Nikon PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED

Nikon PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D is quite large and heavy to medium wide-angle speed, but not tilt-shift lens - it is actually 60 grams lighter than the comparable Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 II But, it feels very solid and tight with metal and glass. If you have never seen a tilt-shift lens, it can even seem a little intimidating at first, with strange protrusions, knobs and locks. Our review copy much complaint appeared to seriously see how you can see some pictures of our products, but works fine in the box. Comes with lens hood HB-41, you can also see in the picture above.
Aperture ring
Latest contrast to other destinations Nikon PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D aperture ring. The ring is electronically coupled to the iris, and it is easy to turn, so you have to always double check whether it position before you want a shot. The lens has its own depth-button button, it stops the opening to work.
Length scale
The goal is engraved with a distance scale marks the depth of field to f / 8, f/16 and f/32.The focus ring is wide and ribbed, and very easy to use. Focusing is internal, which means that changing the length of the lens and filter thread does not rotate against the background. Auto focus with not that objective.
Keep the version you can turn the lens
Tilt-shift beyond the PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D and 90 ° in any direction from the zero position. The press could be little green top has held down so that you may be able to execute them. Note that the only purpose of such a tab, and its counterpart, Canon has two, an independent rotation of the tilt and shift. We found that the Nikon lens is something very close to the lens of the camera shutter button - press to avoid this attention the wrong button.
A number of movements made with the goal as the objective, or even not be clear. In some areas these are trying to explain the familiar with the terminology.
Lens movement: up / down

First, the lens moves up or down to 11.5 mm. The upward movement is commonly referred to as "high", although the downward trend "case". A large knob with a worm mechanism used to move the lens and lock button on the lower side of the lens the lens to the desired position lock. Then, at the helm the sliding scale in increments of 1 mm.
That's all well and good, but why do you need this functionality in the first place? Well, if you are already photos of the buildings, high above all, I bet you seem to have this problem, at least a few times, the buildings are tilted, including the vertical lines converge at the origin over the back. This is achieved by tilting the camera to get rid of the preliminary plan and make the building fit into the picture caused. If you tilt the camera, the larger sensor vertical plane, and that is what causes the distortion is known.To your vertical vertical, you have the camera perfectly level, but with regular lens attached, it could mean that the tip is not covered by buildings, and you have too many unwanted foreground. (Or, if you are in shooting mode, you can lose the lower part of the building and the sky in the frame.)

Enter up / down. A lens projects an image circle change is too large compared to the probe, so that without vignetting raise their ugly head to be moved (only a complete change - more on that later). Well, how small a millimeter is removed to make such a difference in the definition? The following diagram shows where the circle represents the circle of the projection lens and the red box under the sensor or film, we all hope.(From the article: How can you avoid converging lines)


Therefore, the house is shown inverted, that is the way the lens projects the image on the sensor. Note that the red rectangle that some of the sensor or film of the same amount is in both images - just like in real life, where he remains in force and moves the lens up. Projection moves the platform for the lens and its imaging circle, so that another part of him on the sensor - in this case, the whole house from top to bottom rather than the lower part of the construction of new knowledge and, like the non- offset lens.
For best results, you want to mount the camera on a tripod with three dragonflies, but also take pictures as possible. Most of our sample pictures were on the third page of this review taken with different amounts of "off".
Lens movement: Shift

If the lens 90 ° horizontally instead of moving up or down. If you need to take a mirror - or something else, very thoughtful acts like a mirror - without thinking, before the camera appears in the picture, a small shift to the left or right can be useful. For example, take a look at the other frame, the TV in the middle.


Uh oh. You can clearly see the reflection of the photographer on the TV screen. Well, what if I moved slightly to the left, and turned slightly skewed to the right look!


Although my position changed because some objects in the foreground in the frame (it does not happen in larger area), it is a right turn is allowed to stay on TV in the middle of the picture. And my idea is gone now.
Other uses for horizontal changes stitched panoramas. Instead of turning the camera around, how can usually capture source images for the final image will be only once and left the lens once the right and the images can be easily captured.
Lens movement: Swing

Tilt the lens side is called "Swing" and changes in development, which generally parallel to the plane of the sensor. There are two uses. First, you can very thin slice of the image at the time of creation / art effects.


Secondly, you can sure the camera angle plan, as the wall of a building without developing them fully to stop the lens well.
On the PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED, the knob controls the swing, with teeth close to the zero position and the two ends. The maximum oscillation 8.5 °.
Lens movement: Tilt

Strictly speaking, one speaks of "tilt" when you tilt the lens up or down. To access this function, the target by 90 ° from the zero position. Then you can use the same controller that controls the swing set the desired amount of tilt.
Similarly sideways tilting of the lens deteriorates up or down the plane with the image plane of the sensor. With tilt down, you can take advantage of the Scheimpflug. Having said that - in a simplified form - the sensor level, the level of the lens and the image plane intersect at a point (not, in fact, a line, but the spirit) somewhere near your feet, everything is in development image plane. It is useful for landscape photographers, for example, almost perfect, far from non-stop the lens on the floor and lost due to diffraction problems.
Here's an example: The first shot was taken without tilt, and the lens is no longer all the way down to 32 for maximum depth of field.


All cultures - as expected, they are in focus, but takes the resolution and fine detail for lack of mass diffraction at f/32:

Now let's see if we tilt the lens a fair amount of Scheimpflug what happened:


The design is slightly different because of the slope, but the difference is not as dramatic as the rise / fall. Let's examine the data at f / 8, which is the sweet spot for this purpose:

If not, we had the lens, tilted heavily to the cultures of focus because of the relatively shallow depth of field at f / 8. The inclination of the target, receiving in just the right size, both the fresh uniforms and much better resolution / detail than f/32.
Combine the offset angle and swing to increase / decrease, but unfortunately you can not be combined with tilt up / down - it's a design flaw that can be avoided if the objective independent axes of rotation could be made possible tilt and shift, as the case may be, the Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 II, for example.
Chromatic aberrationAs you would expect from a lens designed for architecture, chromatic aberrations are kept under control - even if you can spot them a couple of photos if you look closely.

Light fallWith the goal of non-displaced, it is actually less than we see used with a full-frame lenses shade - not surprising in view of the oversized image circle. At the maximum offset, however, we can see clearly, vignetting, as the example below. Examples are our sample images.


Compatibility Issues
Houston, we have a problem
The PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED works without limitations for the Nikon D3X provided for this review, but this can not be said of other Nikon cameras. If you go to the body that pop-up flash - Nikon D70, as shown in the picture above - you will not be able to transfer all the way, because the flash on the way housing. In other cases, you have control issues with the Tilt / Shift keys. It's sad because the amazing sense of purpose and DX body (the maximum offset 11.5 mm longer compared to the smaller DX sensor and reducing the angle that makes sense even on architecture photography). I suspect the D1, D1X, D1H, D2H and D2X body works well without built-in flash, but these models are long abandoned.
to control the compatibility of other issues related to the membrane. to stop new professional Nikon D3X bodies such as the no problem to the selected F-on the aperture ring to stop the show, but older and cheaper DSLR must open facilities depth use of the lens press your hand before it was the trigger (this is certainly the case with the D70). The body of the old movie will not work this solution because there is a button with the mechanical Journal.
These limits mean that you really need to own a Nikon D3. D3S D3X or gate works as it should. can be used for some other models existing in the camera, the lens with the above limitations, and the film more companies, it is almost useless