Xpan with 35mm PC-Nikkor - Good and useful

sleepyhead

sleepyhead

Well-known
Local time
9:35 PM
Joined
May 24, 2005
Messages
1,682
I have used this combo with a non-rangefinder coupled adapter and found the results to be surprisingly good:

U2246I1384403843.SEQ.1.jpg



Here is a picture of the camera body / lens combo:

U2246I1384404320.SEQ.0.jpg



I find this lens more useful than the Hasselblad 30mm lens. It's way cheaper, has a field of view that better suits me (I found the 45mm too narrow and the 30mm too wide), it focuses (by scale) down to 0.3 meters, no need for a huge external viewfinder (full Xpan finder is nearly perfect for framing), and last but not least it's f/2.8 and no need for a center filter (so all that light reaches the film).

Here's a crappy scan of a handheld sunset picture taken at f/2.8 and 1/8th:

U2246I1384403844.SEQ.3.jpg



Has anyone else tried this cool combo?
 
Interesting! Have always wanted to shoot my xpan a little wider but never wanted to drop the $ for the 30mm. I like the results :)
 
wow didnt know you could do that, what adapter did you use?
and are you using the 45mm frameline then?
 
goffer said:
Interesting! Have always wanted to shoot my xpan a little wider but never wanted to drop the $ for the 30mm. I like the results :)
Click to expand...

I have also tried the Nikon 28mm PC-Nikkor on my Xpan. The coverage was slightly less than the 35mm PC-Nikkor (more vignetting), that lens is bigger and slower aperture than the 35mm PC-Nikkor, and I just plain found it TOO wide FOR MY TASTE.

Also, it could have been my example of the 28mm PC-Nikkor, but it just wasn't that sharp, whereas the 35mm PC-Nikkor, stopped down between f/4 and f/16 is JUST RAZOR sharp - at least my example is.
 
taemo said:
wow didnt know you could do that, what adapter did you use?
and are you using the 45mm frameline then?
Click to expand...

Tha adapter is one I bought on Ebay a couple of years ago, sorry I can't remember the sellers name. It says m4/3 to Nikon on it, but it is for the Hasselblad Xpan mount. It was around 60 GBP if I remember correctly, and it's well made. The fit between the body and adapter is perfect, and the also between the lens and adapter.
 
taemo said:
wow didnt know you could do that, what adapter did you use?
and are you using the 45mm frameline then?
Click to expand...


Hello, no I don't use the 45mm framelines (although they are visible), I ignore them and just use the entire view through the viewfinder.

I initially tried a Leica 21mm viewfinder with some black tape as masking for the shape of the Xpan format, but found it to be no better than the method described above.
 
I bought an adapter Xpan-Leica R a few weeks ago to use my PC-Super-Angulon 28/2.8 with the Xpan. Seems to be a good solution if you already have a shift lens but I haven't had enough time to try it thoroughly so far.
 
I did some tests last year with the Nikon AiS 28mm f/3.5 lens. And I can confirm the statement of sleepyhead
that the image with this lens, even at f22, is perceptible blurry. This blur is clearly visible especially in comparison
to the original Hasselblad lenses. And additionally there´s a significant vignetting.

(please excuse the oversized pictures, they are used for direct comparison)
xpan-45mm-xberg.jpg

Hasselblad XPan 45mm @ f/22

xpan-28mm-nikkor-xberg.jpg

PC-Nikkor 28mm @ f22
 
I'm surprised that Nikon lenses cover the double-wide shutter, as I was under the impression that the X-Pan lenses are basically medium-format lenses in tiny form. I looked for adapters from other SLR lenses, but it looks like the Nikon F mount is the only one on ebay. Would love to know who makes it.
 
Well, "inspired" by this thread, I've just spent £40 on an adapted for Nikon lenses and will be experimenting with:
- 20mm/f2.8 Ai-S
- 35mm/f2 Ai-S
- 50mm/f1.2 Ai
Hope to be able to post some of the results in next few weeks.
 
Paul - my understanding is that only the PC lenses work without vignetting because of their shift ability and particular optical construction.

Let us know..
 
I got the adapter on Friday and shot some photos via a 24mm AF Nikkor over the weekend. The film is in the ab today and I'll have the results tomorrow evening. I'm hoping that it does the job as I don't want to have to buy any more lenses - particularly not PC ones as they're not cheap. That said, they are a lot cheaper than the 30mm Hasselblad / Fujinon...!!
 
Well, I got the roll processed and the stuff I took using the 45mm lens came out fine. The 24mm and adapter combo fared less well as it produced a cropped image that filled about 75% of the frame area with significant softening and vignetting around the curved edges at either side. That said, it produce a distortion-free image and very capable for cropping a 24:65 aspect ratio from a scan of the negative - so not a complete disaster. It'll have to suffice for now as I haven't got the bunce to shell out for the 30mm "official" version.

I'll process in next couple of days and post the results.
 
Not at all sure how you post onto this thread but I've just posted 3 panoramic shots into my gallery. The first is a tree shot with the 45mm/f4 lens. No problems there. The other two are from the same negative and I was using a 24mm/f2.8 AF Nikkor via an adapted. The second version is a crop from the same neg. Okay, it's not the same as having the 30mm lens but it is usable. The same shot using the 45mm lens couldn't get the roof in - just about the body of the church.
 
Hello All,
could you post more pictures with this "Xpan + 35/2.8PC" combo? please.

What about vigretting? It seems fairly noticeable on the second picture of this thread, isn't it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom