Canon's New Tilt Shift Lenses Still Scheduled To Begin Shipping Next Week

Canon Rumors Guy

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<p>We’re told by a couple of retailers that Canon’s new TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro, TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro & TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro are still scheduled to begin shipping in small quantities during the first week of December.</p>
<p>We have yet to see any in-depth hands-on previews or reviews for Canon’s latest tilt-shift lenses.</p>
<p>Anyone that has gotten their hands on any of the three lenses, please let us know what you think.</p>

<ul>
<li>Preorder: Canon TS-E 50mm f/2.8L Macro $2199: <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1354804-REG/canon_ts_e_50mm_f_2_8l_tilt_shift.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/Qi85jzNe3jKs-zVQhFp8P_YAAAFf_bFXZwEAAAFKAQ5HMu4/https://assoc-redirect.amazon.com/g/r/http://www.amazon.com/Canon-2-8-2-8-Fixed-Digital-Camera/dp/B074VQ6SGK/ref=as_at/?imprToken=n0vg-r52UCBi2zMZbU2knA&slotNum=0&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503979433&sr=1-1&keywords=2273C002&linkCode=sl1&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=cb8ec7b44c7330db08be9b92ec483ef1">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://mpex.com/canon-ts-e-50mm-f2-8l-macro-lens.html?acc=3">Midwest Photo</a></li>
<li>Preorder: Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8L Macro $2199: <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1354805-REG/canon_ts_e_90mm_f_2_8l_tilt_shift.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/Qi85jzNe3jKs-zVQhFp8P_YAAAFf_bFXZwEAAAFKAQ5HMu4/https://assoc-redirect.amazon.com/g/r/http://www.amazon.com/Canon-2-8-2-8-Fixed-Digital-Camera/dp/B074VPX4VD/ref=as_at/?imprToken=n0vg-r52UCBi2zMZbU2knA&slotNum=1&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503979444&sr=1-1&keywords=2274C002&linkCode=sl1&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=52e439f0d8cb0184e88df0939f3732fa">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://mpex.com/canon-ts-e-90mm-f2-8l-macro-lens.html?acc=3">Midwest Photo</a></li>
<li>Preorder: Canon TS-E 135mm f/4L Macro $2199: <a href="https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1354806-REG/canon_ts_e_135mm_f_4l_tilt_shift.html/bi/2466/kbid/3296">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="http://aax-us-east.amazon-adsystem.com/x/c/Qi85jzNe3jKs-zVQhFp8P_YAAAFf_bFXZwEAAAFKAQ5HMu4/https://assoc-redirect.amazon.com/g/r/http://www.amazon.com/Canon-135mm-Fixed-Digital-Camera/dp/B074VGT17P/ref=as_at/?imprToken=n0vg-r52UCBi2zMZbU2knA&slotNum=2&s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503979419&sr=1-1&keywords=2275C002&linkCode=sl1&tag=canorumo-20&linkId=4a897711f9c7448aab3e576ec3dbb296">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://mpex.com/canon-ts-e-135mm-f4l-macro-lens.html?acc=3">Midwest Photo</a></li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
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Jan 29, 2011
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LDS said:
- and no, you can't do everything in post :)

Playing devils advocate here, what can you do with a tilt shift lens you can't do in post? Other than achieve some effects in a single shot I'm not so sure, especially given the high resolution files we have to work with now.

At 'normal' output sizes I think T/S lenses are a hard sell.
 
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Sep 25, 2010
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privatebydesign said:
LDS said:
- and no, you can't do everything in post :)

Playing devils advocate here, what can you do with a tilt shift lens you can't do in post? Other than achieve some effects in a single shot I'm not so sure, especially given the high resolution files we have to work with now.

At 'normal' output sizes I think T/S lenses are a hard sell.
Are you thinking about keystone correction? Having never used a T/S, it's my understanding that keystone is just one benefit, another being the ability to control the attitude of the plane of focus. I understand (and agree) that multi-shot work is entirely viable for many needs these days, but there are always situations where a single shot is preferable; e.g. a forest on a windy day.

