Canon Tilt Shift Lens Modification

Strav

Hello,

New to the site. Have a specific question about modifying the 24mm ts-e Canon lens. Apparently a few people here have done it through Canon service and I wanted to know what exactly was done and how much it ultimately cost. Was the shift feature changed so that it could be done horizontally for panos, or modified to allow more degrees of shifting. Very interested in having this done to my lens, but I'm obviously in the dark here.

Anything to do with this?: http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/article_pages/modify_canon_tilt-shift.html

thanks!

Shizam

Not sure how much it cost but what they get changed is they have the shift and tilt put on the same axis. By default shift and tilt are each on a different axis, ie you can tilt it up and down and shift it left and right or vise versa. And yes, that article is exactly what they're talking aboot.

Andy

Hi Strav, contact Canon Service. They'll do it for roughly $100, or no charge if you are a CPS member. It mods the lens so the tilt and shift are on the same axis.

If you are a bit handy, you can also try it yourself. Usual warnings apply

Strav

much appreciated!

Strav

Andy wrote:

Hi Strav, contact Canon Service. They'll do it for roughly $100, or no charge if you are a CPS member. It mods the lens so the tilt and shift are on the same axis.

If you are a bit handy, you can also try it yourself. Usual warnings apply

Andy - do you have any example shots of this with modification if I might ask?

Andy

Strav wrote:

Andy - do you have any example shots of this with modification if I might ask?

that's 6 shots, 3 across and 2 up/down.

Nearly all the shots in this gallery are with the TS-E as well:

http://www.moonriverphotography.com/gallery/2907824#156640337

Strav

wow Andy! Thank you.

LiquidAir

Andy wrote:

that's 6 shots, 3 across and 2 up/down.

Andy, do you find you get a significanly better image that way over using, say, the 17-40L or better yet your fancy 21mm? I have the 45mm TS-E which I use for a lot of my closeup work, but I get pretty significant CA when the lens is set for heavy shifts. Normally I use software correction for CA, but the tools I have don't handle shifts properly.

This shot was taken with the 45 TS-E (it is also a 5 stop HDR). Dealing with the CA was a major hassle in the post processing and I finally ended up selecting all the extreme cyans and reds to desaturate them.

Andy

LiquidAir wrote:

Andy, do you find you get a significanly better image that way over using, say, the 17-40L or better yet your fancy 21mm?

I do, I do. For landscapes, it affords so many more creative possibilities, and options in composition. Almost limitless! I actually sold my Zeiss 21 after getting the 24 TS-E. I do own the 16-35L f/2.8 Mk II, but having both in Utah for a week just a while ago, I found myself shooting 95% of the time with the TS-E.

Strav

and yet still another novice question Andy - for the above photograph, you said it took 3 across and 2 up/down. Care to delve into that a little bit more given the mod on the lens?

imageswest

Andy wrote:

Hi Strav, contact Canon Service. They'll do it for roughly $100, or no charge if you are a CPS member. It mods the lens so the tilt and shift are on the same axis.

If you are a bit handy, you can also try it yourself. Usual warnings apply

The modification takes about 60 seconds... if Canon charges $100 to do it, that works out to a lbour rate of $6,000 per hour!

gryphonslair99

imageswest wrote:

The modification takes about 60 seconds... if Canon charges $100 to do it, that works out to a lbour rate of $6,000 per hour!

Don't mean to hijack this thread here, but I just felt I had to comment. You guys with your fancy tilt/shift lenses MAKE ME SICK!

Actually you make me jealous and have pointed me to my next lens purchase. The thinking box was too strong around the tilt/shift lens as I only pictured it for archetecture. I shoot alot of landscape and this is too freeking cool.

Now you have me thinking of what you could do with one for portraits as well. Plus I know know that the lens can be modified, what the modification adds and how to do it and save myself $100. Thanks.

claudermilk

This darn thread has got me looking at TS-E prices. Worse, I'm looking real hard at the Hartbleis since I am starting to do more landscapes with my Mamiya...and then I could adapt the lens to EOS. This is an EVIL thread.

ivar

You can do other cool stuff with TSE lenses as well.....

