Perspective control

• see also:

  • my tilt shift photos

  • my main photography links page

  • Canon 1D with Tilt-Shift lenses - a unique advantage with the 1D MIII

  • links to other websites:

    • info on tilt shift and the Scheimpflug principle here and explanatory pic here and the Hinge rule here

      • table of shift/tilt lenses for 35mm cameras 

      • a viewpoint on tilt/shift lenses

      • http://www.largeformatphotography.info/merklinger-spreadsheet.html 

      • view camera principles in Wikipedia 

      • http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/focusing-ts.shtml 

      • a great explanation on hinge rule & Scheimpflug principle here:

        • http://www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/HMbook18.html 

        • http://www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/VuCamTxt.pdf 

      • http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses1.htm - using them for shift including calculator

      • http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses2.htm - using them for tilt including calculator

    • Canon TSE tilt shift lenses:

      • more links to tilt shift web pages

      • http://photo.net/equipment/canon/tilt-shift 

example of mine using Canon TS-E 90mm lens on the Canon 1D Mark III manually focussed on her left eye using 10x magnified live preview.

Introduction:

• whilst perspective control using shift lenses to correct converging lines can be largely done in post-processing in tools such as Photoshop, the ability to change the plane of focus by using a tilt lens cannot be achieved satisfactorily in PS.
• a tilt lens can be very useful for product photography as well as macro or even portraiture but accurate focus of the distorted focal plane ideally requires use of Live Preview such as in the Canon 1D MarkIII.
• some medium format film cameras (eg. Fuji GX680III, Linhof 679 view, Horseman VR) and practically all large format cameras have tilt and shift capability via use of bellows.
• changing the plane of focus using tilt lenses:
  • the amount and direction of the tilt determines where the Hinge line is.
  • any movement of the camera back towards or away from the lens (eg. by changing focus ring) causes the plane of sharp focus to rotate about the Hinge Line.
  • the plane of focus is formed by a line passing through 2 points:
    • a fixed point (Hinge line) for a given degree of rotation & tilt of the lens located directly below the lens at the intersection of 2 lines:
      • a line parallel to the film plane at the level of the lens
      • a line parallel to the lens tilt which lies 1 focal length in front of the lens
      • to determine which tilt angle to use based on the vertical distance (J in feet) from the lens which this point is placed can be determined by the equation:
        • tilt angle = arcsin(focal length/J)
        • if focal length in mm and J in feet this approximates to tilt angle = f/5J.
        • eg. if using TSE90mm lens with 8mm tilt, this point is ~2.25 feet from lens (4.5 feet if 4mm tilt)
    • a moving point (Scheimpflug line) along the lens plane which intersects with a line parallel to and intersecting with the film plane
    • see http://www.trenholm.org/hmmerk/HMbook18.html 
• perspective control using a shift lens:
  • to determine how far from a subject you need to be to avoid convergence, use the following equation:
    • subject distance = actual focal length in mm / (height above centre of film in mm x target height)
    • see http://photo.net/equipment/canon/tilt-shift 
    • on a full frame sensor with 11mm shift:
      • landscape: height above centre of film = 23mm
      • portrait: height above centre of film = 29mm
        • thus with 90mm lens, subject distance must be more than 3.1x the subject height
    • on a APS-H sensor (eg. Canon 1D series) with 11mm shift:
      • landscape: height above centre of film = 20mm
      • portrait: height above centre of film = 25mm 
        • thus with 90mm lens, subject distance must be more than 3.6x the subject height
    • a teleconverter multiplies both the focal length and the amount of shift.
    • hope I got all this right.
    • NB. at the extremes of shift, vignetting effect will occur as angle of light to film plane becomes more acute.
• perspective control in Photoshop:
  • via Filter:
    • Filters:Lens Distortion then adjust vertical & horizontal perspective distortion
  • via Transform:
    • Select:All then Edit:Transform:Perspective then adjust the handles to correct the distortion
  • in either case, this will result in a converging edge to your image which will then require cropping to get back to a rectangular format, thus there is a cost in potentially detail but also in loss of pixels due to cropping.
  • see http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/tilt.shtml 
• pseudo-tilt effect in PS:
  • PS cannot replicate the optical characteristics of tilt effect but you can apply selective blur:
    • see http://recedinghairline.co.uk/tutorials/fakemodel/ 
• perspective control using the LensBaby tilt/shift lens:
  • these new lenses are fairly cheap and can be fitted to most dSLRs to primarily provide creative images rather than technically perfect commercial images as with most other perspective control lenses.
  • these lenses are NOT trye perspective control lenses but just provide a central sharp area with surrounding blur, and the location of this central sharp area can be moved around the frame although it becomes less sharp the further it is moved from the centre - and at its best, its not that sharp.
  • unfortunately to change aperture you must physically replace the aperture stop
  • in most cameras, aperture-priority metering works but in some Nikons you must use manual metering.
  • $US270 for current 3G version & only weighs 162g.
    • 50mm focal length;
    • minimum focus 30cm;  
    • aperture stops f/2 through to f/22.
  • see http://www.dimagemaker.com/article.php?articleID=979 and http://www.dimagemaker.com/lensbaby-photography/lensbaby.php - tests to demonstrate use at different apertures and for infrared use.
  • but you can achieve similar results in Photoshop using radial blur, etc, this lens saves you time on the computer but at a cost of less versatility in changing the end result.

  • 

Micro Four Thirds:

• see lenses for MFT's

• fortunately with MFT cameras you can buy tilt or shift adapters which allow you to convert almost any lens designed for 35mm to a tilt or shift lens and you get HD video - and if using an Olympus body, it will be image stabilised - just awesome!!
• you can use Canon EF tilt shift lenses via EF adapter but you must change aperture with lens on a Canon body
• you can use Nikon PC or Olympus OM shift lenses via adapter as with Four Thirds cameras

Canon dSLR options:

• Canon EF tilt-shift lenses:
  • Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L:
    • introduced in 2009;
    • +/- 6.5° Tilt and +/-12mm Shift
    • Tilt and shift mechanism rotates +/-90° allowing shift in any direction
    • Tilt mechanism rotates +/-90° allowing tilt in any direction relative to the shift
    • Sub-wavelength structure and super-spectra coatings minimise ghosting and flare
    • Circular aperture for creative, blurred highlights
    • floating internal focus mechanism delivers high image quality throughout focus range
    • Aspherical and UD lens elements minimise chromatic aberration
    • protruding front element means not able to use filters
    • 93deg angle of view (104deg diagonal w/o t/s); close focus to 0.25m (maximum close-up magnification: 0.14x)
    • http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=156&modelid=18174 
  • Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 II L:
    • introduced in 2009;
    • +/- 8.5° Tilt and ±12mm Shift
    • Tilt and shift mechanism rotates +/-90° allowing shift in any direction
    • Tilt mechanism rotates +/-90° allowing tilt in any direction relative to the shift
    • Sub-wavelength structure and super-spectra coatings minimise ghosting and flare
    • Circular aperture for creative, blurred highlights
    • Aspherical and UD lens elements minimise chromatic aberration
    • 74deg angle of view (84deg diag w/o t/s); close focus 0.21m; (maximum close-up magnification: 0.34x)
    • 82mm filter
    • http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=156&modelid=18175 

  • Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L tilt-shift lens:

    • 84deg field of view; 0.3m macro; 72mm filters; 8 blades; $A2319 RRP;  ($A1750 new online) $US900

    • has the advantage that being EF lens, you don't need to work in stop down mode.

    • not as sharp as the 45mm or 90mm (or OM shift lenses)

    • http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/tilt_and_shift_ts-e.html 

  • Canon TS-E 45mm f/2.8 tilt shift lens:

    • $A2319  ($A1750 new online)

