All Canon TS lenses

[flowers]

Apart from

TS-E 17/4
TS-E 24/3.5L
TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
TS-E 45mm f/2.8
TS-E 90mm /2.8

are there any more TS lenses from Canon? Are all of these optically great, or are there differences? How do they compare with third-party lenses? There isn't a huge difference in prices compared with third-party lenses, but is there a huge difference in quality either way? I know this is a CANON forum, but I'm hoping for a neutral opinion!

 

[Loswr]

There aren't any other TS-E lenses. There was a 35mm f/2.8 TS lens in FD mount (no electronic aperture, so no -E).

The 24 II and 90 are the sharpest, followed closely by the 17. The 45 and original 24 are less sharp (the 24 II + 2x TC is pretty close to the 45 in sharpness).

The L versions allow you to change the relative orientation of tilt and shift on the fly (via a release lever), and to choose any relative angle (although Canon recommends using only 45° increments where there are detents). The other TS-E lenses can have the relative orientations changed from orthogonal to parallel, but you need to remove four screws and rotate the shift assembly.

 

[flowers]

There aren't any other TS-E lenses. There was a 35mm f/2.8 TS lens in FD mount (no electronic aperture, so no -E).

The 24 II and 90 are the sharpest, followed closely by the 17. The 45 and original 24 are less sharp (the 24 II + 2x TC is pretty close to the 45 in sharpness).

The L versions allow you to change the relative orientation of tilt and shift on the fly (via a release lever), and to choose any relative angle (although Canon recommends using only 45° increments where there are detents). The other TS-E lenses can have the relative orientations changed from orthogonal to parallel, but you need to remove four screws and rotate the shift assembly.

Thank you so much! That's very useful information. I would have picked the 17 for the wider view, but I don't want to unscrew anything to change orientations! 24L it is!

 

[ahab1372]

There is a 24mm Tilt-Shift for Canon EOS mount by Samyang/Rokinon for about half the price, with lesser build and image quality.
Edit: The-Digital-Picture.com has a review here: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Samyang-24mm-f-3.5-Tilt-Shift-Lens-Review.aspx
Schneider makes also Tilt Shift lenses for Canon http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Lens+Mount_Canon+EOS&ci=274&N=4288584247+4291231926+4108103567 but they are not cheap. See Roger's take on the 50mm version here http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/specialty/schneider-50mm-f2.8-super-angulon-for-canon

 

[flowers]

There is a 24mm Tilt-Shift for Canon EOS mount by Samyang/Rokinon for about half the price, with lesser build and image quality.
Edit: The-Digital-Picture.com has a review here: http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Samyang-24mm-f-3.5-Tilt-Shift-Lens-Review.aspx
Schneider makes also Tilt Shift lenses for Canon http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Lens+Mount_Canon+EOS&ci=274&N=4288584247+4291231926+4108103567 but they are not cheap. See Roger's take on the 50mm version here http://www.lensrentals.com/rent/canon/lenses/specialty/schneider-50mm-f2.8-super-angulon-for-canon

Thanks. Have you tried the Samyang? It's one of the few Samyangs I haven't owned/used. I'd be interested in hearing a first-hand experience! If the Samyang has a worse IQ though, it's not worth it, you get what you pay for, I rather pay more. Who ever heard of a cheap TS lens! I'll read the review you linked now.

Ps. is the 17mm L or not? I though it wasn't an L lens but amazon lists it as an L lens! Which is it?

 

[privatebydesign]

The TSE-17mm is an L. Which also means you can change the orientation of the tilt and shift. The 17 with a 1.4 TC is better IQ than the Mk I 24 BTW.

 

[flowers]

The TSE-17mm is an L. Which also means you can change the orientation of the tilt and shift.

Ok, thanks for the info. I found it confusing that in many places where I saw it discussed or sold, the 17mm was missing the "L". Now I know!

 

[ahab1372]

Thanks. Have you tried the Samyang? It's one of the few Samyangs I haven't owned/used. I'd be interested in hearing a first-hand experience! If the Samyang has a worse IQ though, it's not worth it, you get what you pay for, I rather pay more. Who ever heard of a cheap TS lens! I'll read the review you linked now.

