Nikon 45PC-E

02.15.10

This is one amazing lens and I’m probably the one photographers who owns one. The combination of focal length and design just makes it too far out there for the vast majority of photographers. It is a manual focusing lens with the ability to tilt and shift and while doing so permitting aperture control (that’s what the E stands for). You can use this lens as a standard 45mm manual focus lens but in these days, most are lost without AF. The purpose of the PC-E series is two fold: corrections for doing architecture, straight line photography and extended DOF control. This combination of quality and flexibility puts the price of the 45PC-E up there and out of the reach of most shooters (but you can rent it easily).

“Why do you have the 45PC-E?” That’s a really common question and the simple reason is, it’s the corner stone of my Ultra Wide Pano kit. The 45PC-E is a stunning lens for landscape photography. In this role, it’s manual focus and tilt capability give you complete control of the DOF and point of focus. Having a 77mm front elements means it can utilize all the same filters you should carry for the 24-70AFS and 70-200VR2 which is real convenient for the landscape photographer. But don’t let the PC-E aspect of the lens scare you off. Here’s a 4pg PDF on using a PCE lensthat makes it real easy to make the most of this gem!

Moose's UltraWide Pano Kit 85, 24, 45PC-E w/D3x

Nikon 45PC-E Micro

This was a very expensive day for me! I had a whole day of shooting with the new Nikon 45PC-E micro, one very sweet lens! Just like the 24PC-E, the 45PC-E is standard lens that you have to manually focus. When the aperture ring is in the L position, you select your aperture via the sub-command dial on the body. So standard shooting is pretty much like usual.

Shift the lens and you can keep parellel lines straight. All of these images were taken at Norris Geyser Basin shooting just the 45PC-E. I really thought before I had the lens that 45mm a real funky focal length. That’s before I shot with it and instantly I remembered enjoying shooting with the 45GN so long ago. It is a cool focal length.

Photos captured by D3, 45PC-E on Lexar UDMA digital film