read
about it here.

http://www.kievcamera.com/camera.php?ID=17

Compared to the Nikon, the construction is completely Mickey-mouse,
but the 35mm focal length becomes normal with a 1.5 factor. It was
also very difficult to mount to my D1 because there is very little
relief between the lens and the camera body. You had to hold the
lens stationary while turning the mounting ring. Even so, I did
get some good shots with this lens.

You can find a review of the PC85 on Bjorn Rorslett's site,
http://www.naturfotograf.com and also comments on that Ukrainian
doodad here:

http://www.naturfotograf.com/index2.html

Regards,

Matt
Click to expand...
 
Marvo said:
Hi all,
Is anyone out there using a PC Nikkor on the S2? I do a lot in the
studio with the Sinar 5x4 and need more control over (and more of)
depth of field. If I can achieve this with the S2 then I can
probably "hang up" the Sinar (for anything under 12x16 in repro). A
share of anybody's experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Marvo.
Click to expand...
Has anyone tried the 28mm PC? I can't use it for architecturals anymore with digital, but maybe some other uses. I seem to remember taht it was listed as a no no in the manual-I don't know why but I don't want to be first to try it.
Neil
 
Neil K said:
Marvo said:
Hi all,
Is anyone out there using a PC Nikkor on the S2? I do a lot in the
studio with the Sinar 5x4 and need more control over (and more of)
depth of field. If I can achieve this with the S2 then I can
probably "hang up" the Sinar (for anything under 12x16 in repro). A
share of anybody's experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Marvo.
Click to expand...
Has anyone tried the 28mm PC? I can't use it for architecturals
anymore with digital, but maybe some other uses. I seem to
remember taht it was listed as a no no in the manual-I don't know
why but I don't want to be first to try it.
Neil
Click to expand...
Of course you can use the 28 PC with digital, I do this myself (D1-series cameras). Very early models may have a rear flange that interferes with mounting the lens on a new camera, but not current models (lenses produced after 1990). The 28 PC can even be modified to work as a tilt/shift lens, see
http://www.naturfotograf.com/28pc.html

An example of using the 28PC on a D1 is here,

 
Bjorn Rorslett said:
Neil K wrote:
Of course you can use the 28 PC with digital, I do this myself
(D1-series cameras). Very early models may have a rear flange that
interferes with mounting the lens on a new camera, but not current
models (lenses produced after 1990). The 28 PC can even be modified
to work as a tilt/shift lens, see
http://www.naturfotograf.com/28pc.html
Click to expand...
I guess I'm shot down, my lens is over 20 years old! Neil
 
Neil K said:
Bjorn Rorslett said:
Neil K wrote:
Of course you can use the 28 PC with digital, I do this myself
(D1-series cameras). Very early models may have a rear flange that
interferes with mounting the lens on a new camera, but not current
models (lenses produced after 1990). The 28 PC can even be modified
to work as a tilt/shift lens, see
http://www.naturfotograf.com/28pc.html
Click to expand...
I guess I'm shot down, my lens is over 20 years old! Neil
Click to expand...
Nothing a small metal file or hacksaw can't help solve.
 
Neil K said:
Bjorn Rorslett said:
Neil K wrote:
Of course you can use the 28 PC with digital, I do this myself
(D1-series cameras). Very early models may have a rear flange that
interferes with mounting the lens on a new camera, but not current
models (lenses produced after 1990). The 28 PC can even be modified
to work as a tilt/shift lens, see
http://www.naturfotograf.com/28pc.html
Click to expand...
I guess I'm shot down, my lens is over 20 years old! Neil
Click to expand...
Neil, the 28 mm PC can be used if the serial # is 180901or higher. (Page 19 in the
Fuji S2 manual.) I use mine and it works perfectly in the S2.
**** Fellows
 
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