Ps. is the 17mm L or not? I though it wasn't an L lens but amazon lists it as an L lens! Which is it?

No, I have not used it. According to reviews it seems to be a less-expensive alternative to the Canon if you don't plan to shoot with apertures wider than f/8, if you don't expect the same image quality, but you need the tilt-shift. At $1000 it is not exactly cheap.

Here are two more articles by Roger:
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/05/first-look-at-the-rokibowyang-24mm-f3-5-tilt-shift-lens-part-1 and
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/05/first-look-rokinon-24mm-f3-5-tilt-shift-part-2

 

[flowers]

Thanks. Have you tried the Samyang? It's one of the few Samyangs I haven't owned/used. I'd be interested in hearing a first-hand experience! If the Samyang has a worse IQ though, it's not worth it, you get what you pay for, I rather pay more. Who ever heard of a cheap TS lens! I'll read the review you linked now.

Ps. is the 17mm L or not? I though it wasn't an L lens but amazon lists it as an L lens! Which is it?

No, I have not used it. According to reviews it seems to be a less-expensive alternative to the Canon if you don't plan to shoot with apertures wider than f/8, if you don't expect the same image quality, but you need the tilt-shift. At $1000 it is not exactly cheap.

Here are two more articles by Roger:
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/05/first-look-at-the-rokibowyang-24mm-f3-5-tilt-shift-lens-part-1 and
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2013/05/first-look-rokinon-24mm-f3-5-tilt-shift-part-2

I read the links you posted. No way is the Samyang good enough! Wide-open sharpness is clearly inferior and on top of that the TS gears run on plastic tracks! That would mean that you have to send your lens periodically to Korea when the tracks wear out. No thanks!

 

[trof2]

When I shot film, I was invested into the F mount and had a pretty nice lens called the PC-Nikkor 28mm. I've been looking around for another cheap copy recently. It runs around $400, I think. With an F-EF adapter, it would be an option if you were looking for some PC action. It doesn't tilt, and has a manual aperture, but IQ was quite good. I wonder how it would measure up with today's sensors....

You could also play the Russian lens roulette if you're feeling lucky. They allegedly have some TS knockoffs of the TS-E lineup in EF mounts, of course. Tell us how that goes if you decide to give it a try....

Apart from

TS-E 17/4
TS-E 24/3.5L
TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II
TS-E 45mm f/2.8
TS-E 90mm /2.8

are there any more TS lenses from Canon? Are all of these optically great, or are there differences? How do they compare with third-party lenses? There isn't a huge difference in prices compared with third-party lenses, but is there a huge difference in quality either way? I know this is a CANON forum, but I'm hoping for a neutral opinion!

 

[flowers]

When I shot film, I was invested into the F mount and had a pretty nice lens called the PC-Nikkor 28mm. I've been looking around for another cheap copy recently. It runs around $400, I think. With an F-EF adapter, it would be an option if you were looking for some PC action. It doesn't tilt, and has a manual aperture, but IQ was quite good. I wonder how it would measure up with today's sensors....

You could also play the Russian lens roulette if you're feeling lucky. They allegedly have some TS knockoffs of the TS-E lineup in EF mounts, of course. Tell us how that goes if you decide to give it a try....

I took a quick look at the nikkor, the aberrations are quite severe and quite noticeable (at least on digital cameras). Knockoffs? I wouldn't even know how to find them! I'm really not looking for anything cheap, I'll also use it for work! The TS-E lenses are clearly the best option, I just wanted to get a better opinion before choosing one. Now I have all the information I need to make the right choice. Thanks to everyone!

 

[jhanken]

You could also play the Russian lens roulette if you're feeling lucky. They allegedly have some TS knockoffs of the TS-E lineup in EF mounts, of course. Tell us how that goes if you decide to give it a try....

To help clarify and expand on this statement, the old school Ukranian-made lenses may have some flaring issues, and the fact that these lenses have lots of moving parts expose them to more issues, but they are really quite nice tools. I am speaking of the Arsat Arax lenses in 35mm and 80mm, I have used them both and I will say you really aren't risking much by trying them, they are quite good. Many of the Ukranian-based vendors have sold thousands of these lenses to US based buyers and have good track records.

