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Home โ†’ Reviews โ†’ Cameras and Lenses โ†’ Nikon 19mm f/4E PC Review

Nikon 19mm f/4E PC Review

By Matt Nielsen 52 Comments
Last Updated On January 26, 2024

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Table of Contents

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  • Optical Features
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  • Summary
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  • Reader Comments
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52 Comments
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Pat
Pat
November 14, 2023 10:44 pm

I know it was your first time using a tilt-shift lens, but when shifting to straighten vertical lines, it’s usually better to back it off a tad, to avoid unnatural looking results, seen in a few of the sample photos.

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Paul S
Paul S
May 10, 2023 5:51 pm

Just ordered it and cannot wait to unbox it.

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Will A
Will A
January 30, 2023 2:59 pm

Thanks for this fantastic review. I use this lens quite a bit for my commercial architecture work and it is superb. I find that it is a bit wide for most situations so I just rent it for the jobs where it is needed. And… I just have to give props to my workhorse Nikkor 24mm PC-E lens! I don’t understand the negative comments, my is amazing and very sharp unless shifted to the very max (which I don’t do). I also have the 45mm – another flawless performer!

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JCM-Photos
JCM-Photos
October 12, 2022 10:31 am

I am a long time 19 PC-E and 24 PC-E shooter and I have to say that sharpness difference in images between the two is much bigger that imatest results let see ?

Imatest measurements are made with a relative close focus and no shift.

The 24 PC-E is excellent at short distance around 1m to 3m but loses sharpness at long distances, what’s a shame for a lens in architecture and landscape.
The 19 PC-E is very constant in sharpness at all distances.

The 24 PC-E loses a lot of sharpness on the far edge when shifted and is even no more usable in vertical framing with more than 9mm shift (one image corner is cut)
The 19 PC-E has no dramatic sharpness lack when shifted, even with full 12mm in vertical framing, what makes a huge sharpness difference with 24.

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Katoune
Katoune
January 27, 2020 2:16 pm

Do you need a Nikon 24mm PC-E if you already have a 19mm PC-E?

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Ventsislav Filipov
Ventsislav Filipov
October 14, 2018 9:12 pm

Hello. Please say something about sharpness and picture quality when the lens is fully shifted to the end. This is the most important thing about this lens. When someone buys TS lens is not about using the only center of the lens.Thank you.

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David Burns
David Burns
February 11, 2018 10:31 am

I used to own a 24mm PC and used it for several years, mainly for architectural jobs. It did the job mostly but simply did not have a large enough projected image circle to cover when used radically off axis, ie. with rises and tilts and I sold it.

With full rise for instance (a major use for such a lens), it simply did not cover adequately and was noticeably soft at the top edge of the image. On the odd occasions when I used it with tilt movements, I noticed the same. It was not so bad that it was visibly vignetting but it certainly was outside the sharp image area. I do not think that measuring the sharpness in the lab at the edges would necessarily inform you sufficiently about this possible problem as the issue is not quite the same as edge sharpness (although related of course) but with the size of image circle behind the lens and whether it is sufficient for full movements.

As a comparison, most LF lenses for 4X5″ ‘view’ cameras, cover an area much larger than the film area to allow for full off axis movements without running out of sharp coverage of the image circle. I would be interested to know if the 19mm PC actually does have an image circle that allows full movements on the lens. In my experience, the 24mm PC did not. I have not undertaken any research on this and it is possible that the information is readily available somewhere!

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John Gaylord
John Gaylord
Reply to  David Burns
July 14, 2018 11:30 pm

Hi David,

I suggest the ultimate solution for this (other than film capture) is the Sinar Lantec with top-notch German lenses and a medium format back, but the price will approach that of a luxury automobile. There are also precision-built solutions for FF and MF MILCs available from HCam . A far less costly approach is to use DSLR T-S lens capabilities within the adequately sharp part of the lens’ image circle, then if necessary tilt (or turn) the camera to allow some convergence, and then use software correction to take over from there. I doubt most clients will care if the edges are slightly less sharp, and it’s even more doubtful they would be willing to pay the extra price for the “ultimate” solution anyway.

johngaylordphotography.com

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bgavin
bgavin
September 11, 2017 8:00 am

As a view camera user, I was interested in this lens for use as a falling front for multi-row panoramas on my D810.
This would let me avoid the distortion inherent in tilting the lens down for the lower row.

After looking at this review, I am probably better off using an 11mm Irix or 15mm Milvius and keeping the body vertical.

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Bruce Stenman
Bruce Stenman
August 28, 2017 4:25 pm

What was not mentioned is that with all the Canon tilt-shift lenses the user can easily change the shift tilt axis so that they are in same which is useful for landscape photography. The Nikon 19mm PC-E is the first tilt shift lens from Nikon with this capability.

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Pat
Pat
Reply to  Bruce Stenman
November 14, 2023 10:48 pm

Probably not mentioned because they aren’t interchangeable. No one shooting with one system, cares about the other system’s lenses.

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feraudyh
feraudyh
Reply to  Pat
November 18, 2024 1:42 pm

You could put an adapter on a canon camera to adapt this lens. This could make sense if a friend had one in his bag.

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Malan
Malan
July 14, 2017 11:44 pm

Hi Matt,

Thanks for the informative review!
I have the 35mm f3.5 PCE which I use for architecture exteriors and 14-24 f2.8 for interiors. I shoot with D800. I’m considering this 19mm but at our exchange rate of 15x the US price, it is a HEFTY price tag…. I would be interested to use it for interiors as well but I’m concerned about lens flares. I shoot a lot of commercial interiors and there are a lot of lights sometimes which cause lens flares even on the 14-24. With the 19mm it will be much worse due to that bulging glass?

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Matt Nielsen
Matt Nielsen
Author
Reply to  Malan
July 15, 2017 11:48 am

Hi Malan. Like most wide-angle lenses, the 19mm is prone to flaring from strong, direct light. The bulbous front element does not have a hood to protect it, but nano crystal coat helps. From my experience with both the 14-24mm and 19mm, I feel that they are about equal in the amount they flare.

Regarding interiors, the 19mm does a great job of keeping lines straight, but the 14-24mm has a wider angle of view.

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