I own and use a Nikon 24mm Tilt Shift / PCE lens and was wondering if anyone else uses a similar one for Digital
-
Thank You For Visiting... Please Click Here and sign up to contribute
Tilt Shift
- Thread starter ian barber
- Start date
-
- Tags
- pce lens tilt shift lens
I used a 90MM TS Canon but stupidly sold it (years ago) Wish I hadn't
Thing is for a very small amount of tilt you could get huge DOF e.g. an f22 equivalent DOF from and f8 aperture and it only needed a tiny bit of movement to achieve this in your average landscape
It was a phase when I was trying and buying then selling lenses . I regret letting that one go
However the one thing that did put me off it for landscape was total lack of any weatherproofing at all
Thing is for a very small amount of tilt you could get huge DOF e.g. an f22 equivalent DOF from and f8 aperture and it only needed a tiny bit of movement to achieve this in your average landscape
It was a phase when I was trying and buying then selling lenses . I regret letting that one go
However the one thing that did put me off it for landscape was total lack of any weatherproofing at all
I do like my tilt/shift but do find the tilt hard to use and also the knobs on the side are to small but i really do like using the rise and fall function.
Back in days long ago I used tilt & shift lens boards and film backs on large format monorail and technical cameras and I know how difficult it can be to set the plane of focus even when one has a large ground-glass focusing screen and a 10x loupe to work with. As with all things optical, moving the plane of focus has it's advantages and disadvantages and as Simon noted, it can give an apparent big increase in depth of field - but only along this plane of focus and other areas of the image can be adversely affected (because there is no such thing as a free lunch 
). Whether they are useful to us amateurs is open to debate I suppose but personally I'll stick to focus-stacking in my dotage.
). Whether they are useful to us amateurs is open to debate I suppose but personally I'll stick to focus-stacking in my dotage. 
As Keith rightly points out front tilt will never give overall from to back dof, some where in the image a slight softness will be seen, nothing that stands out but it will be there, a worthwhile pay off in large format though,
Back in days long ago I used tilt & shift lens boards and film backs on large format monorail and technical cameras and I know how difficult it can be to set the plane of focus even when one has a large ground-glass focusing screen and a 10x loupe to work with. As with all things optical, moving the plane of focus has it's advantages and disadvantages and as Simon noted, it can give an apparent big increase in depth of field - but only along this plane of focus and other areas of the image can be adversely affected (because there is no such thing as a free lunch
I tried focus stacking a few times but gave up because there was some slight perspective shift too which I just don't have the patience to sit for hours (days for me probably!) trying to rectumfy in Phartoshop.
recently I bought a program called helicon focus which is supposed to help with this but int tried it yet
Hope to very soon - we'll see.........
anyone else used this program?
There will always be a perspective shift Simon but the degree it is apparent will depend on the subject content, pov and the distance you are trying to cover (again, no such thing as a free lunch
). All the stacking programs will endeavour to minimise it but there will always (in my experience) be some tweaking to do to a greater or lesser extent - usually in the program itself with some form of editing mode, and it can be time-consuming. A friend uses Helicon focus and he seems quite happy with it so I think you'll be OK Simon - just keep a bottle of something handy to help keep that impatient streak in check! Good luck and hope to see some results soon.
I think the main advantage of tilt and shift lens on digital sensors is the rise and fall and the side movements to create panoramic images.
The axis tilt is awkward to use on a digital lcd, and one must ask if it a necessary lens function with the 35mm wide lens having such a large amount of D of F especially using the lens hyper focal distance settings.
Set a 28mm lens set to f8 and the hyperfocal distance set on the lens will give a depth of field from 3ft to infinity. It might be that you need more depth with a longer lens but very hard to judge on the lcd and no loupe.
With large format camera we have the same movements and more however these are essential and part of how the camera works and in most cases essential.
I had two canon tilt and shift lens, cost me fortune, very sharp as are fixed primes, but most of the things these lens can do can be done in software, or using multiple shots and stitching.
My advice to anyone thinking of buying one would be to save your money, in this digital world we can do lots of work in software, needless to say I sold mine.
The axis tilt is awkward to use on a digital lcd, and one must ask if it a necessary lens function with the 35mm wide lens having such a large amount of D of F especially using the lens hyper focal distance settings.
Set a 28mm lens set to f8 and the hyperfocal distance set on the lens will give a depth of field from 3ft to infinity. It might be that you need more depth with a longer lens but very hard to judge on the lcd and no loupe.
With large format camera we have the same movements and more however these are essential and part of how the camera works and in most cases essential.
I had two canon tilt and shift lens, cost me fortune, very sharp as are fixed primes, but most of the things these lens can do can be done in software, or using multiple shots and stitching.
My advice to anyone thinking of buying one would be to save your money, in this digital world we can do lots of work in software, needless to say I sold mine.
Ian, I have the same lens as the one you mention. I am extremely pleased with it nut, it did take a bit of work to use the "tilt" facility. However, I am now comfortable with it and ,very, pleased with the resultant images. My main problem is in using the LV for getting the nearest point sharp but I suspect that this is more down to my aging eyes! Using a "straight" lens and multiple shots is fine but hardly viable with most landscape photography, I think.
I think, too, that Canon have stolen a march on Nikon in having both the Tilt and Shift in the same plane. Also, I believe, that the adjustment knobs are more substantial.
I think, too, that Canon have stolen a march on Nikon in having both the Tilt and Shift in the same plane. Also, I believe, that the adjustment knobs are more substantial.
Do you have some example images Allister of where you have used the Tilt option.
I bought my 24mm second hand and the previous owner had already had it modified so that the Tilt and Shift are on the same plane.
I also use it on Live View and have to use the Hoodman Loupe to assist with focusing due to ageing eyes.
I bought my 24mm second hand and the previous owner had already had it modified so that the Tilt and Shift are on the same plane.
I also use it on Live View and have to use the Hoodman Loupe to assist with focusing due to ageing eyes.
I'll have a search Ian. I haven't got access to my external HD at the moment.
I use the "normal" viewfinder to focus the most distant point I want sharp, then switch to the LV for "dropping the snoot" to focus on the nearest point I want sharp. It's just a way that I have found the easiest. As I said I do find it a fuss to get the focus in LV. It's partly age but I also think that later versions of my D3 have better resolution LV's than my marc.
If I have to get really low for my shot , which seems to be most of the time(!) then I use my angle finder.
I haven't used the lens - or indeed my D3 for some time as I have pretty well switched over to the Fuji XT 1. Less weight but no less quality outcomes.
I use the "normal" viewfinder to focus the most distant point I want sharp, then switch to the LV for "dropping the snoot" to focus on the nearest point I want sharp. It's just a way that I have found the easiest. As I said I do find it a fuss to get the focus in LV. It's partly age but I also think that later versions of my D3 have better resolution LV's than my marc.
If I have to get really low for my shot , which seems to be most of the time(!) then I use my angle finder.
I haven't used the lens - or indeed my D3 for some time as I have pretty well switched over to the Fuji XT 1. Less weight but no less quality outcomes.
Juia Anna Gospodarou uses a tilt-shift lens in what she describes as a creative way, which is different to the 'normal' one:
http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/create-an-architectural-fine-art-photograph/
http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/create-an-architectural-fine-art-photograph/
I had one of these (Nikon 24mm PC-E) in my Xmas stocking - placed there by myself I have to admit, no one else was going to be so generous! Found it s/h hand on ebay and, like Ian's, already converted so that the tilt and shift functions are in the same plane. So far I haven't found any negatives with that, I would likely have converted to that format anyway, so was a lucky purchase as Nikon quoted around £250 to do the conversion. Cost me the same as I would have paid for a new Nikon 16-35mm f4, which I already have and love, so I consider it a good buy.
So far, I'm experimenting, enjoying seeing what I can do with it. I found Juliaanna's site, quoted above, to be very inspirational in the principles she uses to go beyond the obvious.
I think the ideas above about if it is a lens for an amateur depends on the individual and how committed he is to making use of it. Mine will come out of it's bag a lot, so feel it will become a well used item, and therefore well worth the investment.
So far, I'm experimenting, enjoying seeing what I can do with it. I found Juliaanna's site, quoted above, to be very inspirational in the principles she uses to go beyond the obvious.
I think the ideas above about if it is a lens for an amateur depends on the individual and how committed he is to making use of it. Mine will come out of it's bag a lot, so feel it will become a well used item, and therefore well worth the investment.
Out of all the lenses I own, this one is used the most mainly for the rise function. I find the Tilt a little awkward, not as precise as my 5x4 but it does work.
I found with the 90mm Canon TS that you only needed the TINIEST amount of tilt before the effect because a bit surreal. However with a. very careful and small amount you got incredible (and credible) control over DOF
The canon 90mm shift lens when I had it was the sharpest lens I have ever owned.
yes me too - very underrated and damn wish I hadn't flogged it