Samyang 24mm tilt-shift (on a Fuji)

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I've been using a Canon FD 35mm tilt-shift lens on my Fuji XT1 for a while with good results but I wanted something a bit wider. After searching for a while I picked up a Samyang 24mm tilt-shift in Canon fitting. Once my adapter arrives I'll test out the two side by side and report back.

For now, some first impressions of the Samyang:
1. I read some reviews on-line that mentioned the plasticky-feel. All I can say is that I am glad it is more plastic than metal as it is a big old beast compared with the FD version. 82mm filter size means I'll need a whole new set of filters.
2. The knobs to control tilt and shift are pretty small - another thing often pointed out on-line - but I think I can put up with that. Having a locking wheel and a separate adjustment wheel is annoying, but as you have to take your time using tilt-shifts this isn't a biggie either. The big main elements mean this lens is front heavy so release the locking wheel and the front is likely to tilt or shift down fully unless you pay attention. Again, Just something to get used to I hope.
3. This lens is going to look pretty big on the front of a little Fuji, especially my XE1 that I use if travelling. A tripod collar on the lens would have been nice (not that there is any obvious space for one).
 
I will be most interested to see how you get on with this as I have a Canon 24mm TS-E which I would love to use on my XT-1.
Post pix when you have had a play

Btw what adapter have you ordered?
 
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Picked up the Fuji version last week but haven’t had time to use it yet, it is quite a chunky lens. What filter system do you use? I was hoping my Lee 100mm kit would be OK ...
 
I've been using the Hitech 67 system which work fine on all my other lenses. I'd have thought the 100mm system should also be fine. But I think I'll make do with a circular ten-stop filter as that's what I expect to use most with this lens. I'm happier bracketing than using grads now.
 
I've been using a Canon FD 35mm tilt-shift lens on my Fuji XT1 for a while with good results but I wanted something a bit wider. After searching for a while I picked up a Samyang 24mm tilt-shift in Canon fitting. Once my adapter arrives I'll test out the two side by side and report back.

For now, some first impressions of the Samyang:
1. I read some reviews on-line that mentioned the plasticky-feel. All I can say is that I am glad it is more plastic than metal as it is a big old beast compared with the FD version. 82mm filter size means I'll need a whole new set of filters.
2. The knobs to control tilt and shift are pretty small - another thing often pointed out on-line - but I think I can put up with that. Having a locking wheel and a separate adjustment wheel is annoying, but as you have to take your time using tilt-shifts this isn't a biggie either. The big main elements mean this lens is front heavy so release the locking wheel and the front is likely to tilt or shift down fully unless you pay attention. Again, Just something to get used to I hope.
3. This lens is going to look pretty big on the front of a little Fuji, especially my XE1 that I use if travelling. A tripod collar on the lens would have been nice (not that there is any obvious space for one).

Ian,

I'd also be very interested to see and hear how you get on with this lens. I've been looking around for a tilt-shift lens to use on a m4/3 body, and this one looks very interesting.

Simon.
 
And here is a shot from the same place with the Samyang tilt-shift. Three horizontal shots merged to form a vertical panorama. I either missed focus (possible) or the breeze was wobbling the tripod (more likely) as this isn't sharp at all. Too early to blame the lens.

Millwall Shifted by Ian, on Flickr
 
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A couple of nice images, it's interesting that you suggested that 24mm was too tight as I wondered about a 24mm Samyang T&S lens on a crop canon body. I was wondering if a wider angle lens view point cropped afterwards would be easier than using the Tilt/shift lens with its limited view?
 
A couple of nice images, it's interesting that you suggested that 24mm was too tight as I wondered about a 24mm Samyang T&S lens on a crop canon body. I was wondering if a wider angle lens view point cropped afterwards would be easier than using the Tilt/shift lens with its limited view?

This is probably not the best or clearest answer but here is my take.

This shot is a square crop from a three-shot vertical pano using the 24mm TS, very similar to the one I posted above, but this time the camera shake/poor focus/operator error is smaller:

Millwall II by Ian, on Flickr

The full merged pano is 4923 by 6054 pixels and I've cropped into this leaving 4354 by 4354. That lost a bit of sky but mainly water.

I also took a shot using the Samyang 12mm but in landscape mode (not processed for colour at all):

Millwall III by Ian, on Flickr

Uncropped it is 4896 by 3264 pixels, so about half the file size of the uncropped pano. But by chance it allowed a pretty similar crop with almost the same amount of sky as the tilt-shift version. Cropped it measures just 2329 by 2329. To get the same amount of sky and keep the verticals from converging meant I had a lot of uninteresting water at the bottom of the frame and so it lost 1000 pixels vertically, almost 1/3rd of the original shot. And then to go square I lose lots from either side. All this cropping means the wide angle version is just 30% the size of the TS version. So yes, it is no doubt easier to avoid the faff of a tilt-shift but it comes at a big pixel loss cost.

The wide angle shot used a 12mm lens and I would have cropped less with a 14mm or 18mm. But I would also have lost more of the sky assuming I kept the camera back vertical to avoid converging towers. I could have saved some crop by shooting with a longer lens in portrait mode though, so I think my numbers overstate the problem.
 
Ian

There is a lot of maths that could be done here!! A less wide lens than the Samyang 12mm would have resulted in less crop (removing less sky and water) but ending up with a much bigger pixel square - less optical distortion as well so less image lost in straightening everything up.. Throw X-Trans3 into the mix, and you might get even closer.

Interesting though X-Trans2 + TS 24mm, v X-Trans3 + Wide Angle, I suspect on 2 or 3 shot pano's the difference would not be huge, but the TS has other benefits (with regard to verticals), When you start doing 9 shot T+S merges - ie 3x 3 then it will really come into it's own.

Just so you know, when I had an Olympus OMD1 MK2 on evaluation, in super high res mode when it moves the IBIS around to generate a super high resolution image (in RAW too!), the image was 10,368 x 7776!!! But it was very very sensitive to movement, even 1.5 microns resulted in a blurred image, so not only did you need a stable tripod but no wind!!!

I'm sat here currently with 12mm, 14mm and 16mm Wide Angles, I'm pleased you are doing the T+S 24mm evaluation for me, as one of those could easily go in favour of the T+S.....
 
Thanks Ian for your answer, there is food for thought in there.

I may keep an eye for a second hand version of the Samyang lens, they sometimes come up on ebay.
 
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