Alternatives to Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L

[Antonio Correia]

I would like to buy one of these toys. However they seem too expensive.
Any decent alternative, if you please ?
Thank you

[Dave Humphries]

What for Antonio?

The perspective correction?
Or the ability to position the focus plane where needed?

Clearly the first can be done in CS5 (with a bit of quality loss no doubt) if you have a wide enough shot or panorama.

I have no experience, but looking at how they have to be used - on a tripod - it doesn't suit me at all., so I can't ever see me buying one, even though it would be nice to skew the focus plane on occasions.

Hopefully someone sensible will come along and give you a better answer

[Antonio Correia]

What for Antonio?

The perspective correction?
Or the ability to position the focus plane where needed?

Clearly the first can be done in CS5 (with a bit of quality loss no doubt) if you have a wide enough shot or panorama.

I have no experience, but looking at how they have to be used - on a tripod - it doesn't suit me at all., so I can't ever see me buying one, even though it would be nice to skew the focus plane on occasions.

Hopefully someone sensible will come along and give you a better answer

I agree with you and I already knew about what you mentioned
However, last saturday I have seen a great image with one of these lenses and it was not with a 16mm and CS5 corrected. It couldn't be.
Tomorrow morning I will be meeting a French guy who lives in Setubal or nearby - I never met him before - and will talk about the use of this lens.
The use of the tripod is a bore/drag indeed but that depends on the results. It is not a toy to travel with. It is a time consuming lens so to say

Thank you for your comment

[rpcrowe]

Antonio, Russia supplies some tilt-shift lenses. I don't know anything abouttheir quality though...

http://hame.ca/tiltshift.htm

http://nikas-culinaria.com/2007/11/30/fp101-ts-lens/

[inkista]

No alternatives. That's the only 17mm tilt-shift I know of. Even Nikon can only match the TS-E 24, 45, and 90 lenses. Think you're outta luck. It's one of a kind, and if you want it, it's pretty much the only game in town.

Richard: the Russian tilt-shifts are mostly medium format lenses with tilt-shift adapters on them. As a result, the widest you're likely to find is a 35mm. Which is why the Zeiss/Hartblei ones are only offered in 40mm, 80mm, and 120mm.

I have one of the non-Zeiss crappy old Arsat glass 80mm Hartblei super-rotators, and the glass is eh with a decided yellow cast to it. But the lens is fun.



(extension tube macro use):




Not sure if the Arax T/S lenses are similar, but would guess they are.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Antonio,

I bought one, but sent it back -- lovely lens, but despite what I initially thought, I just couldn't find a good use for it.

Perspective correction seems to be the most common use - and personally - I just use a 14mm prime and correct in Photoshop if needed; the "trick" with wide-angle lenses is to make sure that the camera sensor is as close to 90 degrees to the floor as possible - that way you won't need to correct a lot of distortion because it won't be present in the first place.

But as Kathy mentioned, technically, there really isn't any substitute.

It might help if you can give us more of an idea as to what you're after - or even some sample shots?

[Antonio Correia]

Thank you all for the instructive comments.
I think I am not going to buy any. So, I am afraid I have been questioning you for nothing. But I don't want to lie to you all.
This lens would be to shoot my work in progress "Urban Decay" but it is not worth it.
As Colin pointed out and very well - as usual - the sensor must be vertical to the ground or, I say, it's axis have to be perpendicular to the main lines of the scene we want to shoot.
This is more or less what I've done in "Urban Decay"
Then, some corrections are available in CS with success.

And look how crazy I am. This information has been available all the time here.

Thank you for your comments and suggestions

[Antonio Correia]

Here is an image I just made to compare.
The first one is as shot, the other corrected.
Thank you all.

From the theme "Postal cards"

[Antonio Correia]

More dramatic changes can be done... with decent reasults just using ACR, CS5 and Smart Objects.
QED

[KeithH]

Coming from a background of using large format monorail cameras with a full range of movements at both the film plane and lens board, I am aware of what can be done with a TS lens. I have never used this one but it would be essential for top quality architectural imaging. What has to be remembered is that correcting (distorting) an image in Photoshop, other than rotation in 90 degree increments, will damage the image. Whether it will be noticeable or not will depend on the image content and the purpose to which the image is to be put. However, unless you demand impeccable quality in you image, perhaps for a very big enlargement, this lens is not cost-effective for most of us mortals and PS will do a more than adequate job for us - I would still love one though

[Antonio Correia]

Coming from a background of using large format monorail cameras with a full range of movements at both the film plane and lens board, I am aware of what can be done with a TS lens. I have never used this one but it would be essential for top quality architectural imaging. What has to be remembered is that correcting (distorting) an image in Photoshop, other than rotation in 90 degree increments, will damage the image. Whether it will be noticeable or not will depend on the image content and the purpose to which the image is to be put. However, unless you demand impeccable quality in you image, perhaps for a very big enlargement, this lens is not cost-effective for most of us mortals and PS will do a more than adequate job for us - I would still love one though

I am sure Keith, you are absolutely right. However, the results I get with this method is far good for my purposes.

Thank you for your valuable opinion.