This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC, also known as PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED, a special purpose wide-angle lens designed for architecture, cityscape and landscape photography. “PC” stands for “Perspective Control”, but I will refer to this type of lens as “tilt-shift” in this article. Architecture and cityscape photographers often work with straight lines and tilt-shift lenses give the ability to avoid the convergence of vertical lines by shifting the lens upwards or downwards. Landscape photographers often want to keep everything in focus, especially when dealing with close foreground objects. Stopping down to very small apertures results in, which impedes sharpness. Tilt-shift lenses offer an alternative to stopping down by tilting the plane of focus, putting both closest and furthest objects in focus. In post-processing software is another way to achieve maximum focus without stopping down excessively, however, the technique also has its pros and cons, making tilt-shift lenses unique in their own ways.

• Nikon 19mm Tilt Shift Flickr
• Nikon 19mm Tilt Shift Used

This is an in-depth review of the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC, also known as PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED, a special purpose wide-angle lens designed for architecture, cityscape and landscape photography. “PC” stands for “Perspective Control”, but I will refer to this type of lens as “tilt-shift” in this article.

The ability to apply selective focus on a particular part of the image via lens tilting allows distant subjects to appear “miniaturized”, although this effect can be reproduced in image editing software, as well.Tilt-shift lenses offer many enhancements over traditional lenses, but they are expensive, not easy to use and come with a few compromises. First, the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is a manual focus lens. You must rely either on the viewfinder and focus indicator to achieve sharp focus, or the live view screen and subject zooming for precise results. Additionally, when doing extreme tilting and shifting, the focus indicator does not work, making focusing via live screen the preferred method. Second, you will have to learn how and when to use a tilt-shift lens and get a good grasp on exactly what tilting and shifting do to your subjects.

Third, you will need to understand and and how tilting can change the lens plane relative to the image plane (the ). Finally, tilt-shift lenses generally do not offer large maximum apertures, making tripod usage critical in low-light situations. Tilting, shifting, and rotating the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is a pleasure with its easy-to-reach knobs and locking mechanisms.

Let us go through these individually.Tilting: Tilting the plane of focus is done using a large circular knob located on the top of the lens. On the bottom of the lens is a lock switch and a small tension adjuster. In this manner a photographer can make precise adjustments to the plane of focus and lock the tilt mechanism when not in use.Shifting: Shifting the lens’ view is even easier than adjusting tilt.

A single knob protruding from the side of the lens moves the shift mechanism. No lock is available.Rotating: The tilt and shift mechanisms both work in a single dimension. Luckily, Nikon has provided an excellent rotation mechanism that allows each function to be rotated independently by up to 180 degrees with notches every 30 degrees. Rotation is locked using a lever on each rotational axis.

NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 3/1, f/8.0Weather and dust sealing are not guaranteed with this tilt-shift lens. Tilting and shifting functions require the lens barrel to move, making a tight seal impossible. However, after using the camera for a few weeks in mixed environments, I did not see any issues with dust making its way into the lens.One of my few grievances with the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is the bulbous front element and no lens hood. It is understandable that such a lens would have its field of view impeded by a hood, but walking around with a glass globe sticking out made me nervous. Nikon’s 14-24mm f/2.8G includes a built-on hood; a similar concept would have been great for the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC.

NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 15/1, f/11.0 4) Lens Sharpness and ContrastThe quality of the images produced by the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is fantastic. Sharpness is even across the frame, including when making large shifts. At f/4 sharpness is very good, but this lens really shines at f/5.6, showing exceptional performance. Colors and micro-contrast are what you would expect from a professional lens. I would characterize the images as cool in tone. More information on the lens sharpness, along with comparisons to other similar focal length lenses can be found further down in this review. NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/500, f/5.6 5) BokehNikon’s 9-blade rounded diaphragms deliver very smooth.

The Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is no different; it delivers consistently smooth, round bokeh balls. I was somewhat surprised at how well this lens renders out of focus elements. Many wide-angle lenses do not render out of focus elements smoothly or consistently across the frame. Even when tilting and shifting, I did not see the bokeh balls become malformed. But this is not something you would generally have to worry about – after-all, wide-angle lenses and especially tilt-shift lenses like the 19mm f/4E PC are not made for bokeh – even wide open at f/4 and a relatively close subject at minimum focus distance, you will have a hard time getting things out of focus in the background. Here is an image where I exaggerated bokeh by intentionally de-focusing the subject: NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/320, f/4.0At the same time, bokeh can definitely become important when tilting a scene, as can be seen from some of the sample images in this review. 6) VignettingMost lenses experience light falloff, also known as, in the corners when shooting at maximum aperture.

The Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is designed to yield practically no vignetting. Even at its maximum aperture of f/4, the amount of vignetting is only stronger at infinity focus and it never passes above 0.8 EV, which is very impressive. Once stopped down to f/5.6 and smaller, vignetting is almost non-existent – you will not notice it in images.

Below is how Imatest measured vignetting for the lens at different apertures:Unlike traditional lenses, tilt-shift lenses project an image circle much larger than the camera sensor so that barrel movements do not cause extreme vignetting. However, falloff does become apparent as the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC nears maximum shift. Stopping down to f/5.6 definitely helps a great deal though, as indicated above.

Combining heavy tilt and shift can result in light not reaching the edge of the sensor at all, but this is a rare use case. 7) Ghosting and FlareWhen a bright light source enters a lens directly it can cause unsightly spots resulting from light reflecting off of glass elements inside the lens. Are especially common with wide-angle lenses with their large fields of view and small lens hoods.

Many Nikon lenses use a coating technology called Nano Crystal Coat to reduce reflections inside the lens. The Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is equipped with this technology. In my testing, the 19mm f/4E PC handled bright light sources very well considering that it has a wide angle of view and no hood: NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/50, f/11.0Keep in mind that the amount of ghosting and flare you will see in images will vary depending on where the light source is in the frame, its size and how strong the light source is is. If you are planning to include the sun in the frame and you see strong ghosting and flare, consider moving the sun in the frame or use Nasim’s technique to in images. 8) Chromatic Aberrations(CA) is an unsightly green, purple or magenta outline found near areas of high contrast in an image; for example, black lines against a bright sky can cause CA.

This optical design defect is most prevalent at the edges of the frame in wide-angle images. The Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is designed in such a way that its lateral chromatic aberrations are minimized at all apertures. Even in the most contrasty situations, I saw only minimal CA in resulting images.

Shifting the lens to its outer limits may increase CA a bit, but in my testing this was extremely minimal. Here is an image captured with a very bright sky: NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 200, 1/50, f/5.6And here is a 100% crop from the image that shows a very slight amount of lateral chromatic aberration: Close-up of High-contrast ZoneBelow is data extracted from Imatest:As you can see, at wide open aperture of f/4, there is about 1.25 pixel of vignetting, which gets reduced as the lens is stopped down. 9) DistortionWhen it comes to, as expected from a wide-angle lens, the Nikon 19mm f/4 PC definitely shows signs of distortion, especially at close distances. Imatest measured 0.95% barrel distortion, which is in line with the, which has a little less 0.82% barrel distortion. The only wide-angle lens that stands out in this category is the, which shows practically no barrel distortion at close focus. NIKON D810 + 19mm f/4 @ 19mm, ISO 400, 1/80, f/5.6Unless you are planning to shoot straight lines at relatively close distances, you should not worry about fixing distortion in post. The lines in the above image look straight and the image was not corrected for distortion in post, just like all the other ones in this review.

10) Sharpness TestBefore we dive into sharpness figures and start comparing lenses, I would like to point out something very important: designing wide-angle tilt-shift lenses is a pretty tough challenge, especially when it comes to resolving power throughout the frame. The Nikon 24mm f/3.5 PC-E was a very good lens until 36 MP sensors arrived. That’s when we started seeing that the lens was not all that good, especially towards the edges of the frame. It took Nikon many years to introduce the 19mm f/4E PC, which was specifically designed for high-resolution sensors. Let’s take a look at how the lens performed in our lab tests using Imatest:Right off the bat, the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC shows pretty impressive wide open performance in the center of the frame.

Considering how close the lens was to the test target, even mid-frame and the edges look really good at f/4, which is something many lenses struggle with. Sharpness peaks at f/5.6 and once stopped down further, the performance of the lens starts to diminish rather quickly.How good are the above numbers and what do they mean? Let’s find out by comparing the lens performance to popular wide-angle lenses from Nikon.

11) Lens Comparisons 11.1) Nikon 19mm f/4E PC vs Nikon 20mm f/1.8GYou might be curious how much a single millimeter impacts a lens’ angle of view. One millimeter is equivalent to roughly 3 degrees. So a 19mm lens compared to a 20mm lens has virtually no difference in how a subject will appear. This is where the similarities between these lenses end.

The is a small, fast, relatively cheap, general-use wide-angle lens. It can be used for a huge variety of subjects, and really shines with architecture, panoramas and astrophotography. The Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is a highly specialized tool with a slow maximum aperture and a large price tag, so there is no comparison there.

NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 200, 1/80, f/8.0For these reasons, most photographers would be better off with something like the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G. However, let’s not forget that the 19mm f/4E PC does not compete with such lenses and never will – it can do things standard lenses will never be able to. If you are an architecture photographer, you would have to capture a scene with a much wider lens in order to leave enough space for post-processing software to be able to deal with corrections. And even after all the corrections, the software will most likely leave very little resolution to work with, especially if the subject is very close. If you shoot landscapes, you would have to plan on utilizing the to be able to capture the foreground and the background with all the detail. And if you are dealing with wildflowers at a very close distance and you have slight wind, good luck trying to get all that detail.

A lens like the 19mm f/4E PC takes care of such issues – you have the flexibility to tilt and shift using the lens itself, with no extra post-processing steps. You have the ability to correct perspective distortion and change the focus plane when needing to capture all the detail in the foreground and the background, all in a single exposure.

So keep all this in mind when comparing specialized tilt-shift lenses to standard ones, especially when it comes to sharpness. Depending on what you are trying to do, sharpness might not even be relevant.Now that we have all that covered, let’s see how the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC compared to the 20mm f/1.8G in the lab in terms of sharpness:It is pretty clear that the two lenses are very different optically. The 20mm f/1.8G is going to resolve more detail at f/4 in the center when compared to the 19mm f/4E PC.

However, take a look at how both lenses do in the mid-frame and the corners – the 19mm f/4E PC is remarkably good there, especially at the edges of the frame. Although the 20mm f/1.8G catches up at f/5.6 and smaller apertures in the edges, the tilt-shift lens shows excellent edge performance at all apertures. 11.2) Nikon 19mm f/4E PC vs Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8GThe is an extremely versatile wide-angle zoom lens. It covers ultra-wide to standard wide-angle scenes with incredible sharpness corner to corner even when shot at maximum aperture. This lens is a favorite of many serious Nikon shooters and it is used widely by many landscape photographers. However, just like the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G, the 14-24mm is designed for general use photography.

Again, the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is a much more specialized lens (thanks to its tilting and shifting abilities), built specifically for architecture and landscape photographers. There is also a $1,500 difference in favor of the 14-24mm f/2.8G, distancing the 19mm f/4E PC even further.

NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 100, 1/50, f/5.6Just like with the 20mm f/1.8G, we should not be comparing these lenses purely based on optics, but rather on their intended use. The 14-24mm covers a lot more angles, both on its wider and longer ends, so it is a bit more versatile in that regard. At the same time, the 19mm f/4E PC is a prime lens that might not be as versatile in comparison, but it does have its unique uses, as explained above.Here is how the two lenses compare in the lab at similar focal lengths:While the 14-24mm f/2.8G shows comparable performance in the mid-frame and the corners, it certainly does better in sharpness in the center of the frame, especially when stopped down to f/4 and f/5.6.

However, this difference is very minimal and not something you would notice in images. While this is a testament to how amazing the 14-24mm f/2.8G really is as a zoom lens, let’s again not forget that we are looking at two lenses for different uses. 11.3) Nikon 19mm f/4E PC vs Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-EThis comparison pretty much comes down to four things: how much of a difference does 5mm, no filters, sharpness and a large price tag make? 5mm may not sound like much, but it gives the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC a 13.5% larger angle of view than the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E; this is significant for wide-angle photography. One focal length is not better than the other, and your preference will depend on your subject and your vision as a photographer. Some photographers prefer getting closer to a subject with super wide angle lenses, while others find 24mm to be a great compromise. Landscape photographers might not like the fact that they cannot mount a standard circular filter on the 19mm f/4E PC, while they can on the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E (for cityscape and architecture filters are less crucial).

