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NIKKOR PC-E Micro 85 mm 1:2,8D, Tilt-Shift
- Thread starter Ben730
- Start date
Based on my copy of the 85 PC-E:
Good in a modern classic sense. What’s in focus is sharp across a 36x47mm 3 Z7 frame stitch. There’s some minimal lateral CA ~1px in the shifted corners. I haven’t noticed any significant distortion and I’m usually pretty picky about that. Where it shows its age is some colored bokeh at wider apertures. I haven’t tried it beyond that stitched frame size. I can shoot some samples later this week/end if you let me know what you’re interested in.
Good in a modern classic sense. What’s in focus is sharp across a 36x47mm 3 Z7 frame stitch. There’s some minimal lateral CA ~1px in the shifted corners. I haven’t noticed any significant distortion and I’m usually pretty picky about that. Where it shows its age is some colored bokeh at wider apertures. I haven’t tried it beyond that stitched frame size. I can shoot some samples later this week/end if you let me know what you’re interested in.
Here's a distant test shot at f/8 - 3 Z7 portrait frames shifted 11.5mm apart with the lens shift mechanism, so 36x47mm virtual sensor size, ~90MP. There's a hint of aliasing in the fine twigs at the upper corners.
100% details of upper right corner:
1. All corrections on - sharpening, sharpness falloff, CA correction
2. Sharpness falloff off, all others on
3. No sharpening, no sharpness falloff, CA correction on
4. All corrections off
100% details of upper right corner:
1. All corrections on - sharpening, sharpness falloff, CA correction
2. Sharpness falloff off, all others on
3. No sharpening, no sharpness falloff, CA correction on
4. All corrections off
The Nikon PC-E Micro-Nikkor 85mm f2.8D is optically the same as the older Nikon PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f2.8D. The addition of the Nano coating on the PC-E version has some advantages with flare and ghosting and of course the "E" has the ability to set the aperture ring at 'L' so you can stop down electronically. However, image quality is only slightly better at wide open but similar at f5.6 and smaller than the older PC version which BTW is exceptional on high MP bodies such as the Z9.
I had the 85mm PC I had during my Nikon SLR-shooting days and used it for a time on a Fuji Gfx 100s. It was okay for landscapes, and its performance was tolerable at f/11. Compared to native glass, it is noticeably lacking. I ended up selling it because its image circle was too small to use effectively for panoramic stitching. Don't get me wrong; this lens is very usable, its build quality is excellent, and its focal length is desirable. It's just that there are likely better options out there, and I felt like the results I got with cropping images taken with the 45mm GF 2.8 and a nodal slide were excellent and provided more flexibility.
In the meantime I have read rumors about a new 20 mm + 85 mm tilt/shift with Z mount.
Too bad that Z is not adaptable to GFX.
I will wait anyway, I have enough other solutions to shoot with 85 mm and shift,
a Nikkor would be a small luxury.
Sometimes a T/S lens with a mirrorless is simply faster than my view camera with Digiback.
As for the 19mm PCE, I see no reason to replace it. This lens is excellent, even on the GFX.
Too bad that Z is not adaptable to GFX.
I will wait anyway, I have enough other solutions to shoot with 85 mm and shift,
a Nikkor would be a small luxury.
Sometimes a T/S lens with a mirrorless is simply faster than my view camera with Digiback.
As for the 19mm PCE, I see no reason to replace it. This lens is excellent, even on the GFX.