Photography with Tilt and Shift Lenses E-Book

Keith Cooper

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Tilt and shift lenses offer tremendous creative possibilities for users of digital SLR and mirrorless cameras. This practical book explains the techniques that will help you take better photos - photos that don't distort or lose focus. Assessing the benefits and pitfalls of a range of lenses, adapters, software and editing techniques, it guides you through the practicalities of working with these lenses and gives you the skills to use them to best effect. With stunning examples throughout, this book gives an overview of the different lenses available, and tips on how adapters can give tilt/shift options when using old medium-format lenses. It gives advice on how simple lens shift can change the entire look of your photos, and techniques for using lens tilt for focus control and close-up working. Stunning examples show the use of tilt and shift lenses across a range of available focal lengths, both tripod-mounted and handheld.

Leseprobe

Photography withTilt and Shift Lenses

Photography withTilt and Shift Lenses

Art and Techniques

Keith Cooper

First published in 2020 byThe Crowood Press LtdRamsbury, MarlboroughWiltshire SN8 2HR

[email protected]

This e-book first published in 2020

© Keith Cooper 2020

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 772 9

Dedication:

For Karen.

Acknowledgments:

Many companies have helped in the creation of this book, loaning me equipment for test and review. In alphabetical order I’d particularly like to thank: Canon UK, Fotodiox, Hasselblad UK, K&F Concept, Panasonic UK, Park Cameras, Rogeti, Samyang (via Intro2020) and Venus Lens (Laowa). Also the many visitors to my Northlight Images web site who’ve asked questions about tilt/shift lenses – how and why they are used.

Thanks to Crowood as well for seeing the potential of such a book, and their help in making my work come to life in print.

CONTENTS

1  Introduction to Tilt/Shift Lenses

2  Lenses with Tilt and Shift

3  Shifting Your Viewpoint

4  Tilting the Lens

5  Close-up Tilt

6  The Power of Stitching Images

7  Software and the Tilted/Shifted Image

Appendix 1: Lens Tilt and the Tilt Tables

Appendix 2: Resources and Suppliers

Index

Chapter 1

Introduction to Tilt/Shift Lenses

THE TILT/SHIFT LENS

Lenses with tilt and shift movements are somewhat of a mystery to all too many photographers. The sideways or up/down movement of shift and the ‘bending lens’ look of tilt hark back to the earliest days of photography and large cameras with sheets behind them and ground-glass focus screens. For photographers used to modern digital DSLR and mirrorless cameras, the fact that such lenses on their cameras are largely manual in operation can also be disconcerting.

In reality, using tilt/shift lenses has never been easier, with instant feedback via rear screens, and features such as focus-peaking and electronic viewfinders. These allow the setting of both shift and tilt to feel much more intuitive and accurate. It is easiest to look at lens shift to start with, and then aspects of tilt. The two functions can, of course, be combined, but knowing what each does on its own is important to appreciate.

The steps up to the chapter house at Wells Cathedral. Using a lens shifted upwards has allowed retention of true vertical lines whilst shifting the view of the level camera upwards. Inspired by a famous photo of the scene by F. H. Evans in 1903, who would have used similar lens movements, albeit with a much larger camera and simpler lens design.

The mechanical complexity of tilt/shift lenses can be confusing at first. A simple approach looking initially at shift and then at tilt can give an intuitive understanding of how the capabilities of the lenses can be matched to a photographer’s vision.

TILT/SWING/SHIFT/RISE/FALL?

This book assumes that the main audience will be photographers, probably using shift or tilt/shift lenses on DSLR or mirrorless cameras, typically with 35mm ‘full frame’ or ‘FX’ sensors. However, examples have been included from smaller APS-C and larger medium-format cameras. When reading, it can be assumed that any reference to movement using the tilt setting of a lens is to tilt, whether up/down, left/right or a combination of the two. Traditionally, left/right movement is referred to as swing. Similarly, any movement of the lens shift control is referred to here as shift, rather than the alternative rise/fall for up/down movements.

Using a lens adapter, this medium-format lens is shifted downwards by 15mm. This downwards shift is sometimes referred to as ‘fall’ as opposed to ‘rise’ for upwards movement – for simplicity, any direction of shift in the book will be referred to as ‘shift’.