This means that one would have to use a third party solution that will be able to accommodate filters on the lens. And those filters are not going to be small. Based on the looks of the lens, a filter holder would need to mount to the front part of the lens like a hood – that’s the only mounting point that is available on the front of the lens barrel. That’s how the seems to be designed and I am sure others will follow. Sharpness-wise, there is a pretty big difference between the two lenses, as shown below. And lastly, the difference in price between these lenses is pretty significant – the 24mm f/3.5 PC-E costs $1,200 less than the new 19mm f/4E PC.

NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 3200, 1/20, f/4.0Let’s compare the sharpness of these two lenses and see what Nikon was able to achieve with the 19mm f/4E PC:The sharpness difference between the two lenses is pretty shocking – the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E shows quite poor performance at its maximum aperture, which gets better as the lens is stopped down. Unfortunately, even when stopped down to f/5.6, the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E cannot reach the same sharpness as the 19mm f/4E PC.

In fact, when testing the two lenses side by side, the 19mm f/4E PC looked as sharp wide open as the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E stopped down to f/5.6. And that’s just in the center! Take a look at the edges of the frame and you will see why the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E needs to be replaced sooner than later – it just cannot resolve much in the corners. Unfortunately, the lens does not get any better when stopped down – even at f/8, it struggles quite a bit, unable to yield sharp images.

We went through two samples of the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E in our lab and both showed very similar results, so this is not just sample variance at play.In short, the 19mm f/4E PC is a much superior lens in terms of resolving power when compared to the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E – there is simply no comparison. Is the difference worth the $1,200 price premium? For a working pro who uses tilt shift lenses extensively, it would most likely be worth it, especially when shooting on high-resolution cameras like the Nikon D810. 12) SummaryThe PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED is Nikon’s latest addition to its set of perspective control lenses.

Nikon 19mm Tilt Shift Flickr

These lenses are targeted at small groups of photographers that demand special performance from their equipment. Specifically, the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC is designed for architecture and landscape photographers that want to keep vertical lines from converging, or want to be able to change their plane of focus to make everything from foreground to background appear sharp in their images. When used as a panoramic tool, the 19mm f/4E PC can also be used to easily stitch several vertical or horizontal images without dealing with nodal slides and other panoramic equipment. It also has uses in architecture and other types of photography where shifting the plane of focus can produce an interesting depth effect by selectively limiting what appears in focus in the resulting image. Lastly, tilt-shift lenses can also be used to create a “miniature” effect through limiting the plane of focus to a small area when looking down on a scene (although I found it difficult to do with the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC due to its huge angle of view).

NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/500, f/5.6Depending on what you are trying to do, computer software is often a cheaper alternative to buying a tilt-shift lens. Software programs such as Lightroom and Photoshop allow photographers to straighten converging lines and create miniature effects without using expensive lenses. However, software can only mimic what a true tilt-shift lens is truly capable of. It requires planning ahead of time and depending on how close and how tall the subject is, could result in heavy cropping and loss of resolution. In many cases, extreme stretching of subjects as a result of heavy perspective distortion correction yields very undesirable results, making the quality of images look very poor and unappealing.

Tilt-shift lenses are specifically designed to overcome such issues, making it easy to frame and compose an image, allowing to see the end result right away.The same challenges can appear in focus stacking. When dealing with close subjects, many lenses tend to change their field of view, making it difficult to perform proper focus stacking. In addition, since focus stacking software often uses masking to merge the results, it can be rather difficult to deal with transitions and other resulting problems. Tilt-shift lenses can address such issues with ease, as one can change the plane of focus and put sharpness exactly where it needs to be in the scene.

That’s why many macro and landscape photographers choose tilt-shift lenses.I very much enjoyed testing the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC and I am very pleased with the quality of the results. This was the first time using a tilt-shift lens, and although it took me some time to get used to it, the results speak for themselves. This lens empowered a level of creativity that I had not experienced before. If I were a working pro who needed such a specialized tool, I would definitely consider purchasing it for my business. I can see how such a lens would pay for itself quickly for a busy architecture or landscape photographer.I would highly encourage architecture and landscape photographers to give tilt-shift lenses a shot – it may open up a lot of possibilities for you. For other photographers with less specialized needs, I would recommend sticking to Nikon’s 20mm f/1.8G or 14-24mm f/2.8G lenses, because these options are cheaper and better suited to most photographic applications. NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 3200, 1/13, f/5.6Additional notes from Nasim: I had a chance to test two samples of the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC-E in my Imatest lab.

I am happy to report that both samples were consistent in terms of resolving power and had very little optical problems to deal with. There is some to deal with, but it is generally not an issue, especially when using live view.