    • http://www.outbackphoto.com/workflow/wf_42/essay.html

  • Canon EF TS-E 90mm f/2.8 (tilt shift lens) 
    • $A2319 ($A1750 new online)
    • minimum focus 50cm 0.29x magnification (0.38x on a 1D)
    • many reverse the lens otherwise the tilt tends to counteract the shift but this causes some vignetting on full frame
      • The lenses come preset from the factory with the axes opposite each other, but a Canon service center can adjust them so that they are on the same axis. This way you can use Scheimflug and a rising front (for example) at the same time.
      • see http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/modify_canon_tilt-shift.html 
    • Canon EF-12 extension tube $A159 gives 0.56-0.18x
    • Canon EF-25 extension tube $A279 gives 0.78-0.40x
    • http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/ts-e90_tilt-shift.html
    • http://www.fredmiranda.com/TS-E90/ 
    • my 1D TiltShift
    • PBase photo examples
• Hartblei tilt-shift lenses:
  • Hartblei 35 Super Rotator:
    • distributed by Kiev at about half the price of the canon TS-E lenses
    • tilt-shift operations have been de-coupled and can be freely rotated in relation to each other 360deg
    • available in Canon EF or Nikon F mounts
    • 35mm f/2.8 with max. 8deg tilt
    • shift only works in one direction, so need to rotate the shift to get different directions
    • 82mm filter; close focus 0.20m;
    • softer at f/4 than the TS-E 24mm and at its sharpest at ~f/8 when most of the vignetting is gone as well, but when using 10mm shift, f/16 is needed to get adequate sharpness
    • see http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1032&thread=17612257 
  • Hartblei 45 Super Rotator:
    • 45mm f/3.5; 82mm filter; close focus 0.35m;
    • see http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/hartblei45.shtml 
    • see http://www.rickdenney.com/hartblei.htm 
  • Hartblei 65 Super Rotator:
    • 65mm f/3.5; 72mm filter; close focus 0.45m;
  • Hartblei 80 Super Rotator:
    • 80mm f/2.8; 62mm filter; close focus 0.65m;
  • Hartblei 120 Super Rotator:
    • 120mm f/2.8; 62mm filter; close focus 1.25m;
• Schneider-Kreuznach tilt-shift lenses:
  • announced late 2010 and will be in Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony mounts, and provide ± 12mm of lateral shift plus 8 degrees of tilt, with directions of the tilt and shift to be rotated independently of each other.
  • see http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/images/pages/Tilt_Shift_engl.pdf 
  • PC-TS Super-Angulon 2.8 / 50 HM
    • 50mm f/2.8
  • PC-TS Makro-Symmar 4.0 / 90 HM
    • 90mm f/4.0 macro
  • they also have a 120mm f/5.6 APO tilt shift for Mamiya or Phase One medium format
• Schneider PC Super-Angulon 28mm f/2.8 shift lens (made by Schneider-Kreuznach):
  • available in different mounts including Nikon, Canon, Olympus OM
  • close focus to 11"; no tilt; $US2447 + $US183 for adapter
  • http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogSubCategoryDisplay.aspx?CID=179  
  • http://schneiderkreuznach.com/foto_e/an_su_pc/an_su_pc.htm 

  • may be available with Canon FD and EF, Contax/Yashica, M42 (Pentax Screw), Minolta, Minolta AF, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax (K) and Rollei mounts. The mount of these versions is changeable.

  • This is a great lens, but putting filters on it (special B&W 67EW) is made far too difficult.

    • "The filter is just simple glass that is placed between the filter and an internal ring. Heliopan and B&W make an E67 polarizing filter that attaches directly to the barrel of the lens. Obviously, you cannot use the lens shade! The rim ` lens filters have to be ordered as specials from B&W."

• Nikon F perspective control lenses 
  • see below for Nikon
• Olympus OM shift lenses
  • no tilt capability but very nice wide angle shift lenses
  • 24mm f/3.5 shift:

    • 84 deg field of view; 0.35m macro; internal wheel filters; 6 blades; used $US900-1600

    • the first Perspective Control lens type that broke the 24mm barrier in 35mm SLR photography (1984).

    • Due to its protruding and the extra large front element, the lens was designed with a built-in protective scallop hood to protect the front ED glass lens element. A internal revolving filter turret supplies filters where a Neutral Density, Y48, O56, R60 are provided.

    • a beautiful lens that many architectural photographers bought and converted to Nikon mounts. It is reportedly much sharper than the Canon version, and once converted, will work in stop-down metering mode just like Nikon's PC lenses.

    • http://olympus.dementia.org/eSIF/om-sif/lensgroup/24mmf35.htm 
    • see http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/olympusom1n2/shared/zuiko/htmls/24mmSHIFT.htm 
  • 35mm f/2.8 shift:
    • MC version is named Zuiko Shift 35mm 1:2.8, otherwise it is a single coated lens with more lens flare
    • quickest rotating & shift mechanism
    • the only lens to allow simultaneous horizontal and vertical shift
    • http://olympus.dementia.org/eSIF/om-sif/lensgroup/35mmf28s.htm 
    • http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/35mm_shift/35mm_test1.html 
• Carl Zeiss shift lenses:
  • Zeiss PC35 Distagon shift is said to be the best quality shift lens
  • http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/35mm_shift/35mm_test1.html 
• shift adapters:

  • Kiev shift adapter:

    • 11mm shift plus rotation of Mamiya 645 lenses on Canon EOS $US79 on Ebay

• medium format & large format bellows system attachments:

  • Horseman LD bellows system for Canon or Nikon dSLRs

  • Horseman VVC Pro bellows system for Canon or Nikon dSLRS

  • Cambo Ultima 35 view camera system (~$US4100) for Canon or Nikon dSLRs but shutter not used.