Whilst there are links to resources covering a fuller mathematical description of tilted lenses, such an approach has been quite deliberately avoided in the main text, where two alternative techniques are described for setting lens tilt for medium/fardistance working and close-up. In the appendices, there are tables and notes on their creation, showing how just one distance measurement enables initial setting of tilt for placing the plane of focus at a known position with a tilted lens of a particular focal length.

WHAT DOES SHIFT DO?

There are descriptions of many lenses and adapters offering shift functions in Chapter 2, along with much more detailed coverage on the practicalities of shift in Chapter 3, but the basics are easy to show. If you point a level camera at a building, the vertical sides will be straight, but point the camera upwards and vertical lines will converge. The convergence is more noticeable the wider the field of view. Using a shift lens with the camera level and the lens shifted upwards ‘fixes’ the problem with converging verticals. It is for this reason that tilt/shift lenses are sometimes known as ‘perspective control’ lenses.

In itself, there is nothing wrong with the strongly angled composition, but the author’s experience as an architectural photographer suggests that most clients will be far happier with non-leaning verticals. This difference should not be assumed to mean that one composition is better than another, just that, as a working photographer, it pays to know what your clients expect. The strongly convergent shot can be a deliberate creative choice, whilst a slight convergence that could have been corrected with just a few millimetres of shift can, to some, look careless.

WHAT DOES TILT DO?

Shift is relatively easy to explain. Showing the difference between a shifted and non-shifted view of a building makes it quite clear. Tilting the lens moves where the plane of focus is positioned in front of the camera and subtle uses of tilt may be quite difficult to spot in an image without knowing what to look for. Combining strong tilt and wide aperture, with its limited depth of field, can give unusual combinations of blurring and sharpness, sometimes resulting in a ‘miniature-world’ look to images.

Tilting a camera upwards produces characteristic convergence of vertical lines. The wider the lens, the more apparent this tends to be. Whilst not ‘wrong’ in any way the strong lean may not give the style of image required.

Using a lens shifted upwards eliminates the converging verticals. A longer focal length (35mm vs 15mm) also gives a better sense of scale to the image. Using shift is often appropriate for correcting small amounts of convergence of verticals.

Effective use of tilt requires the setting of both the lens tilt and the lens focus. It is this combination of settings that often causes confusion, especially since the lens-focus setting now moves the plane of focus around in a somewhat different way to how it moves back and forth when focusing a normal camera lens. Add to this any unfamiliarity with manually focusing cameras, and it is no wonder that many photographers give up on the more precise and subtle benefits that using lens tilt can offer.

By using a wide aperture (f/2.8), a tilted lens (Canon TS-E90mm F2.8L Macro) and a downwards-looking viewpoint, the narrow plane of focus cuts through the scene, giving an image that many may perceive as a photograph of a model. The tilt axis of the lens is horizontal, with the lens tilted downwards by several degrees.

Turning the tilt axis to vertical gives a plane of focus that cuts through the scene as a vertical slice. The lens is a 210mm medium-format lens used with a tilt/shift adapter on a Canon EOS RP mirrorless camera. The lens is tilted by nearly 10 degrees to the left, with the plane of sharpness placed to run along the edge of the path.

Looking along an equipment rack in a narrow underground area, where there is limited space. The photo is taken using a wide-angle 17mm lens. At f/10 the depth of field is significant, but the far panel is slightly blurred.

Tilting the lens (a Canon TS-E17mm F4L) to the right places the plane of focus along the instrument panels and intersects the panels at the far end of the rack. A careful comparison also reveals the slight change in image geometry from the movement of the lens when tilted.

Running the plane of focus along a wall (or floor or ceiling) is a simple task once the relationship between tilt and focus is grasped. Whilst the miniature-world look is the effect of lens tilt being emphasized, many uses of tilt only become apparent when looking at an image and taking time to wonder just how the photographer managed such a huge apparent depth of field. Tilt doesn’t give more depth of field, it just allows control of where the available depth of field is placed.

WORKING MANUALLY – CAMERA ISSUES

One of the difficulties many face with tilt/shift lenses is unfamiliarity with manually adjusting camera settings. Depending on the camera, using a lens with tilt and/or shift can throw off metering and even focus confirmation. This happens since cameras are designed for normal non-shifted and non-tilted lenses. Once the lens is tilted or shifted, the light rays coming in from the lens no longer enter the camera at the expected angle. The changed light angles can very occasionally cause some colour/exposure variation across the frame, but this varies by camera model and lens choice. It is not generally a problem with camera makers’ own tilt/shift lenses, but is worth investigating when using lens/camera adapters.

