Tilt-Shift Lenses

[tiger82]

Short of test driving all of them, is there a guideline regarding choice of focal lengths for TS lenses. What are the typical needs met by 17mm, 24mm, 45mm, and 90mm TS lenses? Does it differ is a FF, APS-H, or APS-C body is used? I just shot the 17mm and it seems to be better suited for large subjects and shooting from lower elevations. I will shoot the 24mm next.

 

[Random Orbits]

It's really up to the user, but generally speaking, the 17 is more used for interiors (where space is limited) and for really large objects than the 24. The 24 is usually preferred for landscapes. The 90 has a fairly high max magnification ratio and is used in product photography. The 45 and 90 are older designs whose shift and tilt movements are coupled; the 17 and 24 are newer and have an additional rotation stage that decouples those two motions.

Shooting with non FF bodies will narrow the AOV and DOF accordingly as with any other lens. Extenders can be used (at least on the 17 and 24) as well.

 

[tiger82]

I never considered using a 1.4TC with a TS-E. Do you think that, with the exception of losing 1 stop and some IQ, I can approximate a 24mm TS-E using a 17mm TS-E with a 1.4x TC? I do like the flexibility of using filters on a 24mm TS-E for outdoor work. I will have to decide after shooting the 24 and 45

 

[Random Orbits]

I never considered using a 1.4TC with a TS-E. Do you think that, with the exception of losing 1 stop and some IQ, I can approximate a 24mm TS-E using a 17mm TS-E with a 1.4x TC? I do like the flexibility of using filters on a 24mm TS-E for outdoor work. I will have to decide after shooting the 24 and 45

Yes, the 17 with 1.4x can approximate the 24. The 17 is one of the sharpest ultrawides around, but the 24 is sharper still. For critical applications, the native 24 would be better.

 

[Loswr]

Short of test driving all of them, is there a guideline regarding choice of focal lengths for TS lenses. What are the typical needs met by 17mm, 24mm, 45mm, and 90mm TS lenses? Does it differ is a FF, APS-H, or APS-C body is used?

Yes, it differs based on sensor size - the crop factor applies, so you should pick the AoV that most suits your needs. For me (architecture and landscapes), that was the TS-E 24L II.

 

[kirispupis]

I have the 17, 90, and 24 II. The 90 is most useful for macro and product photography. I occasionally use it for landscapes when my subject is more distant or for occasional city panos.

The 17, as already mentioned, is most useful for interiors. It can be useful for landscapes if the scene lends itself to such a wide angle. It is a very sharp lens but has a serious tendency to flare. You have to be very careful with it if you are in the presence of any lights or the sun in particular. It is therefore a very poor choice to use for sunrise/sunset shots.

The main advantages the 24 II has over the 17 are
- Much better flare control. A very good lens for sunrise/sunset shots
- Much easier to use filters. You can technically add filters to the 17 using special adapters, but both the adapters and the filters are pricy.
- Closer focusing distance, allowing more of a macro effect. This is very useful for objects very close.

I primarily use my 24 for exteriors and as a walk around lens. On vacation it is my most used lens after my 70-200/2.8 II. The 17 is a great lens, but the 24 is more flexible due to the above.

 

[Harvester]

I shoot with the 24mm and when I lend it to a friend we discovered a problem

If your body has a built in flash it will hinder rotation and will even prevent to rotate 90 degrees since the big turningbutton does not fit under the flash (this was on a 50D)

I have a 100D as second body, the tiny EOS, and it not even possible to put the lens on this body, the built in flash is very much in the way of the lens ...

I use it mainly for interior photography, also exterior building photography and I found the 24mm to be much more suited then the 17mm

 

[Loswr]

I shoot with the 24mm and when I lend it to a friend we discovered a problem

If your body has a built in flash it will hinder rotation and will even prevent to rotate 90 degrees since the big turningbutton does not fit under the flash (this was on a 50D)

I would not call that a problem, but rather, user error. You can remove the shift knob cap when using the lens on a body with a popup flash.

 

[Harvester]

Thanks for this info, I was not aware obviously.

but this still won't fix the issue with the 100D, lens is just to big ... then again, not really a lens to put on a 100D

 

[Grumbaki]

Yeah, you're like breaking the lens body continuum!

Just by curiosity, is there any factor making 24 TSE "wider"than regular 24? (except panostitching). I don't do interiors so by the "guidelines" I'd be ok with the 24 but on my 24-70, 24 sometimes feels not wide enough due to urbanization in asian cities (it's cramped in here).

 

[privatebydesign]

I never considered using a 1.4TC with a TS-E. Do you think that, with the exception of losing 1 stop and some IQ, I can approximate a 24mm TS-E using a 17mm TS-E with a 1.4x TC? I do like the flexibility of using filters on a 24mm TS-E for outdoor work. I will have to decide after shooting the 24 and 45

I do often, the combo is still a very high quality lens. I need the 17 fov often enough for that to be my mainstay TS-E lens, but I am very happy with the output from the 17 and 1.4TC MkIII.