  • Cambo X2-Pro view camera adapter for Hasselblad, Mamiya or large format lenses:
    • http://www.cambo.com/ 

  •  

Nikon dSLR options:

• Nikon F mount perspective control lenses:

  • PC-E Nikkor 24mm f/3.5D ED:

    • introduced early 2008

    • 11.5mm shift plus 8.5deg tilt plus 90deg rotation

    • auto aperture control with newest Nikon dSLR's compatible with electromagnetic diaphragm (eg. D300/D3)

    • manual aperture control ring and stop down button

    • close focus 0.21m giving 1:2.7 macro

    • 3 ED glass; nano coating; 9-blade diaphragm; 77mm filter;

    • http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012907nikkorpce24.asp 

    • http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/mf/pc_micro/pce_24mmf_35ed/index.htm 

  • PC-E Micro 45mm f/2.8D ED tilt-shift macro lens (late 2008):
    • automatic aperture plus manual over-ride aperture ring
    • 0.5x macro at 0.253m close focus; nano coating; 9-blade diaphragm; 
    • dust and moisture resistant; 77mm filter;
    • http://www.dpreview.com/news/0807/08070102nikonpcemicro45mm85mm.asp 
  • PC-E Micro 85mm f/2.8D tilt-shift macro lens (late 2008):
    • automatic aperture plus manual over-ride aperture ring
    • 0.5x macro at 0.39m close focus; nano coating; 9-blade diaphragm; 
    • dust and moisture resistant ; 77mm filter;
    • http://www.dpreview.com/news/0807/08070102nikonpcemicro45mm85mm.asp 

  • PC Micro-Nikkor 85mm f/2.8D:

    • tilt-shift macro lens which can focus to 3.9cm for 1:2 macro. Can stop down to f/45.

    • manual aperture stop down button; 77mm filter; 775g;

    • introduced in 1999;

    • http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/PC_Nikkor/index5.htm

  • Hartblei Super Rotators and other Schneider-Kreuznach tilt-shift lenses

    • see under Canon above

  • what about the older PC lenses - no longer listed on Nikon's site:
    • http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/PC_Nikkor/index.htm 
    • manual preset apertures and no tilt, thus not so good for macro.
    • these tend to have a lot of CA and edge softness on dSLRs
    • PC Nikkor 28mm f/4 shift
      • introduced in 1975, discontinued in 1983 and older ones are NOT compatible with Nikon dSLRs.
      • PC Nikkor 28mm f/4 with serial numbers of 180900 or earlier must not be used with Nikon dSLRs as they may cause damage.
      • http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/PC_Nikkor/index3.htm 
    • PC Nikkor 28mm f/3.5 shift:
      • introduced in 1980
      • improved field curvature & reduction in coma & chromatic aberration from the f/4 version

      • The Nikons handle better than the Canon TS due to the fact that they only shift in one direction. It is easy to re-center them, meter and then shifted again to compose. With the Canons, it is hard to tell when the lens is centered unless you are looking at the scale and thus using them handheld is more difficult. This applies to many of the other shifting lenses as well.

      • see http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/PC_Nikkor/index.htm 

      • close focus to 0.3m; 
    • PC Nikkor 35mm f/3.5 shift:
      • introduced in 1975
    • PC Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 shift
      • introduced in 1978, revamped in 1980 with 7 elements in 7 groups to improve light fall off and aberrations (appears they had serial numbers from 179091 onwards)
      • 11mm shift plus 360deg rotation but no tilt
      • http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/PC_Nikkor/index2.htm 
• medium format & large format bellows system attachments (see above for Canon)

Olympus dSLR options:

• can use any as listed under Canon except Cambo/Horseman solutions or Canon EF lenses but 2x crop may be an issue.
• be aware though that the flash housing on some Olympus dSLRs may get in the way of the knobs on some of these lenses.