For best precision and accuracy, I highly encourage to use live view with high magnification. For vertical shots, Nikon’s live view split screen is a life-saver. And let’s not forget that this is the only tilt-shift lens in Nikon’s arsenal that you no longer have to send to Nikon for swapping out the tilt/shift axis / orientation. The ability to easily rotate the axis is an absolutely amazing feature for landscape photography and something I hope Nikon will incorporate in every tilt-shift lens in the future.

Overall, the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC-E is the best tilt-shift lens I have ever used. Although I have not had a chance to take it to shoot landscapes yet, I am definitely planning to do that in the future. 13) Where to BuyYou can purchase the Nikon 19mm f/4E PC lens from our trusted partner, 14) More Sample Images NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 2/1, f/9.0 NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/250, f/8.0 NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/250, f/8.0 NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/200, f/8.0 NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 6/1, f/11.0 NIKON D810 @ 19mm, ISO 64, 1/60, f/11.0The post appeared first on.

Product Rating: 5 Stars out of 5Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): This is the best Nikon wide Perspective Control Lens to date - amazing sharpness and professional controls.I have a passion for wide angle lens and I have a passion for PCE lens - now what do I do? The only thing I could do, I bought this lens. This lens opens many opportunities that a normal lens cannot achieve, from artistic shots, distortion-free, in lens pano stacking, and focus control.Given the fact this lens is mostly a manual lens with a specific design function it will not appeal to everyone. But if you are reading this article I suspect you are interested in one for yourself. When I first became interested in PCE lens, I did not think too much of them and passed them over due to my misconceptions.

I was just mis-informed and thought what do i 'really' need a PCE for? After making my first PCE purchase, I began to understand the benefits, sure it is the manual lens, for the most part, this lens is a 'thinking' photographers lens, capable of providing some interesting effects + the ability to manage those converging lines.I have two other Nikkor PCEs, but this version is a bit different so let us outline the differences.

First: Angle of View, @ 97 degrees on a FX body while the closest Nikkor PCE is the 24mm PCE @ 84 degrees. Obviously, the 19mm PCE offers a wider almost distortion free angle of view. Providing greater ability to bring taller and wider subjects into view without moving further back, and in some situations not possible. The wider angle, in my opinion, is a blessing and 19 seems about right.Second: This new PCE has a better-engineered tilt-shift mechanism: this is the best-engineered PCE lens Nikon has ever made. Turning the knobs allow for fine incremental adjustments with the ability to lock in that setting for a no 'creep' lens angle. The older PCE lens have tension knobs and if you did not torque tightly the lens had a tendency to creep during some situations. This new 19mm PCE deals with that issue much better and overall the 19mm PCE has better user mechanics.

You will enjoy using this PCE.Third: Nikon designed the lens to support Tilt / Shift on the same axis. The other Nikon PCEs supported Tilt on one axis and you had to rotate the lens to shift on that same axes. The new setup is a blessing as it offers much more creative control for your shooting pleasure; Moving the tilt can provide focus control for objects not on the same plane, or provide focus from foreground to far ground. With this focus control, you are in control even at f/4 aperture. Fourth: You noticed the front element is exposed. So you apply filters at the back of the lens, the 19mm PCE has a rear slot for filters, unlike the other Nikkor PCEs which support screw on filters. The exposed element poses a few risk, just like my Circular Fisheye the glass needs to be protected when not in use while carrying the lens around or risk damage to the front glass.

Obviously, the drawback in the design was mentioned 'damage' to the glass through unintentional contact with a hard surface. The second drawback is shooting in misty/snowy weather, this may be challenging as droplets forming on the exposed glass will impact the image. Nikon did apply their new fluorine coatings to the glass - which help repel water and smudges, watch the Nikon videos for this coating, it is impressive. Nikon includes a snap-on front lens cover which securely fits the lens with a push button indent to release and lock in place.Finally: The 19mm has a greater complexity in lens elements and groupings 17 elements and 13 groups vs 13 elements and 10 groups for the Nikkor 24mm PCE - most people don't really care about this, and neither do I.

What matters most is the 19mm PCE is 1/2 stop slower than the 24mm. Given the fact these lens are normally found on a tripod - 1/2 is not that concerning. Optically this lens is high on the charts for resolution capturing capability - it is SHARP edge to edge. In Common: The PCE line of Nikon lenses are designed for FX camera bodies - Nikon has a camera compatibility listing.

