Tilting & Shifting

[Sabaki]

So I picked up a 2nd hand TS-E 24mm mkii for about $1200! It was used twice by the previous owner who felt it wasn't for him and I went ahead and pulled the trigger!

I am so very excited, as it was always a dream lens of mine.

What I'd like to ask of those who own TS-E lenses, aside from perspective correction for buildings etc, do you guys use these lenses creatively? I will use this for cityscapes and interiors but also want to delve into some creative photography with it.

Any advise or stories you guys want to share with me?

It'll arrive tomorrow! ;D

 

[AcutancePhotography]

I suppose that it is mandatory under inter-galactic law that new owners of a TS lens has to do that perspective alteration that makes everything look like miniature toys.

So go ahead and get that taken care of and then never do it again! ;D ;D

But seriously, other than correcting for vertical perspectives, which is what the shift does, you can do a lot of nice things adjusting the plane of focus using the tilt function. If you want to learn more about it, read up on the Scheimpflug principle. This can result in some very creative focusing in closeup photography.

Good luck with it. I have used TS lenses before but never owned one. They are always on my fantasy list.

They take some getting used to which is probably why the previous owner dumped theirs.

I would imagine that buying TS lenses used from people who did not want to take the time to learn how to use it is the smart way to get a "new" TS lens for a lot less. Congratulations on your crafty buy.

 

[retroreflection]

Photography is art with giant technical constraints. TS lenses change the rules a bit, but there is no P mode or AF to help you in early stages. It is wise for you to learn the rules and practise them. When you can look at the world and pre-visualize what is possible with your tools, then you can set the creative side free.
Read all you can about Schiempflug.
Run through shift drills: close, medium, and long range, compare images framed "similarly" with and without shift. Do it in all axes, vertical, horizontal, and other angles. Get a feel for how close you can stand to that skyscraper and still pull the top into frame. Same thing for peeking around the salt shaker on the table.
Run through tilt drills: [close, medium, and long range] x [acute, medium, obtuse]. Learn how to establish the plane of focus you want. Learn how much bokeh you can get at various ranges. Again, do it in all axes.

I think a big reason people give up on TS lenses is they don't bother to get past the tedium of learning. You don't have to follow my program (it is recommended from hindsight by someone who tried to skip past the lessons), but it is wise to focus on learning the skills.

 

[Tinky]

The shift bit is underused as a tool for parallax free panoramic source images for easy stitching.

You can also shoot into mirrors without your reflection using the shift function, or shoot around undesired street furnature etc.

The Tilt is a learning curve indeed, I had to learn it on film, which with the terrible focus screens most EOS cameras have is very difficult. Digital is your friend. Use live view, use the 5x and 10 zooms.

And once you get a grasp on tilt, remember you also have rotate to really put a spin on things.

 

[NancyP]

Congratulations! That's a good deal, btw. I have been thinking about this too. Live view is a brighter, right-side-up version of a ground glass on a view camera. So here's a guide to focusing the view camera:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-focus.html
Takes practice.

and adapted for modern SLRs:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses1.htm perspective control (shift)
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses2.htm Scheimpflug (tilt)

 

[Sabaki]

Congratulations! That's a good deal, btw. I have been thinking about this too. Live view is a brighter, right-side-up version of a ground glass on a view camera. So here's a guide to focusing the view camera:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-focus.html
Takes practice.

and adapted for modern SLRs:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses1.htm perspective control (shift)
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses2.htm Scheimpflug (tilt)

It seems I have some homework!

Thanks everybody, I'll do my research and read, read, read!

It could arrive tomorrow but I'll be happy to get it before the weekend! Can't wait

 

[romanr74]

A maybe not entirely traditional example of a TS shot...

 

[Sabaki]

A maybe not entirely traditional example of a TS shot...

Cool shot!

Watching videos on the TS-Es and seeing shots like yours is getting me excited! I cannot wait to go take some shots this weekend

 

[privatebydesign]

Congratulations! That's a good deal, btw. I have been thinking about this too. Live view is a brighter, right-side-up version of a ground glass on a view camera. So here's a guide to focusing the view camera:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/how-to-focus.html
Takes practice.

and adapted for modern SLRs:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses1.htm perspective control (shift)
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses2.htm Scheimpflug (tilt)

It seems I have some homework!

Thanks everybody, I'll do my research and read, read, read!

It could arrive tomorrow but I'll be happy to get it before the weekend! Can't wait

If you only read and understand one article, make it this one http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/using_tilt.html

Everybody always refers to Scheimpflug, but he is only half of the relevant idea, of far greater importance to us small format lens users is Harold Merklinger and his use of focus to rotate the plane of focus about the 'J point' that gives us the control we look for.

The linked article also has tilt tables, which are invaluable (many thanks Keith!) and Merklinger has two free pdf books if you really want to get into the maths and theory behind it all.

http://www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/TIAOOFe.pdf
http://www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/FVC161.pdf

 

[MARKOE PHOTOE]

Congrats on the new lens. I'll have to admit that getting used to using T/S is a bit of challenge. It does teach you to slow down and compose and make small adjustments accordingly. Take your time.

The shift feature for pano's is pretty straight forward but the tilt is a great feature to maximize the DOF once you get used to using it.

I also use a 5.4" SuperHD monitor attached to my tripod so I can focus in closely and make adjustments on a bigger screen. This really helps my eyes see detail that I can't see on the camera LCD.

Good luck!

