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Nikon 35mm PC lens on a Sony A7R

felix5616

Member
anyone have any experience using an older, manual focus Nikon 35mm PC lens on an A7R? looking for a manual focus 35mm lens for my A7r
 

Saxbike

Active member
Here's the text I posted on Dyxum about the PC-Nikkor 35mm f2.8:

When I was shooting Nikon film cameras (F2 and Nikkormat FTN), I knew about this lens but never found the extra cash to purchase it. Prices are low for these manual focus Nikkors, and I just acquired a fairly used copy for a little over $100. The lens definitely shows signs of use and has a little play in the shift mechanism, but the glass is clean with no sign of haze, fungus, or cleaning marks. I mounted it on the a7 with a Fotodiox adapter. This adapter has a very secure fit and allows for perfect focus at infinity with my other Nikkors. However, with the PC 35mm, I was having a problem reaching infinity focus. I tried another adapter which is a cheap ebay model. I suspect this adapter has a more relaxed tolerance because a lens with this adapter always seemed to focus just a little past infinity. Therefore I had to be careful to stop the focus before the infinity symbol in order to get true infinity focus. Maybe the manufacturer chose this approach so that the sloppy tolerance would not keep a lens from focusing to infinity. Nevertheless, I have found it perfect for the PC 35mm. Using this adapter, I can get infinity focus.

So how does the lens perform? Very well. I was in Chicago and spent some time working with this lens. It is very nice to take shots of architecture without the need to process them to correct the perspective. Using software to correct always results in some loss when you crop the finished photo. With the PC nikkor WYSIWYG. I set the EVF to show the a7’s level and composed my shot by adjusting the lens while keeping the camera level. Very easy to do handheld. It is a very good lens. Is the Sony FE 35mm f2.8 sharper? Yes. But good PP can make up for the slight difference in acuity.

At first I thought I’d sell the lens, but I think I will hang onto it for awhile and keep experimenting with it.

Some sample images:

#1 - Burberry

Camera Model: ILCE-7

#2 - Brooks Bothers

Camera Model: ILCE-7

#3 - On the River

Camera Model: ILCE-7

#4 - Pizza Place off Michigan Ave

Camera Model: ILCE-7

#5 - Looking Out Toward Navy Pier

Camera Model: ILCE-7
 
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