Comparing magnified portions of the distant parts of the image shows the improved sharpness in the tilted version, where the tilted plane of focus runs.

From the same two images, magnified sections of the panel just a short distance from the camera show similar levels of sharpness.

Lest it be thought that having to work manually is a hindrance, there are many who would say that mastering the skills needed for manual working can only benefit most photographers, giving a far more intuitive understanding of focus and exposure, even when subsequently using camera auto-focus and auto-exposure modes. Similarly, one of the author’s motivations for trying to explain more about using tilt/shift lenses is that much like printing photos, once mastered, it benefits all of a photographer’s work.

DSLR issues

The camera-exposure metering for DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras is usually measured at some point after incoming light is reflected off the reflex mirror, up in the top of the camera where the pentaprism or mirrors reside. The change of light angle with shift and tilt can cause under- and over-exposure depending on the movement of the lens. If using camera metering, check exposure with the lens in an unshifted and untilted state. Depending on the lens used, and aperture chosen, there may also be some vignetting that requires exposure compensation.

DSLR focus mechanisms can be used to check for focus with modest amounts of shift, but lens tilt can render any such features unreliable. Where cameras have a ‘live view’ option, this can help with achieving optimal focus, especially with a magnified view.

Mirrorless issues

The viewfinder and rear screen for mirrorless cameras shows an image directly from the sensor, which is also used for metering purposes. This generally results in fewer problems when metering with a tilted and/or shifted lens than with a DSLR. Focus detection/confirmation is also sensor-based, so tends to be more accurate with tilt/shift lenses than DSLR cameras.

Focus-peaking is commonly available on mirrorless cameras, whereby a coloured enhancement is added to sharp parts of the image shown on the screen or viewfinder. It can give a very good feel for a thin plane of focus running through a scene, with a tilted lens.

Focus-peaking, showing as a red overlay, showing parts of a scene in focus. The lens is a 35mm medium-format lens shifted upwards with a Fotodiox TLT ROKR tilt-shift adapter. Such adapted lenses can work well when tilted and shifted, and represent a relatively economic way of experimenting with tilt/shift lenses.

Focus-peaking in camera-tethering software shows the plane of focus placed along an arbitrarily tilted subject. The procedures for setting up shots like this are outlined in Chapter 5, which looks at setting tilt for shorter working distances.

A QUICK NOTE ABOUT FILM

All of the examples shown in this book are based on using digital cameras. Tilt/shift lenses do of course work perfectly well on 35mm- and medium-format film cameras, with just the optical viewfinder to use for composition and focusing. A magnifying viewfinder attachment may be of considerable help when setting focus and especially when using lens tilt. The technique outlined in Chapter 4 for working out basic tilt settings is easy to use and quite reliable for many situations. The close-up iterative technique in Chapter 5 does work, but needs a very good viewfinder and sharp eyesight. Tilt and shift affects camera metering in film cameras in a similar way to DSLRs. Moving to larger-format film equipment often includes cameras with full movements of both the lens and film-holder. Although the principles outlined in this book are very relevant to largeformat film, they are primarily intended for the users of smaller interchangeable lens camera formats.

Chapter 2

Lenses with Tilt and Shift

BASIC LENS MOVEMENTS

Lenses with some form of movement built into their design go under different names depending on who sells them. The Nikon range, for example, is known as Perspective Control (PC) lenses, whilst Canon calls their range Tilt-Shift lenses. There are mechanical differences in design of all lenses, which affect how they are used, and some lenses only offer shift movements. Regardless of this, the essence of all such lenses is the ability to control viewing perspective (shift) and the plane of focus (tilt). The mechanisms to enable this are currently all mechanical.

The separation of lens elements from the movements section of the lens means that tilt/shift adapters are able to connect a normal lens from one manufacturer to a camera body from another. This adds tilt/shift capabilities to a wider range of lenses and is covered later in more detail. Such adapters can be an inexpensive way of exploring camera movements and offer lens choices not available as dedicated tilt/shift lenses.

The largely manual nature of all such lenses and adapted solutions mean that changes in workflow and camera operation will be required for photographers used to using auto-focus and any types of auto-exposure. Even basic exposure metering can be affected by lens movements, so that exposure settings need to be determined before any tilt or shift is applied. There is a more detailed look at working with tilt/shift lenses later in this chapter.

The Canon TS-E90mm F2.8L Macro lens set at 10 degrees of tilt.

