Nikon 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens

by Nikon

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001BTAZHM
• Item model number: B001BTAZHM
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 2, 2008

Product Description

Amazon.com

Perfect for portrait, nature, and commercial photography, the Nikon medium-telephoto 85mm, f/2.8D lens lets you control the perspective more than with other lenses, with the ability to tilt, shift, and rotate while you shoot. The lens offers a wide shifting range--plus or minus 11.5mm--with a tilting range of plus or minus 8.5 degrees to provide exceptional perspective control. In addition, the lens revolves plus or minus 90 degrees in 30-degree increments, providing versatile tilt/shift shooting effects. As a result, you can enjoy all kinds of distorted perspectives and unique angles, giving your shots extra life.

The lens is coated with Nikon's Nano Crystal Coat, which virtually eliminates internal reflections across a wide range of wavelengths to produce even greater image clarity. The high-performance Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC), meanwhile, offers superior color performance and substantially reduced ghosting and flare. Other details include an auto-aperture control with an electromagnetic diaphragm (requires Nikon D3, D700, or D300 D-SLR camera), and a rounded nine-blade diaphragm that produces a more natural appearance for out-of-focus image elements.

Technical Specifications

• Focal length: 85mm
• Maximum aperture: f/2.8
• Minimum aperture: f/32
• Autofocus: No
• AF-S (Silent Wave Motor): No
• Compatible formats: FX, DX, FX in DX crop mode, 35mm film
• Distance information: Yes
• ED glass elements: No
• Super Integrated Coating (SIC): Yes
• Nano Crystal Coat: Yes
• Minimum focus distance: 1.3 feet
• Angle of view: 28 degrees @ 30 feet
• Lens (elements): 6
• Lens (groups): 5
• Maximum reproduction ratio: 1:2
• Mount type: Nikon F-Bayonet
• Filter type: Screw on
• Filter size: 77mm
• Lens attachment size: 77mm
• Lens case: CL-1120 flexible lens pouch
• Lens hood: HB-22 bayonet hood
• Dimensions: 3.3-inch diameter, 4.2 inches long
• Weight: 22.4 ounces
• Supplied accessories: HB-22 bayonet hood, CL-1120 flexible lens pouch, LF-1 rear lens cap, LC-77 snap-on front lens cap

Product Description

The new PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED and PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D Perspective Control (PC) lenses correct linear distortion in order to better replicate images asseen by the human eye, including straightening the converging lines of rectilinear objects such as buildings, while also introducingwelcome command over depth-of-field. Their versatility makes these the perfect lens complement for a myriad of applications, including photographing architecture, nature, interiors and still-life especially product photography. When shooting subjects, such as tall buildings with a conventional lens, composition often calls for tilting the axis of a camera. This typically results in a significant distortion of converging lines, impacting the desired visual accuracy of the image. A PC-E NIKKOR lens' "shift" control provides correction for this type of distortion. "Shift" control can also give a photographer the ability to "effectively" move the apparent position of the camera providing further perspective versatility, allowing, for example, the ability to avoid unwanted reflections in an image. A PC-E lens' "tilt" control gives photographers additional creative control over depth-of-field. Known as the Scheimpflug principal,tilt-shift lenses are capable of modifying the focal plane of the lens, allowing the extension or limitation of the point of critical sharpness in the image. The combination of "tilt" and "shift" co

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sweet lens, July 22, 2009

By 

Kerry Pierce "kerrypierce" (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nikon 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens (Electronics)

The lens is very sharp at all apertures. It works very well for portraits with good bokeh (nice out of focus areas and transition, close-ups and of course anything that requires tilt/shift capability.

I use it on both the Nikon d300 and d700 bodies and am very pleased with the images that it produces. The lens is smooth and easily worked for all operations and the manual focus is smooth and precise.

Unlike the previous reviewer, I don't have a big problem with the tilt/shift configuration. It works fine the way it is, for the vast majority of applications. I don't disagree that it would be nice to be able to easily switch the alignment back and forth, but I don't think that is a big deal.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite macro lens, August 28, 2010

By 

Busy Executive (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Nikon 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens (Electronics)

I do a fair bit of macro photography, and lately this lens has become my favorite.

I tend to be "old school" and for a long time, my setup included an old bellows system with the Nikon 60mm macro. Honestly, I didn't use the bellows so much to get more magnification - it was all about having the tilts and shifts so I could choose exactly what parts of the image stayed in focus. Depth of field is so minimal close up, I can't see how you do without tilts and shifts to get reasonable emphasis on your subject. Of course, the drawback is that a bellows becomes a fairly cumbersome thing to work with. It's all manual (exposure, focus, etc) and often you only have a dim image in the viewfinder to work with. Lots of trial and error to get the right settings - but when you do, it's a wonderful thing.

Enter the 85mm 2.8 PC-E and that whole topic changes.

Now, I have something that gives me most of the capability of my bellows setup, but in a much faster and more integrated way. On my D3 or D300, exposure is all automatic - I've even used Nikon's remote flash setups and the exposure comes out spot-on every time. The focus is still manual, but it seems much, much easier than what I used to do. And being a slightly longer focal length, it puts me just a bit further from the subject, making lighting and so on easier. All in all, a big productivity gain, and a vast improvement in the "keepers to junk" ratio.

As for the image quality, I'd rate it as slightly better than the 60mm 2.8 macro for close-up work (and this is saying a lot - the 60mm is an awesome lens!). Colors seem a bit more vivid and contrasty, and sharpness is about the same.

For other than close-up work, this is also a wonderful lens, especially since you have the tilt and shift capability to work with. I sometimes use subtle bits of tilt and shift to compensate for odd perspectives in portraits and so on, and I get some wonderful results this way. Still, I also have the unbeatable 85 1.4 portrait lens (can't wait to get the new AFS version), and I'd have to say that most of the time, I prefer the 85 1.4 unless I'm after an unusual result. Actually, I like tightly framed portraits, and so my "normal" portrait lens is the 135 DC on my (FX sensor) D3, and the 85mm 1.4 on my D300.

For nature, architecture and other outdoor work, I tend to look for wider angle lenses, so I don't get much use from this particular lens. I have the excellent Nikon 24mm tilt lens for these scenarios.

Note that this isn't a lens for the casual photographer...you'll be manually focusing, and if you don't know what tilts and shifts are about, you won't get the benefits this lens brings to the table. If you're in this category and want a great 85mm lens, pick up the 85 1.4 (or even the 85 1.8).

Overall, like all Nikon pro-level gear, I'd give this lens top ratings, and in the right hands, it can produce wonderful results.

8 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, But ,,,, May 30, 2009

By 

John N (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nikon 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens (Electronics)

The part that works is excellent. The problem is turning the shift to align with tilt requires a trip to the factory. So it is not as functional as I hoped. Other T/S lens can be user rotated, not Nikon. Nikon should redesign this lens to allow user rotation to align tilt and shift.

Same problem for the Nikon 45mm PC-E -- designed to be limited and not user rotated.