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Cheap tilt shift lens for A900

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
It exists here

But is it any good?

And can it be used on an A900 (rumours of the mount fouling the prism on the A900)?

Quentin
 
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gsking

New member
Tempting...looks like a fun toy.

I think you mean the prism on the OUTSIDE right? ;)

I'd be concerned with vignetting, particularly on the FF sensor. For a little more, you could go Mirex adapter and use Mamiya 645 lenses. Since I have the lenses, I'll get the adapter someday. Being able to use 35mm, plus 30mm fish (!!!), 45mm, 55mm, 80mm, 110mm, and 300mm (!!!) is a bonus for me.

Hours and hours of wasted digital photos. :)
 
H

Hoang

Guest
Tempting...looks like a fun toy.

I think you mean the prism on the OUTSIDE right? ;)

I'd be concerned with vignetting, particularly on the FF sensor. For a little more, you could go Mirex adapter and use Mamiya 645 lenses. Since I have the lenses, I'll get the adapter someday. Being able to use 35mm, plus 30mm fish (!!!), 45mm, 55mm, 80mm, 110mm, and 300mm (!!!) is a bonus for me.

Hours and hours of wasted digital photos. :)
Unfortunately that won't work [well]. I got this information from Zoerk, another MF to 35mm Tilt/Shift lens adapter manufacturer.

"You can use the PSA with either a Hasselblad V series or Pentax 67 front mount. There are no issues with shifting using these lenses and you can do both front and rear shifts (the latter requires the version with tripod socket and our PSA L bracket). The versions for 645 lenses will not clear the prism unless you modify (by filing) the prism overhang."

This was their response when I emailed them about the A900 and possible compatibility issues with shifting.

Edit: and to the OP, the only way you could damage your prism would be to somehow force the lens to shift upward VERY hard. It wouldn't be an accident.
 

gsking

New member
Hoang,

Thanks for the info.

I wonder if the 645 models are any worse than the rest, though. You'd hope the increased registration distance would help, not hurt.

I'll check out Zoerk vs. Mirex...hadn't heard of that one.

Hmm, I wonder if the A850 will have a smaller prism. I never was a big advocate of these monstrous 100% VF's....I can't see any difference in practical application. I guess maybe I was more correct than I thought. ;)

Greg
 

gsking

New member
It looks like the PSA (shift) and Multi-Focus (tilt) are two different mechanisms on the Zoerk. The PSA DEFINITELY interferes with the prism (looks like it'd interfere with ANY prism, for that matter).

The Mirex is a more "standard" T/S mechanism, and I suspect it may not have the same interference problem.

Greg
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
I have the Hartblei 45mm super rotator for my Mamiya ZD (not the zeiss glass one, I hasten to add, but the original) which is not bad, but the ZD rear screen is so useless and does not allow 100% magnifcation that it is not possible to check focus properly. I guess that would not be an issue with the A900, but 45mm is not very wide, hence the tempation :)

Quentin
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
The mirex idea looks interesting, thanks for the tip. I also have a Mamiya 35mm so I guess that would be fine with such an adapter. Opens up all kinds of possibilities...

Quentin
 

gsking

New member
Let us know if you get it. I'm waiting until I have $500 to burn. The lack of easy English-language click-to-purchase has dissuaded me so far. :)

I already purchased a chipped M42 adapter rather than buying one of their unchipped versions. I figure I'll get focus confirmation (at least some of the time). It would also allow you to shoot aperture mode on the A900. I hear an unchipped adapter will force you to M mode.
 

gsking

New member
Wow, $2500 for a 28mm 2.8 lens. Pricey is right.

IIRC, the Canon 24mm lens can shift to emulate a 16mm FOV. So, assuming this lens is similar, that means the CZ 16-35mm should get you the same perspective in one shot as any set of images capable with this lens shifted and stitched. Sure, you do have to crop and lose resolution, but you save $1000 and get a much more useful lens.

What am I missing? Shift-only lenses seem to be useless for 35mm, since ultrawides are readily available.

Curious.
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
If it's just shift you're after, there is always this 28mm Super-Angulon PC option from Schneider: Pricey!

http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogSubCategoryDisplay.aspx?CID=179
Unfortunately its tilt rather than shift I want, but ideally both.