All I can say is yes you can use these PCEs on DX and FX bodies with some limitations depending on the PCE lens. Some PCE lens knobs may strike the camera's pentaprism but a simple solution is to rotate in the other direction, and of course, the DX is a crop sensor, so your 19 turns into a 28.5mm.Cost: At nearly $3,400.00 USD the Nikkor 19mm is targeted to the professionals who make income with this lens but many others, such as my self will eventually acquire one because they are such a delight to use, maybe after the initial release as pricing hopefully falls by a couple hundred or wait until one shows up on Nikon's refurbished site.

Anyway, gasp 3,400 USD for a PCE lens- but what a lens it is. What puzzles me is how can Canon offer their PCE at less cost overall as compared to Nikon. If you are a pro shooter making a living doing interiors or buildings - this is the must-have lens.Functionally: Yes! Nikon knocked it out of the park with this PCE. It does everything you need it to do as a PCE. Nikon fans who have been waiting for a tilt/shift functionality on the same axis - your wait is over - Nikon finally did it, no more sending your PCE back to Nikon. Most all PCE lenses are a specialized lens indeed and most people will not even consider buying one and thus why the price is probably higher than normal - due to less demand.

I have both the 24mm and 45mm PCE lens, I plan on using my 19mm for indoor, outdoor, architectural and nature photography.Ergonomically speaking the Nikkor 19mm is superior over any Nikon PCE thus far. The Knobs are larger and easier to use, you now have sure lock click indents with positive stops and a non-creeping lens. In my images I posted, you might notice that small switch to allow you positive locking as you rotate the lens around the axis.

All this makes the newer 19mm King of the PCE line, ergonomically speaking.Sharpness and Image Quality: There are a few shots below, not my best examples but with time more will be added. From a technical standpoint, I find this lens to be extremely sharp and delivers exceptional images. Compared to my 24mm PCE, yes the 19mm does edge out for delivery of better images - but some may not like the exposed front lens element or ability to add a front filter.Challenges of this PCE: The front exposed element and shooting in less than perfect weather will show any water droplets in your images, yes it happened to me. If you are starting out I can recommend the 24mm or 45mm.Nikkor PCEs; while the 24 will be more useful in the architect realm and the 45 more of a general purpose PCE such as product shooting and has macro capabilities. The 85mm PCE, of course, is better geared for product shooting but in a pinch can also serve as a portraiture lens, I do not own an 85mm PCE since I own a Nikkor 85mm 1.4 - cannot justify the extra cost.Does TrueToad recommend this Nikkor 19mm PCE - YES! It is a solid lens with great ergonomics and fantastic versatility as a PCE in the wide angle end of the spectrum. If you can afford one, go for it, otherwise, wait for the price reductions for the 24mm PCE.

Buy your Nikon 19mm PCE from Amazon - click the image.Many photographers will not consider a PCE lens unless they have very specific photographic requirements for it. I was like that also until I bought one.

The PCE is a mis-understood lens which has the ability to help expand your photographic horizons beyond 'normal' into the creative or even fine art.Big Question I am asked: Now that I have the 19mm PCE will I be selling the 24mm PCE? Good question, Time will tell, I will spend some time with the new 19mm to see how well it works before I decide if I will be selling off the 24mm PCE, but I have the feeling the 24mm will find a new home eventually.I am a believer in selling gear I do not use and re-invest the funds in other gear. A good example was my recent purchase of the new 600mm. That was made possible by selling my older 600mm and a old 80-200 + kicking in a few $$. Make the pain much easier.How to Use a PCE: Most people who discover this article might be weighing a purchase. I receive a few questions on how to use a PCE - which I refer folks to a series of videos that are more motivational but have good content on different ways to use a PCE.

Nikon 19mm Tilt Shift Used

PCE lens have two faces the technical and the artistic. From a Technical standpoint your basically keeping the lens level and using the shift feature to help include the room, building or subject into the frame without the need to point the lens up or down all the while maintaining straight lines.The artistic aspect allows you to use the lens features in ways to express your creativity and while I can not tell you how to be creative you will soon find your own ways. Digital allows for experimentation without real cost.Lens. Nikkor 19mm f/4E ED PC-E. Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E.

Nikkor 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-ECamera Body. Nikon D810.