Tilt Shift Adapotrs Anygood?

DowntonMini

DowntonMini

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Mark Gameson
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A quick question I keep looking at Tilt Shift Lenses but as they cost a small fortune I was wondering if the tilt shift adaptors are anygood?
 
I have a Mirex T-S adapter and a Peleng tilt only adapter....both seem well engineered with the Mirex being the class act. Before committing to one it's important to decide which lenses you want to use on it as some are very much more suited than others.

I can offer more advice based on my experience, Mark, if you can give some indication of the lenses you want to use with it.

Bob
 
Thanks Bob

I would most likely be using it with either my sigma 12-24 dg or Nikkor 24-120 f4.
 
I thought that the T/S adaptors basically needed to be used with a lens that had a larger "image circle" than the typical lens... so on a canon EF mount camera you'd need something like a old Medium Format Hasselblad lens - just to ensure that as you "swing" the lens the image circle is always going to cover the sensor...

So, a full frame EF mount lens might well work on something like EF-M body or maybe the m4/3 cameras, but not on a EF mount body.
 
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Ah.....I don't think an adapter is going to do what you're looking for (I'm guessing) with either of those lenses. Tilt and shift both require a larger image circle than that of a regular 35mm lens so that the image still covers the sensor. You can also factor in that the lens will typically need a longer register distance (flange-focal) to cater for the extra spacing needed for the adapter otherwise you will not be able to focus over the full range (it'll be like adding an extension tube).

Canon's T-S lenses have an image circle of 64-68mm as opposed to a regular 35mm lens' circle of 44mm and I'm sure that Nikon's figures will be very similar. I use a mix of Pentacon Six and Pentax 645 lenses on my adapters....they're medium format lenses and have an image circle of around 80mm which allows plenty of shift and tilt whilst still projecting onto the sensor. They also have an additional 30mm +/- of flange distance to allow for the space required by the adapter whilst still maintaining the ability to focus at infinity .

You can buy the adapter and several (4 or 5) suitable lenses for considerably less than a single T-S lens dedicated to your camera although it's not easy to get a wide angle option as medium format lenses rarely go below 40mm (40mm is wide on an MF body)

Bob
 
I just remembered a couple of years ago, making (well, bodging together) a sort of "Lensbaby on Steroids" using a Canon EF body cap, my Bronica Zenzanon 40mm lens and (of all things) a Rubber Suspension Gaiter from some car or other... It worked okay TBH - lots of tilt/shift and playing around with the focal plane actions, but it was phenomenally difficult to control, and it was a bit hit and miss if you moved the lens while actually taking the picture...

I put it on the "interesting failures" pile as experiments go, but it only cost me a fiver to play around for a couple of days...
 
So looking on the internet (I am working honest.....)

It looks like Mirex do an adaptor which fits Pentax 67 lenses to Nikon with out restrictions so I need to look at the Pentax 67 lenses and then find a adaptor
 
Downton Mini said:
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It looks like Mirex do an adaptor which fits Pentax 67 lenses to Nikon with out restrictions so I need to look at the Pentax 67 lenses and then find a adaptor
Click to expand...

I'd advise choosing a lens mount with a shorter register distance than Pentax 67 as the basis and then you have more options by adding a suitable adapter. Pentax 67 has a flange distance of 85mm and there's not much available that is longer than that. If you go for a Nikon to Pentax 645 tilt-shift adapter then you can use Pentax 645, Pentacon Six, Pentax 67 and even some Hasselblad mount lenses whilst still maintaining infinity focus.

Bob
 
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failing the adaptor/mf lens route, say you wanted to go for a wider angle lens, what about the Samyang 24mm T/S for around £500 imported?
 
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