It's certainly a hard sell for me, but not because of the capability of the lens. :)
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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Orangutan said:
privatebydesign said:
LDS said:
- and no, you can't do everything in post :)

Playing devils advocate here, what can you do with a tilt shift lens you can't do in post? Other than achieve some effects in a single shot I'm not so sure, especially given the high resolution files we have to work with now.

At 'normal' output sizes I think T/S lenses are a hard sell.
Are you thinking about keystone correction? Having never used a T/S, it's my understanding that keystone is just one benefit, another being the ability to control the attitude of the plane of focus. I understand (and agree) that multi-shot work is entirely viable for many needs these days, but there are always situations where a single shot is preferable; e.g. a forest on a windy day.

It's certainly a hard sell for me, but not because of the capability of the lens. :)

Keystone is shift, plane of focus adjustments are tilt. There is practically nothing you can't do with either you can't do in post that would give you acceptable results at normal output sizes. Sure for some tilt images where tilt was used a few stacked shots might be needed.

But as I say I was playing devils advocate in asking what can tilt shift lenses do that can't be done in post to an acceptable standard at normal output sizes?

Tilt would be very limited in a forest on a windy day as the plane of focus becomes a wedge shape and you can't get the tops and bottoms of the trees in focus and keep them in focus going into the image.
 
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LDS

Sep 14, 2012
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privatebydesign said:
Playing devils advocate here, what can you do with a tilt shift lens you can't do in post? Other than achieve some effects in a single shot I'm not so sure, especially given the high resolution files we have to work with now.

At 'normal' output sizes I think T/S lenses are a hard sell.

Define "normal output size" :) I don't believe these lenses are aimed at people shooting for small catalog images on Amazon or AirBnB.

Combining several shots is again not always possible - it requires everything motionless, besides being more time consuming and maybe requiring a still expensive and/or heavy setup - and even hi-res files of today may noticeable lose detail when manipulated too much. Probably today you can also try with a full 3D rendering... but it's not exactly the same thing.
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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LDS said:
privatebydesign said:
Playing devils advocate here, what can you do with a tilt shift lens you can't do in post? Other than achieve some effects in a single shot I'm not so sure, especially given the high resolution files we have to work with now.

At 'normal' output sizes I think T/S lenses are a hard sell.

Define "normal output size" :) I don't believe these lenses are aimed at people shooting for small catalog images on Amazon or AirBnB.

Combining several shots is again not always possible - it requires everything motionless, besides being more time consuming and maybe requiring a still expensive and/or heavy setup - and even hi-res files of today may noticeable lose detail when manipulated too much. Probably today you can also try with a full 3D rendering... but it's not exactly the same thing.

Normal output size has a definition already, an 8"x10" print viewed from 12", that is how CoC calculations and DOF are calculated. That equates to a 16"x20" from 24" etc etc.

Several shots do not require everything to be motionless, I do it all the time and you can choose the image that best exposed the moving part, auto detect movement works staggeringly well in post software too.

Kieth Cooper has some excellent tilt shift articles posted on his site ( http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/category/articles-and-reviews/tilt-shift/ ) and he does image quality loss comparisons with shift and software too ( http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/using-a-shift-lens-why-not-just-fix-verticals-in-software/ and halfway down here http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/what-tilt-and-shift-lenses-do/ )

My devils advocate question still hasn't been answered...
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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Robhoek27 said:
Dear devil's advocate, have you ever tried a ts lens? In other news, I found this review via google https://www.cyberphoto.se/info.php?article=tse50

Yes, I've owned the 17 since release and will be getting the 50. But again, my question was in reply to the comment that "no, you can't do everything in post", so what is it that you can't do in post, or with pre-thought at the shooting stage, that only a T/S lens can do?

Practical examples would be the answer, yet nobody has any so far.
 
