Hong Kong 2013 - In Tilt/Shift

I think I'll join you in the exploration. I have a TS-E 24L that I have hardly used.

To me, the architypical T&S shot is an interesting rock formation at your feet, dominating the foreground, with a magnificent mountain behind it. I may have stumbled across a nice location this evening, with the rocks on the shore near West Kilbride and the mountains of Arran in the distance. I'll see what I can do.

Getting the focus right is >very< difficult. I use live view at maximum pixel-peeping setting and wander round the image checking the focus. As you say, there are three dimension to play with - the tilt, the which varies the angle of the focal plane, the shift, which moves the focal plane away from the centre and the focus ring, which moves the plane further away or closer. Move one and you need to adjust the other two to compensate...

To start with, budget an hour for setting up a shot. And if you haven't got a tripod, and time in HK, it isn't the place to start :-)

Once you have the hang of the technology, I am very interested to see how you use it an apply it.

Of course, it is something that won't be appreciated in small images on the 'net. But it will really come into it's own, when you can print out all that detail on your lovely large format printers...

An hour? lol I get like 5 seconds per shot before someone spot me.

Set up camera at waist height, guess all the settings, turn focus ring to judge distance. Visualise what I want, where focal pane is going to cut it, tilt or shift. Then when i am ready, lift to my head and shoot and move on. If no one tells me no then I can do it again. That's how I do it in doors, there is no other way without being told off. They don't let you shoot inside malls.
 
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An hour? lol I get like 5 seconds per shot before someone spot me.

Set up camera at waist height, guess all the settings, turn focus ring to judge distance. Visualise what I want, where focal pane is going to cut it, tilt or shift. Then when i am ready, lift to my head and shoot and move on. If no one tells me no then I can do it again. That's how I do it in doors, there is no other way without being told off. They don't let you shoot inside malls.

I remember doing this when i was in Taiwan! they really don't like photos inside Taipei 101, also when the security guard outside the secret service building pulls a machine gun upwards and shouts no photos you kinda poo your pants!!
 
Here you go Gaffer, how's this :p

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It does I guess, but not very applicable in street or portraits, which I guess is what i am doing most of the time. I have learn a lot after a week now and much better with it than before and the thought of using a regular lens seems almost restrictive.

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Looks very much like a lot of the photos are doable with a normal lens, aside obviously where perspective correction is needed.
As demonstrated by your photos 122-124, where it really seems to come into its own is in situations where you want to change the point the eye looks at, that you would ordinarily change by moving the focal plane back and forth, but the TS lens allows you to do that in totally different planes and with 1 side different to another, even though they're at the same focal length.
I suspect it needs somebody who is very good at composition to pull it off, it could look awful in the wrong hands!
I wonder how good it would be for "story telling" photos? Like with your chap on the floor.
 
What i like is picking 2 subjects in the frame and focus on it, regardless of whether they are in the same focal pane or not.

ala Apple and Starbucks :D

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or Photo 135.

I noticed a lot of fashion stores here are named after food for some reason, Moussy, Bread n Butter and Egg?

Although I have shot quite a few with no TS effect at all, just plain old 45mm. The ones that is shot with shift are subtle, to the point where I can't remember myself.
 
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Cracking shots of an amazing city. I really want to spend some more time over there.

Grazie!

Btw, I have never had so much attention from my gear. I've been stopped at least 3 times by other photographers asking about it.

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Really enjoyed viewing these (thanks for sharing), the typical tilt shift (miniature effect) are cool but much prefer the others and what you can do with this lens.

What amazes me is your consistency of final images, regardless of lens/location/lighting your photos always have the same style and look like they come from the same set. :cool:
 
Thanks for the thread Raymond nice to get someones real experience with the ts. I've never concidered getting one but you have wet my appetite. Shot 131 looks like a still from blade runner :) n1
 
Thanks all :), GSX and Mp4.

Throttle, it is an eye opener for me too, I have had the lens for over 9 months but never used it extensively, I have achieved what i set out to do at the start, which is to get to know this lens. How it works, what works, the manual focus and can I can almost get the settings i want without looking through the viewfinder now.

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I'm on the fence...

I like the photos and style but don't know about the T/S...

Yeah I know I don't make much sense, but hey...what's new? :p
 
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