It's a shifting teleconverter. Depending on the quality of the glass (both the converter glass and the converted lens) vs. the pixel pitch of your camera, you might be able to get the same or better effect just by cropping.
Isn't Laowa a Chinese company? Not sure. Anyway, there have been some huge recent lockdowns in China. Supply chains are still disrupted. I think I read that China has loosened up in the past week or so.
The RF T/S lenses (at least some of them) will supposedly have AF, but most T/S work is done on a tripod - by nature it is a slowish process setting up a shot, so the value of AF is arguable. The EF mount versions are excellent, so why lust after the RF version?
The question is also whether they will Af before or after tilt or shift operation. I too do not see any relevant advantage in AF , for me at least. Yet, I'm only an occasional TS lens user. A professional might see it differently. Would be intersesting reading Keith Cooper's opinion on the subject!
The bare minimum improvement I'd like to see is that it can sense the amount of tilt and shift and log that to the EXIF. Other brands are already doing that. It would make applying lens corrections in post a lot more feasible.
Maybe just to make the lens more useful for other photography? Just another feature to give it more value? I'd imagine the af would keep some traveler from carrying another lens. I've never owned a TS lens, so just spit balling.
Funnily enough, one of the reasons why I love using my T/S-E 24mm is *because* it is slow to use. It takes time to set up a tripod, adjust the tilt and/or shift, and focus manually, during which time I'm spending more time also studying the composition, and noticing/eliminating distracting elements in the scene. If you haven't used one, hire one for a weekend and give it a try, it will be a revelation!
Yes! I'll be waiting to see what Keith does. Honestly, the reason I've not tried it is because of the process. I have a huge problem concentrating and staying on task these days. I tend to forget what I am doing sometimes. I drove away from a good Manfrotto light stand and light in the middle of the desert a few years ago. I have to have someone with me.
Yes, for my use of a TSE17 and generally wide angle the "missing" AF is not a problem.
Right!
That makes perfect sense. The EF mount versions however are extremely good, and mint copies can be had for less than a third of what you'll pay for a native RF version. For 99% of T/S photography, people will be using a tripod and focusing manually, so personally I question the *need* for AF - it seems more like a marketing *feature* than something of practical value.
