Tilt shift options for GFX100S

[Ed Hurst]

Hello all,

I am looking closely at the tilt/shift options available for use with a Fuji GFX100S, specifically adapted lenses (rather than attaching the body to a technical/view camera). I see Nikon and Canon offer such lenses but don't know if they can be successfully used with an adaptor. There's also Schneider made for FF (though not, I think, wide angle...).

I'm interested in the optical performance of the lens generally but also the degree of movements possible when used with a GFX100S before vignetting or other loss of quality emerges in the edges/corners. Flare resistance also is important since a major application is night time use in bright areas.

Focal length anywhere between about 17 and 24mm would be what I have in mind if possible.

All advice gratefully received!

 

[rdeloe]

There's an ongoing conversation at DPReview regarding the Nikkor 19mm. There are some samples from an architectural photography (Marc). https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4594136

One interesting idea that came up there is getting a Cambo Actar-19, which is explicitly a rehoused Nikkor 19mm, and hooking it up with a tilt/shift adapter and a focusing helical. I don't know if this would work in terms of flange distance. I do know that you will find a tilt-shift adapter irritating to use. Shift is fine if you're OK with shoving it left and right or up and down, i.e., it's not geared. Then there's the Hartblei solution https://hartbleilens.com/adapters. These look nicer than the usual offerings and they come in GFX mounts.

 

[diggles]

Hey Ed,

Are you planning on creating stitched images with the t/s lens or are you mainly interested in fixing perspective.

If fixing perspective is your goal then I'd recommend tilting the GF 23mm and fixing perspective in post. I ran a test comparing tilting with a GFX 100S/GF23mm and shifting with a tech cam/23HR. Both methods looked equally correct.

If your goal is to create stitched images then I'm all ears. I've been trying to figure out the best way to do that as well, lol!

 

[Ed Hurst]

Thanks for the question! My main purpose is fixing perspective - but without losing any of the image around the edges. When I have tried to fix the perspective in post, using my current camera (645Z), the perspective can end up looking 'right' but at the twin costs of a) losing some of the scene around the edges and b) some minor loss of quality as parts of the scene are stretched. With 23mm lens (or, with the 645Z, the 25mm) I am already at the limit of what I can include with some scenes, so fixing the issue by losing some of the image isn't really practical.

Here are some examples of what I am keen to avoid. They show built scenes (with geometry that shows up distortion) when the lens is looking upwards. As a side note, you will also see bright lights all around, so any lens also needs not to be heavily flare-prone.

International Towers, Barangaroo, Sydney - by night by Ed Hurst, on Flickr
StarTrailsFromFilesIMGP1961-4360_Step7sRGBSMALL by Ed Hurst, on Flickr
StarTrailsFromFilesIMGP8661-9999And0001-0928Step9sRGBSMALL by Ed Hurst, on Flickr
StarTrailsFromFilesIMGP5352-7294_Step7sRGBSMALL by Ed Hurst, on Flickr

 

[Hausen]

I went through a similar search with my 907x and I settled on the Canon 24TS-E with a Kipon adaptor for my long exposure work. I also have a Laowa 15 Shift in Nikon mount and Fotodiox adaptor. I use the Laowa when there is no sun around and want super wide. Both lenses give me around 8mm of shift before they vignette. I would expect both work in similar fashion with the Fuji.

 

[Alan]

The Nikon 19 is the best of the PC bunch in that focal length range. It has a bit of astigmatism at the outer image circle though. I'm not sure how that would look for star trails, but probably worth trying.

 

[drevil]

i recently acquired the nikkor 19mm, way sharper across the image than the ts17mm, which i ditched some months ago.
i currently use a laina adapter, 300rmb on taobao, i pre-set F11 on the 19mm.
when the camera is leveled horizontally and i shift all the way up, the corners become only very very slightly dark, hardly noticeable.
side ways you will hit the edge of the image cirle, but no hard vignetting.

would like to use the steel adapter, to be able to focus more accurately, wide open, but thats another story.

besides that i also use the canon tse50mm, also a great performer

 

[Ed Hurst]

Thanks guys. Am I right in saying that using the Nikon 19mm lens, I'd need a Nikon body to preset the aperture? Or is there an adaptor that allows electronic control to permit this from the GFX100S body?

 

[P. Chong]

anyone here has real world usage experience with the Hartblei? The only user resource I found is from Christopher Leggett‘s YouTube videos.

There's an ongoing conversation at DPReview regarding the Nikkor 19mm. There are some samples from an architectural photography (Marc). https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4594136

Then there's the Hartblei solution https://hartbleilens.com/adapters. These look nicer than the usual offerings and they come in GFX mounts.

 

[Ed Hurst]

There's an ongoing conversation at DPReview regarding the Nikkor 19mm. There are some samples from an architectural photography (Marc). https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4594136

One interesting idea that came up there is getting a Cambo Actar-19, which is explicitly a rehoused Nikkor 19mm, and hooking it up with a tilt/shift adapter and a focusing helical. I don't know if this would work in terms of flange distance. I do know that you will find a tilt-shift adapter irritating to use. Shift is fine if you're OK with shoving it left and right or up and down, i.e., it's not geared. Then there's the Hartblei solution https://hartbleilens.com/adapters. These look nicer than the usual offerings and they come in GFX mounts.

Thanks! i'll got to DPReview later today and report back!

