Nikon D7000 & PC-E Tilt/Shift Lenses

A while back I posted that the D7000 didn't work with PC-E lenses, in fact it was difficult to mount them (and I wasn't alone in this opinion). Now, time for an apology and some humble pie. Yes, they do mount, and yes you can use them, with some caveats.

First off, the easy ones - 45mm & 85mm. Both these lenses mount without problem, no matter how the lens is rotated (tilt/shift lens have a rotating mount to change the plane in which the movements act).

The 24mm PC-E however is a different matter, as it's shorter barrel brings the shift controls perilously close to the flash housing, and the lens body itself will foul the body in certain positions.

So, here's my advice when mounting the 24mm. First, before attempting to mount the lens, rotate the mount to the 'normal' position: that is with the white indexing dot next to the mount aligned with the gold lens 'label'. This should mean the shift lock knob will be uppermost when the lens is mounted. In this position, it's safe to mount the lens on the camera, but the lock knob comes very close to the underside of the flash housing, so care is needed to avoid scratching the camera.

In this position, with the camera horizontal (i.e. landscape format) you can operate left/right shift, just about - it is quite tight! What if you want up/down shift? Well it is possible to rotate the lens through 90 degrees - but my advice is to remember to return it to the 'normal' position before removing it to be absolutely certain of avoiding contact between lens and body.