Modern tilt/shift lenses, such as this Canon TS-E50mm F2.8L Macro have a seemingly complex array of adjustments. Looking individually at what they can do and why you might use them is a key aim of this book.

A Fotodiox TLT ROKR adapter allows medium-format lenses to be used with a mirrorless camera, with full tilt and shift. The Mamiya 210mm F4 lens is mounted on a Canon EOS RP, showing tilt and downwards shift.

A purple cast and shadow along the top of the frame showing up in a downwards-shifted image where the sun was shining on the front of the lens. Older lenses don’t benefit from modern coatings and construction techniques that can reduce such problems. Even so, with care, many older lenses are still capable of giving excellent results.

TILT ANDSHIFT LENSES

Lens movements date back to the nineteenth century where large-format cameras often had movements built into the camera itself, so that essentially any lens could be used with movements applied. The examples here are primarily for 35mm-format cameras or lenses adapted for use with such cameras. Some of the newer lenses are described in greater detail due to practical availability for testing, but that is no reflection on the quality or utility of other lenses. The example images spread through the chapter are intended to give a feel for using the lens types and show some of the ways they can be used. It would have been nice to include example photos from every lens, but in the real world…

OLDER LENSES

Many of the older lenses are still perfectly usable, either directly or with mount adapters. It should be noted that the older lenses tend to show more aberrations and that lens-coating technologies have advanced massively since the 1960s and 1970s. Some deficiencies can be addressed in software, but others may require more care in set-up and shooting.

Early lenses are also likely to be shift-only. Examples of these early lenses are hard to find as they were never produced in large numbers and so may well fall into the ‘collectable’ category, destined to sit in display cabinets rather than be used. Bargains can still be found, but spare parts are unlikely to be available.

Specifications for older lenses can vary in format since not all manufacturer information is consistent. However, the important features of focal length, aperture and shift are known. If looking to acquire one of these lenses, a search on the web for example photos will usually be of great help, since with the advent of digital cameras, especially mirrorless, many more people are giving them a try. There are likely to be lens-correction profiles for some that, subject to the limitations of using fully manual lenses, may be of help in correcting distortions and aberrations.

Older Nikon lenses

The first shift lens for an SLR-style camera was the F mount PC-Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 dating from July 1962. This was followed with updated versions in 1968 and 1980. A PC-Nikkor 28mm f/4 appeared in 1975, followed by a 28mm f/3.5 in 1981. The PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D was launched in 1999.

The basic specifications of the older Nikon shift lenses are shown in the table. These all have a fully manual aperture, where you physically set the aperture required on the lens. If focusing at full aperture, then the lens will not stop down as the photo is taken.

The 35mm and 28mm lenses allow for full 360-degree rotation of the lens in its mount so as to be able to set the direction of shift. There are click stops at 30-degree steps. The 85mm lens allows for a ±90-degree rotation with respect to the mount, with click stops at 30 degrees.

The 85mm is still widely available and includes internal electronics that allow it to work as a normal lens if not shifted/tilted. It has aperture stopdown that is operated by a push-down plunger on the lens. The number of Nikon shift lenses was to some extent limited by the size and nature of the Nikon F mount, with a wider range of PC-E lenses not appearing until 2008. The PC-E lenses have electronic stopdown.

Nikon 35mm f/2.8 PC-Nikkor unshifted. Compare with the newer version that has protection for the exposed screw thread. Image © Matthew Currie

Nikon 35mm f/2.8 PC-Nikkor at full shift. Image © Matthew Currie

Nikon 35mm f/2.8 PC-Nikkor unshifted. Image © Dave Jervis

Nikon 35mm f/2.8 PC-Nikkor at full shift. Image © Dave Jervis

85mm f/2.8D PC Micro-Nikkor at full tilt and shift. Image © Matthew Currie

Older Canon lenses

Canon produced their first dedicated tilt/shift lens, the FD mount TS 35mm f/2.8 SSC in 1973. The updated TS 35mm f/2.8 appeared in 1976. The earlier model can be identified by orange text for the metric distance markings, a more open design for the shift mechanism and a slightly larger shift knob.

It is possible to find examples of the lens modified for the newer EF mount, where the position of the shift knob on the later version makes it less likely to make contact with the overhang of the prism assembly on the top of DSLRs. The 35mm was the only tilt/shift lens produced using the older Canon FD Mount. The arrival of the Canon EF mount in 1987 with its all electronic communication between lens and camera led to the development of the TS-E lens range.