I have never really looked in to adapters. Who makes an M42 chipped adapter?

Sony should look at bringing out a tilt/shift lens. Canon and Nikon have several. There is not much chance of Zeiss doing one just for Sony as they are linked with Hartblei. We should not need to bodge solutions; if Sony wants to be a player alongside Nikon and Canon, they should produce more lenses for the Alpha mount - but I guess thats an old complaint :deadhorse:.

Quentin
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Wow, $2500 for a 28mm 2.8 lens. Pricey is right.

IIRC, the Canon 24mm lens can shift to emulate a 16mm FOV. So, assuming this lens is similar, that means the CZ 16-35mm should get you the same perspective in one shot as any set of images capable with this lens shifted and stitched. Sure, you do have to crop and lose resolution, but you save $1000 and get a much more useful lens.

What am I missing? Shift-only lenses seem to be useless for 35mm, since ultrawides are readily available.

Curious.
Less distortion, more resolution.

The image of a 16mm focal length is very distorted ... lots of perspective distortion and "pulled' edges. A stitched 28 or 35mm focal length has less pulled edges, and a PC 28mm or 35mm lens corrects the perspective distortion.

It's for more specialized work like archtectual photography, or for perfectly alining copy work.

Not to be confused with a T/S lens which also allows tilts to increase the effective depth-of-field without stopping down past the defraction limit of the lens ... especially useful with table-top and macro photography ... or it can be used to decrease depth of field selectively, like for specialized selective focus portrait work.

The cheap one discussed would probably be okay for the portrait type applications as razor sharp results aren't as critical. Whether it's good enough for table top is another matter.
 

gsking

New member
Foto, thanks for the input. Yeah, that's what I thought.

Looks like Pete Ganzel used the Mirex on the 900



Pete also has chipped adapters (I think), or you can find them on Ebay.

Greg
 

mjm6

Member
I think, but I'm not sure, that the Zork (Zoerk) PSA is available in a Sony mount. That would put all the Pentax 645 lenses in the shift category.

I've used that system on the Canon 5d and it works very well, but the widest lens available in the P645 is the 35mm, so it is not really wide. For the really wide shots, the new 24mm and the 17mm TS lenses rule the roost right now (and I expect will do so for a very long time).


---Michael
 

docmaas

Member
If you want tilt Hartblei makes a tilt adapter for P6 lenses. I have one with a 50mm f4 flektogon. I've played with it a little but it is difficult to focus in tilt mode as nothing really looks in focus through the vf. However it looks better when shot and examined on the screen or on the computer.

The hartblei adapter does not have a chip. I had a machinist take off the flange which is integral to the assembly and epoxied an m42 adapter with a chip on to the converter. I then shimmed the converter flange to focus accurately at infinity which it never did before.

It is the only lens I had for the last three months and I took a lot of pics with it without the focus confirm and it is much easier to use with the focus confirm. I never really focused on the scheimpflug tilt focus though. I will start working on that soon.

The Flektogon is the newer non-zebra mc version and it s very fine lens.

Mike
 

Quentin_Bargate

Well-known member
Hmmm too much DIY, methinks. Where lenses are concerned, I'm more of a plug and play guy. I don't mind stopped down metering or manual aperture setting etc - takes me back to LF photography - but I draw the line at metalwork :D

Quentin
 

philip_pj

New member
For shift only, I was looking at David Llado's pages today for the CY Distagon 35PC adapted for Sony mount. Wow, it looks simple to do, especially since I spent yesterday afternoon doing a CY 50/1.4 - hah.
http://www.leitax.com/conversion/contax/PC-Distagon_35-2.8/index.html

For those not familiar with this 35mm PC, which has been around long enough for many to appreciate its excellence, in great shape they go for around 800 Brit pounds, give or take...not cheap, but where are the cheap TS lenses, for any system, that are worth having?

Here's a comparo with offerings from the majors:
http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/35mm_shift/35mm_test1.html
And they come up quite often at ffordes, so I am informed.

If Zeiss ever deliver for Sony on a full TS, it will likely cost the earth.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I have a PC Mutar made for the Hasselblad V series cameras.

When I get a free moment, I'll try using my Zeiss V to Sony adapter with that PC attachment to see if it works. The widest lens would be the Zeiss 40 CFE IF.

-Marc
 
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