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ahsanford

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Aug 16, 2012
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privatebydesign said:
Practical examples would be the answer, yet nobody has any so far.

I believe my answer of using the sharpest lens aperture to cover a larger front-to-back DOF than would normally be covered on a non-T/S lens is a plausible attempt, is it not? You can't focus stack in post if you never shot the stack, or (perhaps saying this another way) you can't bring something out of the working DOF back into the working DOF in post.

But I don't use T/S and have only seen this in videos and demos and such. I defer to those who have actually done this and might comment on it here.

- A
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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ahsanford said:
privatebydesign said:
Practical examples would be the answer, yet nobody has any so far.

I believe my answer of using the sharpest lens aperture to cover a larger front-to-back DOF than would normally be covered on a non-T/S lens is a plausible attempt, is it not? You can't focus stack in post if you never shot the stack, or (perhaps saying this another way) you can't bring something out of the working DOF back into the working DOF in post.

But I don't use T/S and have only seen this in videos and demos and such. I defer to those who have actually done this and might comment on it here.

- A

I use tilt for extreme sharpness throughout the image but I could just as easily do that, with even better results in some situations, by focus stacking. Obviously if you didn't shoot the stack there is nothing you can do, but my point stands, with forethought what is it that you can do with a T/S lens you can't do in post?

This was the statement by LDS " - and no, you can't do everything in post :) " . My question in reply is, what is it that you can't do in post given some forethought?

One of the things people who don't use tilt lenses miss is that the plane of acceptable focus changes from being a parallel 'bread' slice that's thickness is determined by the aperture and focus distance, to a pie slice where the camera end comes to a point, you end up with less dof close to the camera and often not enough height to cover close objects, or even tall ones further away, within the composition.
 
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LDS

Sep 14, 2012
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privatebydesign said:
This was the statement by LDS " - and no, you can't do everything in post :) " . My question in reply is, what is it that you can't do in post given some forethought?

Think about images you take with a strong ND filter to remove moving objects and achieve other effects. If you need enough images, there's a good chance light conditions changes as well, and shadows move enough. In other situations conditions change quickly enough even with normal exposures you can have an hard time to stack them.

You imply you always have the time to achieve the same effects with a different technique, but that's not always the case.

Some digital perspective correction will lead to less definition - they always involve interpolation - and "normal size" is in the eye of the beholder. Some photos are made to be seen from very close, even at a large size, because that's what users need, and digital corrections losses may be not acceptable.

Can you come close, with a lot of work, to what a TS lens achieve? Often, yes - but not always.
 
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Jan 29, 2011
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Drainpipe said:
I'm pretty excited. I rented the 90mm and it should be here by the 4th. I have a set of auto bellows I already have ready for it :) Pretty sure I will pick one up in the future, but just wanted to test it out before I went crazy and bought one.

I'm excited too, and looking forwards to my first excuse to get the 50 which might be in January.
 
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The combination of a TSE lens and 1/2 life size Macro makes for a suburb lens.
To be able to tilt for maximum depth of field with macro subjects studio/nature is very useful, the 90mmTSE (now the old version) had a useful 1/3rd life-size capability and with extension tubes could provide greater magnification.
waited years for these but the price is prohibitive as is the weight both a huge increase on the original although the 135mm is a welcome addition.
Its possible to cover all the advantages of the TSE with software options, blur (never quite looks right from software) depth of field (focus stacking, can give excellent or even better results for landscape but if shooting a building elevation at an oblique angle this is relatively easy to execute in camera to gain good depth of field). Perspective control( software options available and depending on the amount of Shift could be a close call on quality but some of the image is lost doing this in post and the TSE lens can combine Tilt and Shift, take the example of the oblique wall the depth of field can be increased by tilting plus correct convergence with some shift, a lot of work in post to achieve this)
The other handy thing that a TSE lens can do is take a picture in front of a mirror or reflective surface and keep the photographer/camera out of the image with some shift. Easy pano stitching is another useful ability.
 
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