The 35mm lens works well when shifted and tilted by modest amounts. The red line markings seen on the tilt axis do indicate a potential drop-off in image quality. Just how much the image quality fall-off is an issue depends on the subject. This aspect is explored further in the more detailed look at the Canon TS-E lenses.

Canon TS 35mm f/2.8, early model. Image © Rob de Loe

Canon TS 35mm f/2.8, later model at 11mm shift. Image © Rob de Loe

Canon TS 35mm f/2.8, later model at 8 degrees tilt. Image © Jurgen Gross

Olympus OM lenses

There were two fully manual shift lenses produced by Olympus for their OM system, under the Zuiko brand. The 24mm f/3.5 and 35mm f/2.8 can be readily adapted to other mounts given the 46mm flange distance (lens mount to sensor). The 24mm has a fixed lens hood and four inbuilt filter options (Neutral, Yellow 48, Orange 56, Red 60). The 35mm has different amounts of maximum shift in different directions.

The main differences between early and later versions of the 35mm come in the coatings, whether single- or multi-coated. The differences are not obvious and may only be shown in the precise order of the name written on the lens, so for example ‘Zuiko Shift 35mm 1:2.8’ is a multi-coated version, whereas ‘f=35mm’ is a single-coated version. The other clue is the lens colour, where multi-coated lenses have a green/purple look, whilst the single-coated ones look yellowish.

Olympus 24mm f3.5 shift. Image © Viktor Pavlovic

Olympus 35mm f2.8 shift. Image © Viktor Pavlovic

NIKON PC-E LENSES

The Nikon PC-E lenses all offer tilt and shift along with full electronic control of aperture. All allow the shift axis to be set at ±90 degrees, with click stops at 30-degree intervals.

The 24mm f/3.5 PC-E Nikkor

This lens was launched in January 2008. There is an aperture-setting ring and stopdown button. The lens featured an electromagnetic aperture diaphragm for auto-aperture control on some Nikon bodies at the time. Newer cameras all support this feature, as does the Z series mirrorless via an adapter. The lens allows for ±90-degree rotation with respect to the mount, with click stops set at 30-degree intervals. This allows setting of an arbitrary axis for tilt/shift, although the tilt and shift axes are set at 90 degrees to each other. This can be modified on request by Nikon service centres.

The original press release information (Nikon UK, January 2008) for the 24mm lens also noted: ‘… Some functions will be limited when used with cameras other than the D3 and D300. Cannot be used with the F70D, F60D, F55, F50D, F-401 series, F-801 series, F-601, F3AF, F-501, PRONEA S, or other manual focus cameras.’

The 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E Nikkor

This was introduced in June 2008 after being initially mentioned at the time of the 24mm f/3.5 PC-E launch. It was launched along with the 85mm f/2.8D PC-E. Both lenses allowed close-up focus, giving a maximum reproduction ratio of 0.5×. The aperture is set via a manual aperture ring, and the lenses have an additional button for aperture preview.

The lenses allow for ±90-degree rotation with respect to the mount, with click stops at 30 degrees. This allows setting of an arbitrary axis for tilt/shift although the tilt and shift axes are set at 90 degrees to each other. This can be modified on request (to the same axis) by Nikon service centres.

As with the 24mm lens, the press release (Nikon UK, June 2008) also noted: ‘… Some functions will be limited when used with cameras other than the D3 and D300. Cannot be used with the F70D, F60D, F55, F50D, F-401 series, F-801 series, F-601, F3AF, F-501, PRONEA S, or other manual focus cameras.’

The 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro-Nikkor

This was introduced in June 2008, along with the 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E. The two lenses function similarly other than in focal length.

The 19mm f/4E ED PC-Nikkor

Introduced in October 2016, the PC Nikkor 19mm f/4E ED represents a significant advance in mount capabilities compared to earlier PC-E lenses. The tilt and shift axes can be rotated independently of each other. Whereas the older lenses could be modified to give a simple 0- or 90-degree relationship, the 19mm allows for a continual range of movement between the two.

The electronic operation of the lens means that it is not compatible with some older Nikon cameras. This was noted in the initial press release (Nikon UK, October 2016): ‘… Models that are not compatible with PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED: D2 series, D1 series, D200, D100, D90, D80, D70 series, D3000, D60, D50, D40 series, film cameras, Nikon 1 series with FT-1.’

