Tilt/swing very useful on telephoto landscape shots?

[peterm1]

I am getting ready to pull the trigger on the Rodenstock 180mm for my IQ4150/Cambo 1600 tech cam set up for landscape shooting, and am wondering if it's worth it to spring for the version with tilt/swing. I can see it being somewhat useful for more close-up shots, but not so much for shots taken at infinity. Anyway, I'd love to hear some thoughts on how useful people find tilt/swing for telephoto landscape shooting.

Thanks!

Peter

 

[rdeloe]

I use movements with all the lenses I use on my GFX 50R digital view camera outfits. Lenses cover 24mm through 150mm.

I've heard and read people saying you don't need tilt and swing with telephoto lenses. I don't understand that thinking because I use tilt and swing all the time with my 150mm. These two examples are both the Mamiya G 150mm f/4.5.

A bit of tilt needed to "fit" the plane of focus up this crumbling rock face.



This one needed a bit of tilt and a bit of swing.

 

[Greg Haag]

Peter,
I have the exact setup your describing. If I were ordering again today, I might still order with the tilt/swing since it probably is more desirable if I decide to sell, but do not find myself using it very often. Maybe my images would be better if I did, but I rarely do. I do use it on my 32 and 90 more often.
Good luck,
Greg

 

[stngoldberg]

I use tilt often on my 180 RODIE…why not pull everything into focus
stanley

 

[Pieter 12]

I have limited real-world experience with tilt/shift either as a dedicated lens or on a view camera, but it would seem that one could compensate for the limited depth of field of longer lenses with judicious use of tilt and shift.

 

[dchew]

I think using tilt for longer lenses is fine, as long as the user realizes how narrow the DoF wedge is when using longer lenses. Here is a visual of the wedge at f/11 on a 180mm lens and 2 degrees of tilt, using a lenient 4 x pixel circle of confusion. Even at 2 degrees, the hinge point is still 17 feet below the camera. With the camera set up 5.5 ft above the ground, the DoF wedge penetrates the ground 61 feet in front of the camera.

Dave

 

[peterm1]

I think using tilt for longer lenses is fine, as long as the user realizes how narrow the DoF wedge is when using longer lenses. Here is a visual of the wedge at f/11 on a 180mm lens and 2 degrees of tilt, using a lenient 4 x pixel circle of confusion. Even at 2 degrees, the hinge point is still 17 feet below the camera. With the camera set up 5.5 ft above the ground, the DoF wedge penetrates the ground 61 feet in front of the camera.

Dave

Thanks Dave! Since the DOF wedge is small, would you say it’s even more important to have the ability to tilt, or are you saying even with tilt the DOF is still going to be pretty narrow?

 

[Shashin]

Tilt/shift on a telephoto lens is just as relevant as at any focal length. It is a tool the photographer can employ to change the final image. You can control the depth of field, either by extending it or reducing it, you can control the perspective in an image by increasing or decreasing the convergence of lines, and you can increase the use of the image circle by stitching. You can also do any combination of all three at once. All of these techniques are used in landscape photography. It they are important to you, then get the title/shift version.

 

[dchew]

Thanks Dave! Since the DOF wedge is small, would you say it’s even more important to have the ability to tilt, or are you saying even with tilt the DOF is still going to be pretty narrow?

Even with tilt the DoF is going to be narrow. I don't think of that as a good thing or a bad thing, just a thing to be aware of. Below are some examples of tilt with the sk150mm (one with the 138mm). I do think there are fewer opportunities for tilt in landscape photography with long lenses when you want to get everything in focus. Simply because the scene needs to be pretty "thin." By long lenses I mean longer than ~85mm equivalent focal length. But that is only one use case.

I don't own a Cambo WRS, but I'm pretty sure we found out in the Rodi 180 thread that the tilt mount vignettes in large movements. Those w/o a t/s mount reported a really big image circle, while those with t/s mounts reported more limited image circles. So I would at least investigate that and think about which is more important to you.

Dave