Tilt-Shift: What is it? What is a tilt shift lens and how to make it yourself Tilt shift photos

Among modern lenses, in addition to the widely used "fixes" and "zooms", there are also special-purpose lenses - the so-called "tilt-shift lenses". Most often, such lenses are used on 35 mm SLRs or on medium format professional cameras.

Perspective control with Tilt / Shift lenses

Shift is a function that allows you to shift the optical axis of the lens, using this process to manipulate perspective images. Typically, this TS lens function is used for architectural or other technical photography.
Using tilt-shift lenses helps to move the scene to different parts of the image plane, correct "falling buildings", reshape an object, control perspective, etc.

Tilt / Shift (TS) lenses are high-quality, expensive optics that make it easier for the photographer to photograph complex subjects (architecture, still life, indoor photography, etc.). Also, Tilt / Shift lenses are widely used in the genre of advertising photography. These lenses are not autofocus, they are manually adjusted and are generally considered wide-angle lenses.

Principle of operation

The optical scheme of Tilt / Shift lenses is such that the field of a quality image is much larger than the area of the frame, so that the photographer can shift the frame within the boundaries of this field by moving or tilting the lens relative to the plane of the film. The cost of Tilt / Shift lenses is comparable to the cost of a modern SLR camera and ranges from a thousand dollars and more.
To say that Tilt / Shift lenses correct something in the frame is not entirely true. Rather, they allow you to rebuild the plot in accordance with our usual perception. As you know, our visual perception does not exactly reflect the geometric structure of the world, as a mirror does, but produces psychological processing of the picture seen in the brain.
For clarity of the above, consider a simple example. Looking closely at a tall building, we lift our heads up, examining it in parts. In our minds, the vertical walls of the building remain vertical. If we take a picture from this position of the building, tilting the camera upwards, then in the photograph it will look "falling". Using a TS lens, we can keep the camera horizontal without tilting it. To make the whole building fit into the frame, we just move the TS lens up.

A Tilt / Shift lens is also useful when photographing mirrored surfaces, since such lenses avoid the presence of reflections from the camera and the photographer in the frame.

Depth of Field Control with TS Lens

Tilt is a function of a photographic lens that allows you to control the sharpness in the frame by changing the tilt of the optical axis of the lens. The main application of this function is subject photography. Also, the Tilt function is used for taking artistic portraits, somewhat less often this function is used in landscape photography.
By using Tilt / Shift lenses that go beyond the usual depth of field and perspective and are categorized as artistic lenses, photographers can achieve an interesting effect: real objects in the picture take the form of miniature toy models.

Such images are usually taken from high-altitude points - mountains, pillars, roofs of buildings, etc. The Tilt / Shift lens focuses on a certain part of the visible field, blurring, and quite strongly, everything else. People who do not want to spend money on expensive Tilt / Shift lenses can achieve a similar effect when processing a photo in Photoshop, blurring the edges of the photo. But a photo taken with a Tilt / Shift lens will be much more beautiful and interesting than an artificial one.
Tilt / Shift technology is used by truly creative photographers. It allows them to take unusual photographs, inaccessible to traditional lenses, turning the world around us into an illusory miniature.

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Principle of operation

Shift has two main uses: changing perspective or widening the angle of view (using multiple shots). In this case, the sensor does not capture the entire circular image as a whole, but part of it - the central rectangular cropping. Several shots are used to widen the angle of view.

To say that Tilt / Shift lenses correct something in the frame is not entirely true. Rather, they allow you to rebuild the plot in accordance with our usual perception. As you know, our visual perception does not exactly reflect the geometric structure of the world, as a mirror does, but produces psychological processing of the picture seen in the brain.

The downside of the coin is that shift lenses are larger and heavier than conventional lenses (at the same focal value and largest aperture). In addition, with a significant shift, those parts of the circular image that have already degraded quality will fall into the field of view. But here I must say that on a regular lens, the constantly available image is often not of the best quality. A tilt shift lens with a focal length of 24 mm corresponds in its optical data to a conventional lens with a focal length of 16 mm due to the same size of the circular image. And from this it follows that a tilt shift lens with a focus of 24 mm is inferior in the quality of the obtained optical image to a conventional lens with a focus of 24 mm. This is understandable - the larger the angle of view, the lower the quality.

