New Member Registered: April, 2013 Posts: 2 | | Review Date: April 29, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $729.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Solid build, decent image quality, easy to tilt and shift | | Cons: | Loose aperture ring | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 8
Value: 10
| |
There used to be a time where perspective correction with tilt and shift was an essential part of taking a picture, but that was back when cameras were usually on tripods, had a bellows, and a curtain to drape over your head while you framed the shot.
Tilting can allow you to take a photograph with the aperture wide open of a landscape and have all of the ground in focus, because you can tilt the focal plane to be in line with the landscape. You can also tilt away from the landscape so that the focal plane intersects a narrow stretch of the land and get the "miniature" look.
Shifting lets you do sometimes essential perspective correction on buildings, but it also lets you get around obstacles that might be in your shot.
The whole lens itself rotates with nice clicks, making it easy to switch between landscape and portrait, or easily reverse the direction of the tilt/shift. The tilting and shifting knobs are solid as well.
The only real complaint about the lens I have is the loose feeling aperture ring, which also is free turning with no clicks on the normal f-stops. It's held by a spring, which allows you to set a maximum f-stop. This is essential when focusing, because then you can open wide to focus, and then quickly go back down to the aperture you wanted.
But the results are fantastic. And as I said there aren't many other options for Tilt/Shift lenses for Pentax K Mount. (Hartblei had one but it's not directly available anymore.) For the price, this lens is an excellent value.
| |
Site Supporter Registered: January, 2013 Location: Sydney, NSW Posts: 287 | | Review Date: July 17, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $700.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Tilt shift in native K-mount | | Cons: | Aperture ring takes getting used to | |
Tilt and shift axis' are fixed 90 degrees to each other. Although you can rotate the mount you cannot tilt and shift in the same plane.
The aperture ring for this lens has a preset stop (like some of the older screw mount lenses) where you can slide it backwards set a stop and then when in the forward position it will freely rotate between wide open (for focussing) and then close down to your preset stop for shooting.
Not the prettiest lens out there, but rock solid and a good performer.
| |
;)
;)
;)
