JPL

I am curious about UHH members, if they own, rent or use tilt and shift lenses. And if you do, what kind of photography do you use them for?

Paul J. Svetlik Loc: Colorado

Yes, mostly for landscapes and sometimes for architecture.

repleo Loc: Boston

I have recently acquired an OM to Sony E mount shift adapter. Using it with my old Zuiko lenses. I wanted it to try with streetscape type shots to square up geometric / architectural type details. Still getting used to it. Verdict is still out.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Yes, I have Nikon's 24, 45 and 85mm. I use the 45 and 85 extensively for botanical closeups (flowers and the bugs that visit them), landscape, cityscapes, and the 85 is a half-way decent portrait lens, even though it is F2.8 at it's widest aperture - it still has very pleasant bokeh. I also use them, to a lesser degree for interior and architectural these days. I tend to use the 24 more for interiors, and on occasion for outside shots and landscapes in tight quarters - like when I am hanging from a tree root on a slippery rock and I have to get that waterfall entirely in the composition.

Can't say enough good things about them - I use a D800 and a D810. I aways take them while traveling, btw.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Used to own one. Post production is now cheaper and more effective than lugging this lens around.

whitehall Loc: Canada

I own a Canon 45mm. The result of one of my many GAS attacks. I use it for landscape and more recently for macro. But it is definitely one too many, but having purchased I try to use it.

rmm0605 Loc: Atlanta GA

Yes, JPL. I own the 24mm PC-E lens. I don't use it much, but I've used it architecturally and in interior settings. I sold the 85mm PC lens because I never used it.

Zack_W Loc: Urbana, Illinois

I don't own any of those lenses for my DSLR but I own two view cameras. I use the swing, tilt and shift features constantly on those. I do mostly landscape and nature photography and a little architectural photography with the view camera. I consider those features a must for architectural photography.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

I have the Canon 17mm. I use it mostly for building shots indoors and outdoors but because the lens is so large (the front glass is beyond the camera frame you can't have a sunshade) extra care must be taken for light flair. but, s great lens.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I currently have Canon TS-E 24mm and 45mm... I use both for architecture, the 24mm and occasionally the 45mm for landscape photography, and the 45mm for table-top studio, small product photography (on an APS-C camera). I've also used the TS-E 90mm on full frame for close-up and table-top studio, small product photography, but don't currently own one. I haven't used or owned the Canon 17mm because I haven't had call for it.

I'm interested in the three new Canon TS-E lenses (50mm, 90mm and 135mm) that are closer focusing than the older ones. But at those prices I won't be running out to buy them all. Of a job comes up where any of them might be needed, I'll rent before I buy.

Over the years (or decades, rather) I've used various view cameras (4x5 and 5x7) and still have a couple vintage ones (Wista cherrywood field camera and a pre-WWII Japanese Navy quarter-plate camera). So it wasn't much of a learning curve with the TS-E lenses. The modern lenses are easier to use because they have a fewer movements and less range of movement than most view cameras.

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

I use the facility in post processing that corrects for the distortion caused by shooting at an angle, for example a building. I'm attaching a photo and the correction. Just be sure you include enough material to accommodate the correction which I didn't do on the right side of the original photo.

Before


After

Bob Boner

I have 24mm, 45mm, and 90mm canon TS lenses. The 45mm is the least used. I use them for landscapes for increased dof, for keeping sides of vertical features straight, and for for flowers. For flowers it is almost always the 90mm.

JPL

Yes, that is the problem with post processing, it can do some of what tilt and shift lenses do, but usually not as well and not all of it. I actually think there is a good future ahead for tilt and shift lenses because what they do can not be done or not done as well in post processing. The only thing post processing and in camera features do relatively well of the tilt and shift features is the miniature effect.

PH CIB

Wow great Thread,,,Thank You,,,I have always wanted to rent Tilt/Shift Lenses and then possibly Buy,,,,but always wondered if post processing could do the same thing,,,,interesting that apparently it cannot because someday with advances in software all the fun of photography might be gone with images just created on the computer....

JPL

Well, they are trying to make software do what tilt and shift lenses do.

If you use the shift to correct the perspective in architectural pictures you will use the whole sensor. - If you do this in post you have to crop and throw away pixels.
If you use the shift to make panoramas it is easy to stitch the pictures. - If you do this in post with pics from normal lenses you can also get pretty good results.
If you use the tilt for miniature effect it works great for still photos and video. - If you do this in post you will have lot of frames to edit when doing videos.
If you use the tilt to get the whole frame in focus in landscape photography it works - If you do this with focus stacking you better be sure nothing is moving in the picture.
You can use the shift function to take pictures of mirrors without being seen in them - It takes time and knowledge to fix that mirror in post.
And you can manipulate a tilt and shift lens in low light to get more of your frame in focus at wide aperture than using a non tilt lens. - In post you can not replicate that.

This is what comes to mind when I think about the advantages of tilt and shift lenses and comparison to software adjustments. Some more experieced users here can surely add to this comparison.