In the marking of lenses that allow only a shift of the optical axis in the transverse direction, there are letters PC, meaning perspective control (Perspective Control, Perspective Correction). With the additional possibility of tilting the optical axis, the lens is most often marked with the abbreviation TS, which stands for shift and tilt.

Usage example

For example, you want to shoot both the flowers in the foreground and the castle in the background.

The red line marks the best focus area. As you can see, only on the F16 do we manage to capture both in depth of field. But at the same time, both objects are at the boundaries of the depth of field and will not be perfectly sharp. Not to mention that F16 is the lens aperture value that exceeds the diffraction limit for most modern cameras and therefore also contributes to reducing the sharpness of the photo.

The tilt shift effect is already well known to photography enthusiasts. For everyone who knows what it is and how to achieve this effect, just a few photos to view. For everyone else, a short description and explanation of the effect.

Tilt-Shift is an interesting effect that makes the illusion of a toy world out of ordinary photography. Only a small area of the image is in focus; most of the image is blurred. The colors and contrast are increased and this gives an impression of unreality. The tilt shift effect can be obtained in several ways:

Shooting with tilt shift lens: for a real tilt-piece shooting, special lenses are needed, such as the Nikon lens in the picture.

With this lens, you can capture a large area of the image. In addition, the lenses inside the lens can be tilted and rotated to change perspective.

Shift allows the photographer to change the position of the image transmitted by the lens relative to the digital camera sensor. This means that the center of the lens' perspective no longer matches the center of the image's perspective, and an effect similar to framing to the side of an image captured by a lens with a wider angle of view occurs.

Rotation allows the photographer to rotate the plane of sharpest focus so that it is no longer perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens. This creates a wedge-shaped depth of field, the width of which increases with distance from the camera.The tilt shift technique works mechanically.

Software : tilt shift effect, that is, perspective shift can be obtained using different programs for creating photos in this style. The programs use a special algorithm that performs blurring with the required strength at a given point, while the programs completely repeat the optical blur effect. This effect makes subjects appear like miniature toys in the photo. This is a budget opportunity to get tilt shift photos, because special lenses are very expensive (about 50 to 80 thousand rubles). In addition, the photographer using the programs can experiment with the settings for an infinitely long time and create any number of options for thumbnails. If the picture was taken using a tilt-shift lens, then there will be no possibility to edit and correct this effect.

Lensbaby is a lens developed by Lensbabies that incorporates the delights of Monocle and Tilt-Shift. The Lensbaby is flexible enough to be used to tilt and slide. The disadvantage is that it is almost impossible to move or tilt with the same amount of force and is therefore inconvenient to use in a series. Here's a shot taken with Lensbaby:

Freelensing - literally means "no lens". We are talking about the deliberately incorrect use of the lens of a SLR camera (or system mirrorless), when it (the lens) is simply unfastened from the carcass and rotated in an arbitrary direction.
Freelensing for daring creative people. In this technique, the lens is separated from the camera and rotated by hands in different directions (tilt). Success, as a rule, is variable, good pictures are not always obtained in this way and this, of course, is not an alternative to good optics or software. Stray light behind the lens can cause additional problems. Try it, you might like it.

Photoshop - tilt shift effect can be obtained in a graphics editor. This is what our next post is about ;-))

Sample photos Tilt-Shift

Kyle D. Adams Freelensing

Rachel Landers | Stairway in rome

Cityshrinker | London

Cityshrinker | New York City

Cityshrinker X Geelong

Cityshrinker | Coney island

Cityshrinker | Old / New / Old / New

Pixcube Animation Studio | Little beijing

Not very new, but interesting video Video: Little Beijing von Pixcube Animation Studio

Also not new, but interesting video Video: Sammy Metwalli | Tiny Town Berlin

A tilt-shift lens is a useful thing, whatever one may say. Take, for example, the beloved effect: large objects are depicted as tiny figures. Many compact cameras have built-in software filters that simulate this effect. However, it is created with a tilt-shift lens. Below we provide answers to five popular tilt-shift lens questions so you can learn a little more about its capabilities before using it.

