Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 tilt shift lens
introduction
introduced in 1991 as the world's first 35mm-format telephoto lens with tilt-and-shift movement
Canon's highest optical performing tilt/shift lens until the new L lenses.
many reverse the factory default lens tilt-shift orientation 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.
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this older model is:
half the price
almost half the weight 565g vs 915g
shorter 88mm vs 117mm
not as sharp or as optically corrected but nevertheless this is a very sharp lens even wide open (comparable sharp to Canon EF 100mm L but not as sharp as a Zeiss 100mm)
can use tele-extenders whereas apparently the new one can't
uses 58mm filters instead of 77mm
close focus 0.5m instead of 0.39m
different optical design with almost half the number of elements and groups
no extra coatings
8 blades not 9 blades
aperture to f/32 not f/45 but then sharpness at f/32 is already less than half while at f/45 it falls to a quarter of maximum sharpness
arguably nicer, less busy bokeh
Specifications
aperture f/2.8 - f/32
minimum focus 50cm 0.29x magnification
six elements in five groups, in a Gaussian-type optical system
recessed front lens
58mm filter thread
manual focus
up to 8deg tilt, 11mm shift and 90deg rotation
nice bokeh
Super Spectra coatings for accurate colour balance and enhanced contrast
565 g (1.25 lb)
88 mm (3.46″) long
EW-65 III pinch-release hood
macrophotography
versatility of this lens
portrait lens
90mm f/2.8 with lovely bokeh makes for a very handy, sharp, shallow depth of field portrait lens at f/2.8
if one wishes to give the appearance of even shallower DOF, one can use the tilt mechanism to advantage, in the opposite way in which it is used for in-focus landscapes.
of course, the biggest issue here is the lack of auto-focus
close up lens
at closest focus of 0.5m, it gives 0.29x magnification on a full frame dSLR but this can be increased by either:
with Canon EF-12 extension tube $A159 gives 0.56-0.18x
with Canon EF-25 extension tube $A279 gives 0.78-0.40x
with Canon 1.4x teleconverter gives 0.41x magnification
one can even combine an extension tube with a teleconverter
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although magnification is not up there with a true macro lens, the tilt capability allows images that are just not possible with a macro lens, particular if you are imaging a subject with the key points of interest being in much the same plane which is not parallel to the camera sensor, such as a daisy aesthetically angled rather than straight on to the camera.
this lens is brilliant for many floral subjects
selective focus
the tilt mechanism allows emphasis of a subject by creating selective focus as with this image of a clock taken with this lens on a
Micro Four Thirds system to show that even a flat subject taken head on can be modified:
product photography
landscape photography
architecture
panorama stitching
tilt calculations
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J point is the distance below the camera that will be in focus (although this point will not be in the field of view of the lens)
for landscapes, where nearly everything is in focus one usually selects a tilt and focus distance that changes the focus plane to horizontal (ie. 90deg) with the camera still aimed horizontally but placed at the J point above the ground.
thus determine how far you want to be from the ground (based on tripod, perspective, etc), then determine from the tables what tilt you will need and the focus distance to achieve close to 90deg focus plane.
camera sensor size and aperture have NO effect on the angle of the focus plane BUT do alter the total angular depth of field, and thus the calculations should apply whether you use it on a full frame dSLR or a 2x crop
Micro Four Thirds system
at closest focus of 0.5m, you can change the plane of focus to max. 39 deg from horizon (or 51deg from perpendicular to camera), thus if you angle you camera down on your flat subject at an angle of 51deg with an 8deg lens tilt, your flat subject should be in focus (without tilt, your camera sensor has to be at parallel to the flat surface)
tilt amount (degrees) | untilted focus distance (m) | angle of plane of sharpest focus (degrees) | J point |
8 degrees | 0.5m | 39.3 deg | 0.6m |
8 degrees | 1m | 60 deg | 0.6m |
8 degrees | 1.5m | 70 deg | 0.6m |
8 degrees | 2m | 75.8 deg | 0.6m |
8 degrees | 5m | 86.6 deg | 0.6m |
8 degrees | 10m | 90 deg | 0.6m |
6 degrees | 0.5m | 30.9 deg | 0.9m |
6 degrees | 1m | 51 deg | 0.9m |
6 degrees | 1.5m | 62.5 deg | 0.9m |
6 degrees | 2m | 69 deg | 0.9m |
6 degrees | 5m | 83 deg | 0.9m |
6 degrees | 10m | 88 deg | 0.9m |
4 degrees | 0.5m | 21.4 deg | 1.3m |
4 degrees | 1m | 38.5 deg | 1.3m |
4 degrees | 1.5m | 50.5 deg | 1.3m |
4 degrees | 2m | 58.6 deg | 1.3m |
4 degrees | 5m | 77.4 deg | 1.3m |
4 degrees | 10m | 84.6 deg | 1.3m |
4 degrees | 20m | 88.3 deg | 1.3m |
2 degrees | 0.5m | 11 deg | 2.6m |
2 degrees | 1m | 21.3 deg | 2.6m |
2 degrees | 1.5m | 30.4 deg | 2.6m |
2 degrees | 2m | 38.2 deg | 2.6m |
2 degrees | 5m | 63.5 deg | 2.6m |
2 degrees | 10m | 76.5 deg | 2.6m |
2 degrees | 20m | 83.6 deg | 2.6m |
2 degrees | 60m | 88.5 deg | 2.6m |
reviews
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very sharp lens with excellent contrast/saturation, among the sharpest of Canon's lenses even wide open
corner sharpness is very good even wide open
full shift decreases sharpness
nearly no light fall-off even wide open (f/2.8) unless shifted to near limits on a full frame body.
CA is very well controlled, better than the other non-L TS-E lenses
Flare-resistance is high
Distortion is very well controlled
build quality is very good - solid
focus ring is nicely sized and very smooth
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examples
In this example I used rotated tilt to select a plane of focus through her hand and left eye using a Canon 1D Mark III with live preview to focus on her eye.
see more examples: