Tilt shift portrait examples?

[Ozarker]

I've taken lemons and want to make lemonade. I had 7 Canon speedlites and a transmitter that were sitting around collecting dust and decided to sell them to add a big flash and another lens. Sold my Tamron 15-30 also.

The new flash was easy to pick, but the lens is more difficult.

My choices are the new Canon 85mm f/1.4L IS or one of the tilt / shift models. My main focus is portraits. The creative possibilities with tilt / shift are very intriguing.

If I take the tilt shift route I'm wondering if the 90mm for portraits is the way to go, or to go wider. I really wish I could get a trio, but... $$$$$ just ain't there. On the other hand, maybe the 50mm would be better?

I'm hoping somebody here uses one of these tilt / shift lenses a lot for portraits and can give some examples of what they've accomplished with them.

I know the lenses are manual focus and that they are much slower. However, when it comes to aperture it appears that this isn't too much of a concern when it comes to dof because of the way focus can be manipulated.

I'm not going to rent a lens.

Thanks guys.

 

[Random Orbits]

I would go wider with a 50mm TS. The advantage of the TS-E for portraits is in groups and tilting the plane. It allows the photographer to place lines diagonally (i.e. receiving lines, bridesmaids, groomsmen). 50mm will allow the photographer to be at a reasonable distance (too short with 24mm).

 

[hendrik-sg]

For portraits i would go with the 85. It is autofocus, and a very slight movement forward or backward of the model ruins the focus if manual (except you have great skills)

The creative effects with the T-S lenses like miniatures etc may be boring after not so long time, then you have expensive and difficult to use lenses with slow aperture.

Or maybe, if slower aperture is acceptable, at the aperture of the T-S lenses, 50 and 85mm options are cheap or you maybe already have them