What are tilt-shift lenses?

This type of lens is often called perspective correcting lens. Tilt-shift lenses have the ability to tilt, rotate (from the English tilt), the image plane at an angle to the plane of the photosensitive layer. And also to shift (from the English shift) the image plane along the plane of the photosensitive layer.

How does a tilt-shift lens work?

The design of the lens is such (which outwardly distinguishes it from many "relatives") that the front part is movable. It can be tilted at a predetermined angle relative to the plane of the sensor. As a result, you can get very shallow depth of field in one part of your scene and near infinity in another.

Approx. translator - you can learn more about DOF from the article

The ability to slide the front of the lens along the plane of the light sensor can come in handy in architectural photography. When shooting a building with a regular lens, you are likely to encounter distorted images of straight lines. The verticals will bend and converge towards the center of the frame.

Tall buildings can be distorted with a regular lens.

The use of a tilt-shift lens in architecture photography is an opportunity to correct the perspective image at the shooting stage. Instead of making corrections during the processing phase.

Who makes tilt-shift lenses?

Canon offers 4 TS-E (tilt-shift) lenses that "cover" the focal length range from 17mm to 90mm. Nikon produces 3 lenses (PS-E, perspective control) with focal lengths ranging from 24 to 85 mm.

Native tilt-shift lenses are compatible with both full-frame cameras and cameras with an APS-C format sensor.

NSRome. translator - you can learn more about the sizes of modern light-sensitive sensors and related features from the article.

When is it advisable to use a tilt-shift lens?

It will come in handy in architecture photography. It will allow you to “keep” high walls of buildings vertical, which, when shooting with a conventional lens, “strive” to bend into an arc and lean towards the center of the frame. This distortion becomes more pronounced the higher the building being filmed and the closer you are, the photographer.

In the mode of tilting the plane of the front lens at an angle to the plane of the photosensitive sensor, a tilt-shift lens is very useful in landscape photography. In scenes where it is necessary to depict objects, both distant and close in relation to the shooting point, in sharpness at the same time.

How to attach a tilt-shift lens to the camera? Are there any special features?

These lenses have a typical mount. Attach to the camera in the same way as conventional lenses. On the lens itself there are elements that allow you to control the angle of inclination relative to the plane of the sensor and the amount of displacement relative to the optical axis of the lens.

Meet the optical superheroes: They can straighten tall buildings in a single shift, give you insanely deep focus without insanely small apertures, or limit focus to one lash. And they do it when you shoot, without the hassle of software. They are popular with those who shoot architecture, products, portraits and nature who seek perfect perspectives, and a treasure for those who want to produce extraordinary effects.

Shift versus fall

TRENT BELL
Bell moved his 17mm f / 4L Canon TS-E lens from top to bottom to shoot three separate horizontal images, then stitch them together in Photoshop CS5. Shot with Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 0.3 sec at f / 11, ISO 500.

When you tilt your camera to capture a tall building or other structure, you may feel like you are falling - the parallel lines will converge as you rise. With a tilt / slide lens, you can hold the camera parallel to the structure and move the lens upward to capture more structure and less foreground.

How it works: The T / S (tilt / shift) lens covers a much wider image circle than standard lenses, so you have enough leeway to move the sensor or film up, down, or sideways within the circle.

How to do it: This is an intuitive action. To shoot something above the camera position, simply move the lens upward. (The bubble level in the accessory shoe will help keep the camera level with your subject.) Conversely, to shoot something lower — if you're photographing a building from a hill — slide the lens down. And yes, you are limited by how far you can move.

Scheimpflug effect

IAN PLANT
Plant used shift (to keep the trees vertical) and tilt (to keep all trilliums in focus) on his 24mm f / 3.5L Canon TS-E lens with a Canon EOS 5D. Exposure 2.5 sec at f / 16.

This funny albeit real term refers to the apparently nearly infinite depth of field achieved by tilting the T / S lens in a specific manner relative to the subject. Besides great depth, it has another advantage: you can achieve the effect with a fairly moderate aperture, and therefore use faster shutter speeds. This is why nature photographers love T / S lenses - they allow shutter speeds fast enough to keep wildflowers from blurring on a windy day.