 

[tpatana]

Nice! I've been planning for the TS-E 24 II for years now. Maybe one day...

 

[RobertG.]

I own 5 tilt-shift lenses and use 4 of them regularly. I use them mainly for landscapes and architecture. I also shot portraits with them and used tilt a bit more creatively to draw the attention. But is nothing I do regularly.

BTW, even with the TS-E 90mm the miniature effect doesn't really work as good as in software. The transition is softer than in software....

 

[wopbv4]

Another application of the TS-24 is to create a square stitched landscape.
Put camera on a tripod in portrait mode. Take three shots at -5, 0 +5 horizontal shift.
Stitch them in Photoshop and you get a square as a result.
It is a different look to the super stretched horizontal landscapes, but I like it.

For product photography, the TS gives you the opportunity to get very close and still have everything sharp across the field (negative tilt).

Hope this helps

 

[wopbv4]

A word of caution.
Please be careful with all the little knobs and levers. I have heard of people that applied too much force and broke a knob, which resulted in several hundred $ repairs.
If the shift or tilt does not happen smoothly, with minimal force, you are doing something wrong!
I have made a real mess of this in the beginning, hence these words.

 

[Sabaki]

A word of caution.
Please be careful with all the little knobs and levers. I have heard of people that applied too much force and broke a knob, which resulted in several hundred $ repairs.
If the shift or tilt does not happen smoothly, with minimal force, you are doing something wrong!
I have made a real mess of this in the beginning, hence these words.

Thanks for the advise

I did make the mistake of not fully understanding the locking mechanisms but I'm exploring her slowly and carefully. It's a new experience altogether

I also rearranged my bag. Feel a little wary of those knobs in a fairly packed bag

 

[ejenner]

I have the 17mm and I am not overly careful with my gear. Those knobs are reasonably sturdy and my guess if that people damage them when renting the lens and really lean on them. They are not going to just suddenlt snap off with normal use.

Also I would advice not underestimating the value of shift. Simple up-down or side-side movements are obvious, but especially for architecture diagonal movements can be useful and it is not as obvious how they will turn out or the best angle and amount of shift to use.

While it can be interesting to 'play' with, IMO the best 'tilt/shift' shots are ones where it is not obvious to the casual observer that you used tilt or shift. I haven't see a lot of 'creative' shots I really like.

 

[Busted Knuckles]

The very fastest way to learn what each function does in a T/S - Take a movie!!! Put the camera on a tripod. And then move each nob all the way back and forth and narrate what you are doing.

Shoot it wide open so you can see w/ happens to the focus plane most easily. Table top distances work well, and then backyard/garden sized distances.

Go SLOWLY. pausing several seconds after each adjustment so when you are watching the movie you can look at all 4 corners and middle.

I have the t/s 90 and have rented the 24II and the 45. the 24 is really nice so "in the middle" one should expect when you max shift and max tilt the "outside" corner is going to suffer.

The 90 was at one time reputed to be the resolution king from canon. All I know is on the 5DSR it blew me away with resolution. I put together a many, many frame pano of sunrise at Hidden Lake in Glacier National park and the details in the distance were giggle and snort sharp. (I will post in a few days on Flickr the images need some shadow work still)

 

[Col]

I have the 24mm TS-E and as a landscape photographer it is by far my favourite lens. As for uses, I have been known to use it to create the 'miniature' look, and sometimes I use it for perspective control (as opposed to perspective elimination) but mostly I set my 6D on its side using an 'L-bracket' and use the shift feature to take 3 x vertical frames that I later stitch together in Photoshop. At the same time I set the tilt to bring all points into focus (aka Scheimpflug). The result is a much larger file than standard, a kind of 'full frame DSLR does medium format' thing. ;D

 

[Hector1970]

You can also shoot into mirrors without your reflection using the shift function, or shoot around undesired street furnature etc.

If Tinky is still around could you elaborate on this.
I was wondering how you use the lens to shoot into a mirror without your reflection using shift.

I really like it as a landscape lens. It slows you down and makes you think more about compostion and what you want to have in focus. It's great for getting that depth of field you need to have near and far away things in focus.
Where's difficult is with metering once you start tilting and shifting. A bit of trial and error is require.
Exposure compensation is handy for getting it right by trial and error.
I don't regret getting it.
I always bring it on a landscape shoot and generally it deliverer the best shots.
My only advice is don't tight the screws tightly.
Tighten them just enough that it the lens doesn't move on you.
If they get jammed you are in trouble and its expensive to fix.
When you finish after using you should probably loosen them.

 

[privatebydesign]

You can also shoot into mirrors without your reflection using the shift function, or shoot around undesired street furnature etc.

If Tinky is still around could you elaborate on this.
I was wondering how you use the lens to shoot into a mirror without your reflection using shift.

I really like it as a landscape lens. It slows you down and makes you think more about compostion and what you want to have in focus. It's great for getting that depth of field you need to have near and far away things in focus.
Where's difficult is with metering once you start tilting and shifting. A bit of trial and error is require.
Exposure compensation is handy for getting it right by trial and error.
I don't regret getting it.
I always bring it on a landscape shoot and generally it deliverer the best shots.
My only advice is don't tight the screws tightly.
Tighten them just enough that it the lens doesn't move on you.
If they get jammed you are in trouble and its expensive to fix.
When you finish after using you should probably loosen them.

Set the camera up just to the side of the mirror, then use shift to center the mirror in the frame, done.

You can do exactly the same thing with a wide angle lens and crop in post.