PC 19mm f/4 E ED

[pluton]

There is also the thin possibility that Michael's copy of the 19mm is 'off' by a small amount of manufacturing error;  within Nikon specs, perhaps, but variant enough to be detected.

[Erik Lund]

Michael, the colors from the flower with the Nikon seem to be warmer (more pleasing than with the Otus, is that due to the lens or due to development?

Well,,, apart from the obvious - Two very different focal length and design criteria, a 1.4 made for perfection wide open and the other a ultra wide angle made for large image circle tilt shift work,,, The light and white balance are very different in the two images, that is quite clear when you look at the back ground cloth; First image is black and the light is almost flat/soft or muted - in the next the cloth is blue and the window light is brighter.

What aperture was these shot at?

[Erik Lund]

There is also the thin possibility that Michael's copy of the 19mm is 'off' by a small amount of manufacturing error;  within Nikon specs, perhaps, but variant enough to be detected.

That is maybe a little early to state

[Michael Erlewine]

After some consideration, I've decided that, for my work, the 19mm PC-E would not add that much. Ultimately, the acuity is just south of what I consider necessary. It is sharp, but not exactly sharp as I need it. I know that others will respond that I don't know how to focus it, and there is focus shift, distortion, and all that to consider.

Granted, it is difficult to focus, especially when tilt is involved, but we all know that. It is the widest lens I have used that includes the tilt movement, and I have to admit that it is a bear to focus. Not easy. And it could just be me, but I find the results not jumping out at me as I had hoped. I am sorry about that.

And the worst impression I've had is that here is just “another” Nikon lens with some movements. But whatever the reason, it does not movie me. However, the Nikon El Nikkor 105mm APO grabs me, as do the Printing Nikkors, the Noct, and many of the "exotic" industrial lenses, as well as those for Large Format lenses like the 120mm Nikkor AM-ED, etc. 

If this tells you anything, I am also selling off the three Nikkor PC-E lenses I have (24, 45, 85mm), and the Nikon 14-24mm and 24-70mm zoom lenses. They no longer grab me either, and are not well-corrected enough for my work. The bottom line is that I don’t find myself using them.

I wish that the PC-E 19mm would have been what I hoped it would be, and it is nice, but at the price of a Zeiss Otus, it is not of that quality. I am looking at (eternally hopeful!) the new Nikon Milvus 18mm lens that is about to be released.

[bobfriedman]

Until i figure out how to upload attachments inline with text i am protecting the images as i don't want them displayed global - my kitchen

i apologize in advance for the subject matter of my kitchen.. weather and work have precluded using the lens outside for now.. these were taken a couple of weeks ago when i received the lens. I am not all that happy with the performance at $3.6k  Especially the distortion when fully shifted as well as flare.


Nikon D810 ,PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED
1/20s f/8.0 at 19.0mm iso800


cropped from above


Nikon D810 ,Carl Zeiss ZF2 Distagon T* f2.8 15mm
1/15s f/5.6 at 15.0mm iso50


Nikon D810 ,Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G ED
1/15s f/5.6 at 14.0mm iso500


Nikon D810 ,PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED
1/25s f/5.6 at 19.0mm iso400


almost full tilt - forget exact number
Nikon D810 ,PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED
1/6s f/5.6 at 19.0mm iso400


cropped from above with PS perspective correction


Moderator comment: Bob will upload the images again if/when possible -

[Erik Lund]

Bob you are comparing ISO 800 and ISO 50 - The light seems to be very different looking at the shadows on the floor?

[bobfriedman]

Bob you are comparing ISO 800 and ISO 50 - The light seems to be very different looking at the shadows on the floor?

should have been ISO=500.. cut it off..

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Use a tripod and base ISO if you're going to test image quality. It is very difficult use movements successfully without a tripod. I have used PC lenses for almost 20 years and would not even think about hand holding such shots. Even a tiniest error (movement in camera position or angle) ruins the whole effort. Live view should be used to finalize focusing and the image should be carefully inspected and reshot after tweaking the adjustments, if unsatisfactory. Preferably also the lens should be stopped down if movements are used, as the full image circle usually is only accessible through stopped down operation (at least in other PC Nikkor wide angles; I have not used the 19mm yet). If I recall correctly, the 24mm achieves its maximum image circle at around f/11. Thus that would be the typical aperture which I would use to gain the most from the movements. With the 85 PC-E I sometimes do shoot wide open for flower shots or portraits, for effect, but for architectural or landscape, I stop down.