 

[drevil]

Thanks guys. Am I right in saying that using the Nikon 19mm lens, I'd need a Nikon body to preset the aperture? Or is there an adaptor that allows electronic control to permit this from the GFX100S body?

the only smart adapter that is around is steelsring adapter, all others are "dumb" and need pre fixing of the fstop

 

[Ed Hurst]

the only smart adapter that is around is steelsring adapter, all others are "dumb" and need pre fixing of the fstop

Thanks! And, from what I read on the links above, the steelsring adaptor doesn't allow the greatest movements because of the size of the opening, before it vignettes. I am not sure if that's a problem with my usage. The amount of movement I will use for pictures like those shown above might be possible with this adaptor. I am not sure how to work that out in advance... Might just be something I have to try when I can afford the lens!

 

[Don Libby]

I've been using a Canon 24mm TSE with a Kipon smart adaptor on my GFX100s with great success. I also added a ROGETI TSE frame to the lens which I like. Been using this combo now for several months and like it very much. All my lightning images this year are with this combo.

The 24mm is a manual focus lens only; using the Kipon I can regain full control of the lens (except the focus which is MF only).

 

[Ed Hurst]

I've been using a Canon 24mm TSE with a Kipon smart adaptor on my GFX100s with great success. I also added a ROGETI TSE frame to the lens which I like. Been using this combo now for several months and like it very much. All my lightning images this year are with this combo.

The 24mm is a manual focus lens only; using the Kipon I can regain full control of the lens (except the focus which is MF only).

I will look closely at this solution - thank you for the idea.
Do you create/use an LCC for this or not required?

 

[stevev]

G’day Ed,

I have the 19 PC-E and like it very much. It is quite sharp, although don’t expect it to be better than good primes around that focal length. The edges at 12mm of shift are fine at f/11, but again, expect some slight softness compared to on-axis performance. In terms of flare, I may be able to shoot some Brizvegas city lights for you this week, if you can tell me what you want, specifically.

I use it with an FTZ adaptor on a Z7 and also on a Cambo Actus G. Let me know.

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Hausen]

Hi Don, would you be able to post a pic with the Rogeti, Kipon on the GFX please? I use the 24mm on my 907x and I love it. I would interested to see how the cage fits with the Kipon as well. Sorry to hijack the thread but that Rogeti looks really interesting to me.

I've been using a Canon 24mm TSE with a Kipon smart adaptor on my GFX100s with great success. I also added a ROGETI TSE frame to the lens which I like. Been using this combo now for several months and like it very much. All my lightning images this year are with this combo.

The 24mm is a manual focus lens only; using the Kipon I can regain full control of the lens (except the focus which is MF only).

 

[Ed Hurst]

G’day Ed,

I have the 19 PC-E and like it very much. It is quite sharp, although don’t expect it to be better than good primes around that focal length. The edges at 12mm of shift are fine at f/11, but again, expect some slight softness compared to on-axis performance. In terms of flare, I may be able to shoot some Brizvegas city lights for you this week, if you can tell me what you want, specifically.

I use it with an FTZ adaptor on a Z7 and also on a Cambo Actus G. Let me know.

Cheers,
Steve.

G'day Steve - great to hear from you and thanks for the offer of help; it's much appreciated.

I guess my main application would see me using it for star trail pictures in bright, urban areas - with the lens being used to ensure buildings look straight even when looking quite sharply upwards. Because I am capturing stars, I would generally use the lens at around f4.5 or f5 (certainly not stopped down very much). Needless to say, there would often be bright light sources either in-frame or just outside of the frame (but still very much in the flare zone) - think street lights clearly in-shot, car headlights pointing towards the camera, neon signs, etc. etc.. So what I'd looking for is the lens used nearly wide open with the sort of movements that would be required to straighten up buildings when looking upwards (refer to the pictures I uploaded further up this thread as a guide to just how much I look upwards with these shots). In short, I would be using the lens quite a long way away from the centre of the image circle (even more so since I will be using a GFX100S), nearly wide open, and hoping for good resolutions and good handling of flare. All-in-all, I may be asking the impossible - but some samples would be great if at all possible.

It's very kind of you indeed to offer

Ed

 

[stevev]

Hey, no worries .

Thanks for that clear explanation of what you are looking for. Once the rain clears up here I’ll get into the CBD and get some shots that tick your boxes (perhaps a couple in portrait and a couple in landscape?).

Cheers,
Steve.

 

[Ed Hurst]

That sounds perfect - thank you! Since you're using it on a Z7, I suppose the test would need to push the lens further that you normally would in order to simulate the part of the image circle I'd be using with the GFX100S's larger sensor...

 

[Don Libby]

Hi Don, would you be able to post a pic with the Rogeti, Kipon on the GFX please? I use the 24mm on my 907x and I love it. I would interested to see how the cage fits with the Kipon as well. Sorry to hijack the thread but that Rogeti looks really interesting to me.

Sorry, just saw this. I'm currently busy closing up here in Arizona and about to head to Montana for a couple weeks so I might not be able to share a good image of the setup for awhile. I however just checked our Instagram account and saw we had posted a teaser of the setup. click here

I've enjoyed using this setup and while the short video from the link shows an external monitor I haven't been using that setup much. What I have been using is everything minus the monitor to capture lightning.

The lens is working out very well both for the traditional landscape work as well as the non-tradition work I find myself doing. There's been no issues communicating with the lens and frankly I tend to forget that it is an adapted lens - that how well the Kipon works. It works so well that you forget it's there.

The Rogeti cage is a nice addon as well. It provides some protection as well as allowing be to perform flat stitching. I have limited movements and when I need more I can just unscrew it.