Nikon PC Nikkor 19mm F4E ED, tilt and shift axes set at 90 degrees to each other. Image © Kelvin Lau

Nikon PC Nikkor 19mm F4E ED, tilt and shift axes set at the same position. Image © Kelvin Lau

CANON TS-E LENSES

Canon have produced eight TS-E lenses for the EF lens mount. The initial group (24mm/45mm/90mm) were launched in 1991 and featured tilt- and shift-axis adjustments offset by 90 degrees. This could be changed through a service modification, which is not difficult to do. It is described in the TS-E90mm F2.8 section on page 40. The 1991 lenses still work well on modern Canon DSLRs and mirrorless cameras of all makes, with suitable adapters. Widely available in the used market, they represent an economical way of exploring lens movements, and tend to hold their resale value well.

Of the initial three lenses featured only the 24mm was given the Canon ‘L’ designation. The 24mm was updated in 2009 by the TS-E24mm F3.5L II at the same time as Canon introduced the TS-E17mm F4L. Both these lenses provided larger image circles to give better edge/corner performance at full shift. Both lenses featured independent adjustment of tilt and shift axes, allowing continuous adjustment rather than the 90-degree service configuration for the older lenses. In 2017 there were three new ‘macro’ designated TS-E lenses, with the 50mm giving a considerable update in performance over the 1991 TS-E45mm F2.8, whilst the new 90mm and 135mm pushed the maximum tilt possible to 10 degrees.

The Canon TS-E lenses show a pattern of improvement over the years that extends the range of options, whether minimum focus or maximum usable amounts of tilt or shift. For practical purposes it is this range of lenses that has the widest range of sample images in this book. The key takeaway should not be that these are the best lenses to use, but that choosing different lenses for tilt/shift use should be matched with the sorts of photography you wish to achieve, and of course the available budget. It is partly for this reason that there are some other suppliers of such lenses discussed after the Canon examples, as well as the possibilities offered by the wide range of lens/camera adapters now available.

The TS-E24mm F3.5L

The 24mm lens, launched in 1991, was a significant advance over previous designs in that it not only offered an appreciably wider coverage, but was fully electronic, making use of what was then Canon’s relatively new EF camera mount. The tilt/shift part of the lens can be rotated by 90 degrees relative to the lens mount/camera, and the tilt and shift axes are set 90 degrees apart. This could be modified by Canon or via the simple procedure shown here for the TS-E90mm. The lens shift mechanism is fully internal, as opposed to the external screw mechanism found on the original Canon FD tilt/shift lenses. The lens is the only one of the three launched in 1991 that was given Canon’s ‘L’ designation.

Canon TS-E24mm F3.5L. Image © Alexander Rosenwald

Canon TS-E24mm F3.5L, with no tilt or shift.

Canon TS-E24mm F3.5L, with 11mm of shift.

Canon TS-E24mm F3.5L with 8 degrees of upwards tilt.

The lens offers up to 11mm of shift in either direction or ±8 degrees of shift. The lens tilt and shift indicators have white markings to show the limits beyond which image quality might fall off. These settings, marked in red, should only be taken as a warning of potential loss of quality, since in practice a lot depends on what parts of the image are in this area, and the aperture chosen. With full shift, the lens benefits from being used at smaller apertures, typically f/11 or higher. It should be remembered that the three original TS-E lenses were designed for film cameras, without the benefit of live view or instant checking of results on a camera screen.

The lens is supplied with a basic lens hood, although it should be noted that at full shift it actively intrudes into the image. The filter size is 72mm and, with a suitably thin profile filter, there is no vignetting at modest shift values. The lens does exhibit some slight barrel distortion. With the edge of an upwards-shifted image that is mainly the sky, the only issues may be a bit of vignetting in the corners and a slight softness of cloud features. The full amount of shift in a vertically oriented shot pushes the top of the picture well into the ‘soft zone’.

In the example of Smith Tower in Seattle, the photo was (for some now unknown reason) shot at f/3.5. The vignetting is extreme, but a bit of manual vignette removal and a slight crop give a reasonable image for conversion to black and white. If using more than 5mm of shift then f/11 is a reasonable aperture choice, if there is important detail in the shifted corners. As with any tilt/shift lens, it’s always worthwhile undertaking some basic initial testing to find out just what levels and sorts of aberration exist at different apertures and settings.

Seattle street scene. At f/5.6 and full upwards shift there is some distinct vignetting noticeable in the top corners.