I'm wondering why was perspective correction in software used for the last image? Should not the lens allow tilt and shift along the same axis, correcting keystoning using the shift and applying tilt without having to do warping in post (and lose sharpness and angle of view)? Or did the freedom of the movements or the image circle run out? Thanks.

[Akira]

Apparently the 19E shows the least amount of flare.  The contrast should be tough to manage...

[bobfriedman]

Use a tripod and base ISO if you're going to test image quality. It is very difficult use movements successfully without a tripod. I have used PC lenses for almost 20 years and would not even think about hand holding such shots. Even a tiniest error (movement in camera position or angle) ruins the whole effort. Live view should be used to finalize focusing and the image should be carefully inspected and reshot after tweaking the adjustments, if unsatisfactory. Preferably also the lens should be stopped down if movements are used, as the full image circle usually is only accessible through stopped down operation (at least in other PC Nikkor wide angles; I have not used the 19mm yet). If I recall correctly, the 24mm achieves its maximum image circle at around f/11. Thus that would be the typical aperture which I would use to gain the most from the movements. With the 85 PC-E I sometimes do shoot wide open for flower shots or portraits, for effect, but for architectural or landscape, I stop down.

I'm wondering why was perspective correction in software used for the last image? Should not the lens allow tilt and shift along the same axis, correcting keystoning using the shift and applying tilt without having to do warping in post (and lose sharpness and angle of view)? Or did the freedom of the movements or the image circle run out? Thanks.

did all that.. of course i used a tripod - check the exposure times

[bobfriedman]

by the way... this was not some formal test.. merely informal shots of my kitchen.. and i hesitated to post this as i password protected my pbase site since i don't want my kitchen on it..

until i figure out how to use the attachment feature correctly i have decided to re-apply the password

[Frank Fremerey]

I wonder why there are not lenses with tilt-only function for controlling the focus DOF/focus plane. I almost never wish for a shift-lens, but a tilt-lens would be very useful for macro and landscape. A tilt-only lens does not require a larger image circle like shift lenses, so the optics could as compact and affordable as a regular lens.

The tilt of the lens is for composition the shift of the chip holder for stitching

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Here is an example shot with the 24 PC, where I used the tilt movement to extend the sharpness from foreground to background, but because the movements are perpendicular to each other, I could not use shift to correct for the keystoning. With the 19mm this problem should be solved because it allows independent movements.  It is often the case that I want more foreground than sky and prefer to position the horizon clearly above the midline of the frame. This can only be achieved using shift or cropping, and cropping is not so good in a superwide angle shot because it limits angle of view and reduces sharpness. If the camera is pointed down you get this kind of an effect which I can't help but think is sloppy work:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ilkka_nissila/23868394779/in/dateposted-public/

I would prefer the icicles to be vertical and the cabin to stand straight. Yes, I get it that post-processing can fix such things with some loss of angle of view but the whole idea of perspective correction lenses is that you avoid having to make such compromises. Also, I just prefer to get it right out of the camera. Use of tilt rather than stacking in this type of subject matter has the advantage that the movement of ice floaters in water does not corrupt the process since a single image is usually enough. I find that focus stacking software can have difficulty with transparent and moving parts of the scene such as ice, water etc. Tilt is one tool which helps manage the situation.

A friend of mine has been using the Canon 17mm TS-E and 24 TS-E II for years.  It is a little embarrassing that in the Nikon 24mm, the relative orientation of the tilt and shift axis cannot be adjusted on the fly. Since the 19mm is so expensive, and extreme in angle of view, I'm actually hoping that Nikon update the 24mm with a new design sooner than later. I have more use for 24mm than 19mm and don't like the fact that the 19mm can't take basic protection in the form of a hood.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I wonder why there are not lenses with tilt-only function for controlling the focus DOF/focus plane. I almost never wish for a shift-lens, but a tilt-lens would be very useful for macro and landscape. A tilt-only lens does not require a larger image circle like shift lenses, so the optics could as compact and affordable as a regular lens.

A lens with only tilt would be severe limited in practice. You do need the shift in addition  to keep the planes aligned where you need them and/or to trim the composition.

My first T/S lens was a modified 35 PC basically only with tilt. I quickly learned my lessons thus my next and improved modification, using a 28/3.5 PC as host, involved both kinds of movement.

[Frank Fremerey]

Wonderful capture of the floating ice and a very good example, Ilkka!