Below, Fred...
Regards,
Bob...
Give blood. Play hockey.
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> The K 28/3.5 Shift is a pretty good 28mm lens (when used without the shift
> feature), but not spectacular. For everyday use, I'd rather use an A 28/2
or
> a K 28/3.5 (and, this is for optical reasons, not just for compactness).
I definitely agree here. The lens has to be designed to support an image
circle about the size of a 645 28mm lens. This puts it at a disadvantage
compared to ordinary 28mm lenses.
> My number one complaint about the lens is that one is forced to choose one
of
> its built-in filters at all times (and I ~hate~ that). Unlike the filter
> choices in the K/A 15/3.5 (where one can select "no filter"), the 28/3.5
> Shift must have been designed by an engineer from Microsoft, since the
most
> "filter-less" one can get is using its skylight filter. ("Nya, nya - we
know
> better than you do...)
Ticks me off too, but it's not that much of a limit.
Since you don't like Microsoft's software, may I suggest you stay with AOL's
offer. Oh yeah, AOL 6.0 is such a winner here! Sorry, couldn't resist.
Forgive me.
> It is only a ~shift~ lens, and has no tilt function, by the way. And,
there
> is definitely a limit to its shift ability, as shown in a couple of photos
at
> the above URL.
The shift is sufficient for general purposes. For comparison, 28mm f/3.5
PC-Nikkor offers the same shift (11 degrees) as the SMCP Shift 28mm f/3.5
and offers no tilt either. The maximum amount of shift that can be offered
by all manufacturers is a function of the geometry of the mount.
Note: lens tilt does *not* provide perspective correction. Lens tilt
controls near-far focus. How much tilt might be required is a function of
focal length and f-stop. The shorter the lens, the less the need for tilt.
The more the lens is stopped down, the less the need for tilt. Tilt would be
more useful to me on a landscape lens when I want to include close forground
and very little sky in a longer focal length. Architectural and interior
photography often includes a need for near/far sharp focus. At 28mm, this is
not difficult to achieve without tilt. At 35mm or longer, this might be more
of a concern, necessitating a smaller stop than might otherwise be desired
to obtain the necessary DOF.
Note: to use a PC lens for it's normal purpose, mount the camera on a tripod
with a spirit level. Center the bubble on the tripod, then center the bubble
on the head. This insures that the film plane is vertical. Set the lens to
zero shift. Point the camera at the subject. Recheck the head bubble. Set
the camera for horizontal or vertical frame as desired. Rotate the lens
shift direction for a vertical shift. Adjust head for horizontal framing,
Adjust the shift for vertical framing. Adjust your exposure. Snap.
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