Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

Durlacher
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

Hi Everyone,

Hoping to share my latest review of the Nikon PC-Nikkor 28mm F3.5 lens.

Please find the video link below for your enjoyment:

https://youtu.be/5kA6lQhznL4

Background for reference - I recently had the opportunity to travel to Ipoh and Penang (Malaysia) and knowing a little of the old shop house architecture, thought 28mm would be the ideal focal length combined with shift functionality for capturing scenes.

In theory, it was the perfect combination! In practice, there were a few surprises with the PC Nikkor that I had not expected. One must bear in mind that this was a flagship and very expensive lens in its day - expectations were high!

Despite the shortcomings, it proved to be an immensely fun and enjoyable lens to use. One just needs to know it's limitations.

Whilst images rendered are fundamentally flawed, they have a character which I have found to be eminently appealing.

I hope you enjoy the review and best wishes to all.

P.S. Review of the Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AIS coming up (a stellar performer) and the Nikon 35mm PC lens!

Huge fan of Nikon manual lenses, current Nikon F1 and F6 film camera shooter, D810 among my collection of digital cameras.

Feb 06, 2023 at 05:55 AM

Elan II
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

Absolutely spectacular review. I'm surprised no one reacted to it.

I have this lens. I find it useful for exteriors, where capturing tall elevations with straight perspectives would mean major cropping, and that's if you can even move back far enough to do that. The distortion issues are not that noticeable with that application.

Mar 23, 2023 at 03:49 PM

rdeloe
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

This is a nice, thorough review, and very professional. Well done. I appreciated your optimistic perspective on the lens' issues, and your willingness to embrace its flaws.

I wanted a 28mm lens that covered the GFX sensor, allowed for a bit of shift, and could be adapted for tilt and swing on my digital view cameras by removing the shift mechanism. I tried a copy of the PC-Nikkor 28/3.5 lens and found it unsatisfactory for my purposes.

I then tried the Pentax K 28mm shift lens that you mention in your video. It was worse. So being ever optimistic, I tried a second copy of the PC-Nikkor... and it was still unsatisfactory.

I ended up with the Leica PC Super-Angulon 28mm f/2.8, which is not awesome on GFX if I'm honest, but better than the PC-Nikkor. In fact, at f/11 the PC Super-Angulon is very sharp (if you don't shift it much). Like the PC-Nikkor, it has the classic moustache distortion of old wides. But if you work within its limits, it's a good lens.

Seeing as this is a Nikon forum, I should mention that the Leica PC Super-Angulon 28/2.8 is not really a Leica lens. It was made by Schneider-Kreutznach for Leica, but Schneider-Kreuznach also sold it under its own branding with a Nikon F mount (among several others). I saw both versions briefly in your video, side-by-side in a chart. The two versions are identical except for the mount and the cosmetics. The Schneider-Kreutznach PC Super-Angulon is another 28mm option for Nikon users.

Mar 23, 2023 at 05:14 PM

CATProductions
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

Curious as to how the Nikkor PC-35mm compares.

Mar 23, 2023 at 07:39 PM

Durlacher
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

Elan II wrote:
Absolutely spectacular review. I'm surprised no one reacted to it.

I have this lens. I find it useful for exteriors, where capturing tall elevations with straight perspectives would mean major cropping, and that's if you can even move back far enough to do that. The distortion issues are not that noticeable with that application.

Hi Elan, many thanks for your kind feedback and my apologies for the belated repl. Somewhat distracted the past three months finalising my latest lens review - Tokyo Kogaku Topcor 58mm 1.4. Your positive response is encouragement to keep creating more lens reviews.

Aug 04, 2023 at 09:03 PM

Durlacher
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

CATProductions wrote:
Curious as to how the Nikkor PC-35mm compares.

A very good question, and one I should be able to answer soon. I have a copy of the 35 PC waiting for review. The 35PC is the most compact of shift lenses (I believe). Potentially the ultimate travel lens if the image quality holds up - and even if it doesn’t, potentially loads of character!

Aug 04, 2023 at 09:07 PM

Durlacher
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

rdeloe wrote:
This is a nice, thorough review, and very professional. Well done. I appreciated your optimistic perspective on the lens' issues, and your willingness to embrace its flaws.

I wanted a 28mm lens that covered the GFX sensor, allowed for a bit of shift, and could be adapted for tilt and swing on my digital view cameras by removing the shift mechanism. I tried a copy of the PC-Nikkor 28/3.5 lens and found it unsatisfactory for my purposes.

I then tried the Pentax K 28mm shift lens that you mention in your video. It was worse. So being ever optimistic, I tried...Show more →

Hi rdeloe, thank you so much for your detailed contribution. Owning the Leica PC lens too, I fully concur with your findings. Resolution is vastly superior, yet distortion on my copy remains a major problem. I’m astounded these premium lens could be marketed principally for architectural applications.

The Pentax K shift is in my kit waiting it’s turn for review, expectations aren’t very high from what I’ve read.

Thus far, the best performance I’ve seen for shift applications are with the Canon TS E 24 and 50mm options and adapting Pentax 645 lenses via shift adapters ( my first video provides examples). Regrettably, nothing great for 28mm focal lengths.

However, I have an option I’m working on for a video coming up that is a very interesting workaround. It involves a Nikon lens and will give 28mm shifted functionality - and a lot more.

Stay tuned.

Aug 04, 2023 at 09:24 PM

rdeloe
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Nikon PC Nikkor 28mm F3.5 - Detailed Review

Durlacher wrote:
However, I have an option I’m working on for a video coming up that is a very interesting workaround. It involves a Nikon lens and will give 28mm shifted functionality - and a lot more.

Stay tuned.

I'm still tuned.

Did anything come of your workaround?

Nov 20, 2023 at 01:29 PM


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