AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

Just get DxO.

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

At least take a look at DxO software. It is popular, easy to use to straighten buildings and such, and I have always had great results with their programs. It might save you a lot of time and frustration.

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

Yes. And, I would add, if you're planning to do perspective correction in post, plan on leaving some extra space in your shots for cropping, because you can't always count on Content Aware Fill to produce satisfactory results.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I use Canon gear, but that includes a couple TS-E lenses that are pretty much the same as Nikon's PC lenses.

It really takes a combination of both perspective control lenses and perspective control software, in my opinion.

Software perspective corrections inevitably make for a lot of cropping and interpolation, which can effect image quality noticeably.

It's always better to do as much adjustment as possible "in camera" using the lenses. However, PC lenses for 35mm/full frame format have somewhat limited movements. There's nowhere near as much correction with movements possible with these lenses, as there is with large format film cameras. I would also recommend testing the limits of the lens(es) in advance, too. Some are not at their best at their max shift or tilt. Reduced resolution, light fall off/vignetting and increased chromatic aberration are all things that can occur at the extremes of the lens' movements. As a result, you can usually only get partial correction using the lens and it's often best to "finish the job" using post-processing software. I use both LR and PS at various stages of post-processing, but I only use Photoshop for this purpose.

rlscholl Loc: California

My preference is a shift lens for the reasons mentioned by others (the tilt feature of tilt-shift lenses is for other purposes). Several manufacturers made shift only lenses in the past. For years I kept an Olympus 35mm shift lens on my Olympus OM-2 as my walk-about lens. These lenses are relatively inexpensive and are frequently available on the used market. They are, of course, manual lenses, which should not be an issue as all tilt-shift lenses currently available are manual only (to the best of my knowledge).

ecurb1105

I was taught to get it right in the camera before considering any retouching. Use a tripod, level the camera fore and aft and side to side. Perhaps a wider angle lens lets you keep verticals straight and allow you to crop extraneous elements from the photo.

Bill P

[quote=ecurb1105]I was taught to get it right in the camera before considering any retouching.

brilliant but unusual advice. Only disadvantage to using a t-s lens on a trip is the unbelievable PITA of traveling with a tripod.

rlscholl Loc: California

A tripod is not needed when using the shift feature if the shift lens adjusts by sliding rather than a screw adjustment. You can eliminate the keystoning problem by focusing on an eye-level point on the building to be photographed, then shift the lens upward until the building edges are vertical while keeping the camera still. It is a relatively quick and easy process (for a lens that shifts by sliding other than a screw adjustment).

ecurb1105

[quote=Bill P]

Those of us who grew up shooting 8x10 and 4x5 view cameras dont find tripods much of a hassle. My favorite tripod is still my QuickSet Traveling Samson, originally bought to hold an 8x10 Deardorff.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/tpr?p=10294154&t=599398

This link will take you to a post I wrote on this subject- take a read if you have the time. I address the Keystone effect with pertains to the type of distortion that is referred to in this thread.

I do quite a bit of architectural work- commercially. My first go-to technique is the use of a perspective control lens, OR a view camera with a complete set camera movements- swings, tilts, shifts and rises. The use of theses systems can be time-consuming in setting up each although a PC lens can be a quick and efficient tool once you get the hang of it.

In the post in the link, I Have outlined other methods of addressing keystoning by adjusting camera position, keeping the camera parallel to the vertical lines of the building and then cropping out excess ground or sky.

In my architectural assignments, I can spend hours at one location, I use a solid tripod which is necessary with a view camera or the practical operation of a PC lens. When traveling on vacation, however, I will usually apply my alternative method outlined in that previous post, find high ground, etc., and I do correct any remaining keystoning in post-processing.

Your decision to go with either in-camera PC control or post-processing remedial actions will depend on the time you have to spend at each site, the practicality of tripod usage and how critical the quality requirements are in the final usage as to architectural correctness,and maximizing sharpness, that is, if you can afford to lose a few pixels in cropping or PC control in post-processing.

Also- Listen to Gene. The Scheimpflug principle has nothing to do with distortion- it is a method of tilting the lens to achieve a greater depth of field. This too can be a handy technique in architectural work where you wish to increase the depth of field without stopping down as much, thereby minimizing diffraction.

If you decide on the purchase of a PC lens- make certain to practice with it and become familiar with its characteristics and controls before embarking on an important project.

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

The OP asked about Lightroom/Photoshop so we must assume that's what he has to work with. I correct this distortion in Lightroom regularly and find I don't need Photoshop's tools *most* of the time. It is true that you create a certain amount of distortion with the correction, but if you plan your shots with that in mind (along with the eventual crop), each image will stand on its own. Personally I don't have the patience (nor the commissions!) to warrant tripods and tilt-shifts <shrug> and the OP is on vacation, right?!