Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E Review

Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E vs Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G

How does the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E compare to my favorite landscape lens the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G? As I have pointed out in my Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 Review, the 24-70mm is very sharp wide open. When I compared the 24mm PC-E against the 24-70mm, the results at 24mm were almost identical – both lenses performed flawlessly in the center. Therefore, I will skip posting crop samples for both lenses in the center. Instead, let’s see how the lenses compare in the corners wide open (Left: Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E @ f/3.5, Right: Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G @ f/2.8):

As you can see, the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E is clearly superior wide open. Not only does it have less distortion, but also the image is much clearer, especially in the extreme corners. Let’s see what happens to both when stopped down to f/4:

The sharpness of the Nikon 24-70mm improves quite a bit when stopped down to f/4 and the images are now comparable.

Stopped down to f/8, both lenses perform equally well in the corners, but the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E seems to have a more pronounced color fringing.

In summary, the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E is sharper wide open, but performs about the same as the 24-70mm when stopped down to f/4 and beyond. Color and contrast on both lenses are very comparable. Both lenses handle ghosting and flares similarly as well, although the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E seems to add some purple to the light source. The bokeh on the 24-70mm seems to be a little busier and edgier than on the 24mm f/3.5D PC-E, although I have not performed a side-by-side comparison in different environments. The Nikon 24-70mm suffers from a lot more vignetting at large apertures. Chromatic aberrations are about the same on both, although the 24mm PC-E has plenty of purple and blue fringing when the lens is shifted upwards or downwards. Obviously, the above comparison is only showing one aspect of each lens, since the 24-70mm has the zoom range that the 24mm PC-E does not have and the PC-E has the tilt/shift capability the 24-70mm does not have.

Please note that these comparisons are only valid for when the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E is used as a “normal” lens and is obviously not an apples-to-apples comparison. The tilting and shifting capabilities of the PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D cannot be simulated by other non-PC-E lenses, including the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G.

Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E vs Nikon 24mm f/1.4G

How does the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E fare against the legendary Nikon 24mm f/1.4G? Let’s take a look at the center frame at f/4.0 (Left: Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E @ f/3.5, Right: Nikon 24mm f/1.4 @ f/3.5):

Wide open, the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E is slightly sharper than the 24mm f/1.4G @ f/1.4. When both lenses are stopped down to f/3.5 (as shown above), the sharpness levels are about the same, which is great news for the PC-E. Let’s see if the situation changes when both are stopped down to f/8:

I cannot see any difference between the two. The Nikon 24mm f/3.5D seems a tad sharper, but that’s because it is slightly closer. I did not move my setup while performing these tests, so the difference in field of view is probably coming from the difference in lens size and front elements. Therefore, I can conclude that the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E matches the center performance of the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G.

Let’s take a look at the corners now with both lenses wide open (Left: Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E @ f/3.5, Right: Nikon 24mm f/1.4G @ f/1.4):

Both look very similar, but the 24mm PC-E seems to be a little sharper away from the extreme corner. What if we stop both lenses down to f/4?

This is where the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G starts to shine – it is much sharper when stopped down to f/4 compared to the PC-E.

By f/8 both lenses are somewhat comparable, but the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G is still sharper, with less chromatic aberrations as well.

In summary, the center performance of the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E is incredibly good, matching the legendary Nikon 24mm f/1.4G in sharpness and contrast. However, it is still no match to the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G in extreme corners at all apertures. As for other lens features, the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G yields a more pleasing bokeh than the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E (smaller aperture of the PC-E adds its share here). Color and contrast are top of the class on both lenses. Vignetting is a little more severe on the 24mm f/1.4G when using large apertures, but very comparable at f/4. Both lenses handle ghosting and flares similarly, although the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E seems to add some purple fringing to the light source, as illustrated earlier in the review. The Nikon 24mm f/3.5D seems to handle distortion a little better – distortion levels are lower, especially when shooting at close range.

Please note that these comparisons are only valid for when the Nikon 24mm f/3.5D PC-E is used as a “normal” lens and is obviously not an apples-to-apples comparison. The tilting and shifting capabilities of the PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D cannot be simulated by other non-PC-E lenses, including the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G.