Hi everyone,
I am thinking about getting one of these TS-E lenses, most preferably the 45mm mm.
Despite the fun-aspect and the perception to "emulate" large-format-shooting I would like to know if it is really necessary.
I would like to use it to extend DOF, or more correctly, to tilt the plane of focus for that cool near-to-far sharpness.
However I wonder if this comes through in a print of - lets say 20X30 inches. Is the increased sharpness in the far distance really noticable in prints of this size?
Just in case it is not, are there any other benefits?
I am really considering such a lens, but I do not want to spend some hard-earned cash on something that does not show significant effects.
You bet your bottom dollar that you can see the effect in a large print. I can get f32 or f45 like DOF at F4 with the 45mm lens! I mostly always shoot my 45 TSE at f8 or F11 for max resolution and tilt for max DOF. The results make for amazingly sharp prints and the edge to edge sharpness on a full frame camera is much better than Canon's regular lenses because the 45 TSE has a larger image circle. You will never go back to a regular lens once you try the TSE! Trust me you will see SIGNIFICANT effects. Darwin
Ditto to what Darwin has already stated, but you are also able to get larger files by the using the shift for pano shots. When you shift your pano images you are able to keep your image on plane and overlap your shots just slightly for a much larger file size than a typical w/a lens can offer. I use the 24mm ts-e for flora and the result is excellent. Waited for years to get one and often wonder why I waited so long. Don't hesitate, you'll love it.
Darwin and Jeffrey, thanks for your clear answers on this. This convinced me. Haven't thought of the pano-opportunity yet - another reason for getting this thingy!
-Dietrich
I don't have the 45 TSE in particular. I started shooting large format last year, so all my lenses for that are tilt-shift/swing-rise capable.
Darwin is right though. When you are dealing with simple planes, the tilt feature will be very useful for extending focus at reasonable apertures and therefore maintaining the best sharpness. But you'll learn some interesting stuff about optics too. You still need to be careful when you've got objects intersecting the plane of focus at high angles, so you might need to stop down further at times. Watch out for tree branches and errant blades of grass in your foreground.
But I think I like the perspective control aspects of large format better than the focal plane control. Rise (same as shift, but up) will allow you to keep things like trees from leaning in when you would normally need to look up. Pretty cool.
Sort of a question/comment : I think if you get a TSE lens you'll also get the ability to use shallow DOF, but in unusual ways within the image, right? Or do TSEs on an SLR not have enough movement?
Posted by Mel Ladewig on April 9, 2008 at 10:51 PM
David,
That's certainly possible too. I've seen lots of photos where alot of swing was put into the lens and shot wide open to get a real narrow band of focus. It can be pretty interesting.
Discussion
7 repliesI am thinking about getting one of these TS-E lenses, most preferably the 45mm mm.
Despite the fun-aspect and the perception to "emulate" large-format-shooting I would like to know if it is really necessary.
I would like to use it to extend DOF, or more correctly, to tilt the plane of focus for that cool near-to-far sharpness.
However I wonder if this comes through in a print of - lets say 20X30 inches. Is the increased sharpness in the far distance really noticable in prints of this size?
Just in case it is not, are there any other benefits?
I am really considering such a lens, but I do not want to spend some hard-earned cash on something that does not show significant effects.
Thanks for some opinions!
Regards
Dietrich
-Dietrich
I don't have the 45 TSE in particular. I started shooting large format last year, so all my lenses for that are tilt-shift/swing-rise capable.
Darwin is right though. When you are dealing with simple planes, the tilt feature will be very useful for extending focus at reasonable apertures and therefore maintaining the best sharpness. But you'll learn some interesting stuff about optics too. You still need to be careful when you've got objects intersecting the plane of focus at high angles, so you might need to stop down further at times. Watch out for tree branches and errant blades of grass in your foreground.
But I think I like the perspective control aspects of large format better than the focal plane control. Rise (same as shift, but up) will allow you to keep things like trees from leaning in when you would normally need to look up. Pretty cool.
That's certainly possible too. I've seen lots of photos where alot of swing was put into the lens and shot wide open to get a real narrow band of focus. It can be pretty interesting.