How it works: By tilting the plane of focus in the same direction as the plane of the subject, you get a much larger plane of the subject in focus, almost everywhere. Technically, this does not increase depth of field, which is simply the zone of “acceptable” sharpness for a lens normally focused. With the Scheimpflug principle, the image is actually in focus at various points along the plane of the subject.

How to do it: By trial and error. First, zero the tilt of the lens, and focus about one-third in the area you want to be sharp. Then tilt or rotate the lens in relation to the plane of the object: For a flower in the foreground and a tree in the neutral strip, lean down; for a picket fence at an angle to you, you need to turn the lens sideways to the fence. Then play around with focus again. Then tinker with the bend again - and repeat. Check the depth of field by stopping the lens for the shooting aperture. A tripod is of course a must.

Reverse Scheimpflug

SATORU MURATO
Murato left most of Boston's street out of focus by tilting his 80mm f / 2.8 Hartblei Super-Rotator lens up rather than down. Shot on Canon EOS 5D, 1/250 sec at f / 2.8, ISO 200.

This is not really an official term for this species, but it does fit. Here you are deliberately bending the lens in the opposite direction that will give you increased depth, and thus severely limit focus to one small area of your image. Popular uses include portraiture, where only part of the image, such as the eye, is in focus, or miniature effect, where limited focus can make a street scene look like a toy city.

How it works: When tilting or rotating the lens in the opposite direction from the plane of the object, the focus is riveted to a narrow pivot point on the plane of focus. Again, this does not technically limit the depth of field, as the blurry portions of the image were left out of focus rather than out of depth of field.

How to do it: As with the Scheimpflug Effect, this is a matter of trial and error. Start by focusing with the lens straight, centered on one feature you want to keep in focus — for example, near the eye of a person in a portrait. Then tilt or rotate the lens in the opposite direction to the plane of the object — for example, the plane of the face. For toy-miniature terrain, this helps you shoot from a high vantage point so you look down. A larger aperture limits the focus area more, so check the depth of field in the preview as well.

Vampire Effect

MIKE BAXTER
Baxter kept his Canon EOS 5D out of sight with a side-shift Pentax FA 33-55mm f / 4.5 lens mounted with a Zörk shift adapter; 1/2 sec at f / 16, ISO 200.

OK, we came up with this term, but it fits. You can use lens shift to shoot in the mirror without - Dracula's ghost! - the appearance in the mirror of you or the camera. This is a handy trick for indoor decor photography as well as artistic still life photography with mirrors. Convenient for some product photography, as it allows you to shoot literally around objects.

How it works: If you hold the camera parallel to the mirror, but to the side, and then move the lens sideways towards the mirror, it will appear as if the image was taken head-on. However, the objects in front of the mirror will appear to be rearranged from the central projection. Awesome!

How to do it: Exactly how it sounds. Set up the composition (a tripod is almost mandatory), then take the camera one step to one side or the other so that you and she come out of the reflection. (Sometimes you can do this by lowering the camera and sliding the lens up.) See which view in the mirror looks better — when you move left, right, or crouch down. In the case of a very wide angle T / S lens and / or a very large mirror, you may not be able to move enough to dematerialize yourself.

Now that we've shown you how wonderful tilt-shift lenses are to use, are you going to get one?

Canon and Nikon are practically the proprietors of tilt / slide lenses for DSLRs. Canon makes 17mm f / 4, 24mm f / 3.5, 45mm f / 2.8 and 90mm f / 2.8 TS-E lenses. Nikon offers 24mm f / 3.5, 45mm f / 2.8, and 85mm f / 2.8 PC-E Nikkor. These are all manual focus lenses, although they can be used in auto exposure modes. Hartblei makes 35mm f / 2.8, 65mm f / 3.5, 80mm f / 3.5 and 120mm f / 2.8 Super-Rotator T / S lenses for many DSLR manufacturers, plus 45mm f / 3.5 for multiple medium format cameras. Schneider makes shift-only lenses, the 28mm f / 2.8 PC Super-Angulon, which can be attached to a variety of cameras using a T-mount.

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