Strav

Strav wrote:

and yet still another novice question Andy - for the above photograph, you said it took 3 across and 2 up/down. Care to delve into that a little bit more given the mod on the lens?

thread nearly hijacked, but not quite. Wanted to make sure Andy saw this given we're on the 2nd page here. I'm presuming that while the ts-e was modded for shifting vertical with the camera positioned in portrait mode, that the "3 across" was achieved by panning the tripod?

claudermilk

ivar wrote:

You can do other cool stuff with TSE lenses as well.....

STOP IT!! You guys are enablers of the worst sort.

jogle

Strav wrote:

and yet still another novice question Andy - for the above photograph, you said it took 3 across and 2 up/down. Care to delve into that a little bit more given the mod on the lens?

Well the shift only works in one direction, so you could shoot 3 across.

But then where the lens mounts to the camera, there is a tiny lever that lets you rotate the lens 90 degrees in each direction (in 45degree clicks) so that you can shift up/down/sideways/angled without having to rotate the camera.

It took me a while to notice it on my lens.

Andy

Strav wrote:

thread nearly hijacked, but not quite. Wanted to make sure Andy saw this given we're on the 2nd page here. I'm presuming that while the ts-e was modded for shifting vertical with the camera positioned in portrait mode, that the "3 across" was achieved by panning the tripod?

Yes. The lens actually pivots 90degs also, so you get the same effect in portrait or landscape mode.

Shizam

Buy a 24TSE and 90TSE you won't regret it! The 90TSE would probably be the last lens I'd let go of if I had to. Also the 90TSE is a must have for product photography, its the only lens I use for food/still/product shots.

David_S85

claudermilk wrote:

STOP IT!! You guys are enablers of the worst sort.

I should point out that if one works with T/S lenses enough, that instead of modifying and re-modifying the lens 90º every now and then, the best thing to do is to have two of them.

scottV

Sizam, that picture is freakin awesome.

Shizam

Thanks f00, the 90TSE is pretty damn sharp too:

http://inerd.net/_MG_8849.jpg

jogle

I sot a few soccer pics today with my new Canon 45mm TSE

http://ogle.smugmug.com/gallery/2960290

It's just a friendly lunchtime game with some workmates at a local park.

Strav

thank you jogle and andy - keep on forgetting about that rotate knob. :bluduh

Shizam

Wow jogle, when I read your post I was thinking 'I dunno, doesn't seem like it'll "work"' but it does, those are some cool photos.

XHawkeye

Sizam wrote:

Wow jogle, when I read your post I was thinking 'I dunno, doesn't seem like it'll "work"' but it does, those are some cool photos.

Ditto

kdog

Those really are interesting shots. I thought I understood what a TS lens was, but now I'm not so sure. I thought they were like a bellows lens such that you could correct perspective. However, I can't get my ahead around how the band of focus in these runs vertically from near to far.

Really interesting.

-joel

jogle

kdog wrote:

Those really are interesting shots. I thought I understood what a TS lens was, but now I'm not so sure. I thought they were like a bellows lens such that you could correct perspective.
-joel

Hi Joel.

There really is 2 quite seperate parts to the tilt-shift lens, what you are familiar with is the shift part, it corrects perspective by moving the center of the lens off axis. You can get lenses that are shift lenses only. From what I hear Nikon make a good one somewhere near the 35mm range.

The Tilt is what swings the focal plane off of parallel, just google for "tilt-shift" and there's some quite indepth articles that go into the maths of what is happening, That's what I was playing with while taking those soccer shots.

You can combine the 2 controls for interesting effects but you dont have to.

Strav

As I continue to experiment with this lens, would like to know if there's a typical exposure compensation with respect to shifting the lens left and right. Noticed when placing a few panos together, left side shift seems to underexpose approx. a half stop if not less. Right shift a little less so. Shooting a scene were light is constant and never changing. Anything to get around doing less in basic PS stitching would be helpful, particularly when adjustments can be made in camera.

Andy

Strav wrote:

As I continue to experiment with this lens, would like to know if there's a typical exposure compensation with respect to shifting the lens left and right. Noticed when placing a few panos together, left side shift seems to underexpose approx. a half stop if not less. Right shift a little less so. Shooting a scene were light is constant and never changing. Anything to get around doing less in basic PS stitching would be helpful, particularly when adjustments can be made in camera.

Don't go past "1" and you shouldn't have to compenstate at all, in my experience.