The more contemporary generation of tilt-shift lenses from the Ukraine, the Hartblei Super Rotator lenses, are made in collaboration with Zeiss and are breathtakingly expensive, closer to the Schneiders in price than the Canons. I have never tried one but the reviews I read suggest they are worth the investment. The super rotator function is like the 24L in that you can choose how to align the tilt and shift axes.

 

[flowers]

You could also play the Russian lens roulette if you're feeling lucky. They allegedly have some TS knockoffs of the TS-E lineup in EF mounts, of course. Tell us how that goes if you decide to give it a try....

To help clarify and expand on this statement, the old school Ukranian-made lenses may have some flaring issues, and the fact that these lenses have lots of moving parts expose them to more issues, but they are really quite nice tools. I am speaking of the Arsat Arax lenses in 35mm and 80mm, I have used them both and I will say you really aren't risking much by trying them, they are quite good. Many of the Ukranian-based vendors have sold thousands of these lenses to US based buyers and have good track records.

The more contemporary generation of tilt-shift lenses from the Ukraine, the Hartblei Super Rotator lenses, are made in collaboration with Zeiss and are breathtakingly expensive, closer to the Schneiders in price than the Canons. I have never tried one but the reviews I read suggest they are worth the investment. The super rotator function is like the 24L in that you can choose how to align the tilt and shift axes.

This was a useful message! I haven't even heard of the Hartblei TS lenses. Good to know!

 

[RobertG.]

Among the old Ukrainian lenses is the Arsat PCS 55mm f4.5, which is a medium format shift lens. There is a EF adapter available, which offers also tilt. I own this lens too but seldom use it. It is even less sharp and offers less resolution than the mediocre TS-E 45mm. The main problem of the Arsat PCS 55mm f4.5 is the ancient coating. It's also huge and quite heavy. But it's all metal and glass and will probably last a century or more!

From my own experience the TS-E 24mm L II and the TS-E 90mm are really great lenses and worth every cent. The TS-E 45mm is mediocre and lacks sharpness as well as resolution in comparison to the TS-E 24mm L II and the TS-E 90mm. The TS-E 45mm is better than nothing in this focal length but I really hope that Canon will bring out an updated version.

Unfortunately I couldn't try the new Hartblei lenses with Carz Zeiss optics yet. Basically these are older medium format lenses which use the same mechanical designs for tilt and shift as the old Ukrainian lenses. They are really huge and heavy. I find these aspects quite unpractical, especiall for landscapes, and prefer the Canon lenses.

 

[flowers]

Among the old Ukrainian lenses is the Arsat PCS 55mm f4.5, which is a medium format shift lens. There is a EF adapter available, which offers also tilt. I own this lens too but seldom use it. It is even less sharp and offers less resolution than the mediocre TS-E 45mm. The main problem of the Arsat PCS 55mm f4.5 is the ancient coating. It's also huge and quite heavy. But it's all metal and glass and will probably last a century or more!

From my own experience the TS-E 24mm L II and the TS-E 90mm are really great lenses and worth every cent. The TS-E 45mm is mediocre and lacks sharpness as well as resolution in comparison to the TS-E 24mm L II and the TS-E 90mm. The TS-E 45mm is better than nothing in this focal length but I really hope that Canon will bring out an updated version.

Unfortunately I couldn't try the new Hartblei lenses with Carz Zeiss optics yet. Basically these are older medium format lenses which use the same mechanical designs for tilt and shift as the old Ukrainian lenses. They are really huge and heavy. I find these aspects quite unpractical, especiall for landscapes, and prefer the Canon lenses.

Yes, too heavy and large optics are unpractical! I thought they have new optics since they seem to be modern lenses, but if they're the same old, no need to even consider! The problem with MF lenses is that while they might be sharp on MF by MF standards, they're usually not sharp at all on FF. Maybe there are exceptions, but I don't know of any.

 

[danski0224]

Unfortunately I couldn't try the new Hartblei lenses with Carz Zeiss optics yet. Basically these are older medium format lenses which use the same mechanical designs for tilt and shift as the old Ukrainian lenses. They are really huge and heavy. I find these aspects quite unpractical, especiall for landscapes, and prefer the Canon lenses.

They have a 120mm macro TS lens. Would like to see one, but given the price...