need help with PC-E choice

[allegretto]

Hello,

New to Nikon and Nikkor lenses after being away for so long.

Want to do deep DOF Macro and from what I gather PC-E lenses can do this. May do architectural for fun but that's not the purpose right now. The 24mm would have the deepest DOF, but would require the closes lens-subject distance. 85mm just the opposite. Maybe the 45mm is the right one?

anyhow, it is a dilemma and would like to know what the Experts think

Thanks on advance.

[kers]

Why not rent them all and then you know?

I use them all three and like them all...  depends on the purpose

[hugowolf]

Want to do deep DOF Macro and from what I gather PC-E lenses can do this.

Sorry, it just isn’t true. For the same framing and aperture on the same sensor, the DoF will be the same; tilt-shift or regular lens.

You can tilt the lens and therefore change the plane of focus. This also changes the shape of the area in acceptable focus to a wedge shape, but the DoF is the same. All you can do is change where the focus lies.

If for instance if you where photographing something rather flat (like a lens filter), from an angle, then with a TS lens you could tilt the lens (or camera) so that the plane of focus was parallel with the surface of the filter.

May do architectural for fun but that's not the purpose right now. The 24mm would have the deepest DOF, but would require the closes lens-subject distance. 85mm just the opposite. Maybe the 45mm is the right one?
 

The focal length has very little impact on the DoF. 17 mm or 90 mm, the DoF will be almost the same for the same framing and relative aperture.

Brian A

[Eric Brody]

The others speak the truth. If you are shooting a planar subject, the tilt can change the plane, but not the dof. I have the three PC-E's and love them. I use the 85 for macro, on an RRS rail and use focus stacking. It works quite well. This is what you might want to investigate. Occasionally a bit of tilt helps, depending on the subject but you cannot change the rules of physics with a tilt-shift lens. Good luck.