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Best format for architecture

J

Justalex

Guest
I shoot professionally and have used the TSE lenses on a 5dMkII

I love the feel and quality of a tech camera but the speed of a 35mm. MF SHOULD be the perfect balance but there is no lens as wide as the TSE 17 that can be shifted. I owned a GX680 when I was still shooting film; the 50mm lens was beautiful but the 65mm had way too much distortion.

I tried the TSE 45mm 2 days ago and it has unsatisfactory CA. Maybe Canon are working on a MkII.

My clients don't notice the difference between 35mm and MF but I do and despite the fact that my clients won't pay me any more if I shoot on a tech camera, if there was a satisfactory solution I would buy it.

Ideally the Blad would have shift lenses that are as wide as the TSEs.

I've shot the same scene on a Cambo with a P45+ and Canon TSE 17mm. The file from the P45+ was unusable as Capture one could could not completely remove the colour cast. The Canon wasn't as sharp as I would have liked but it was the one I ultimately handed to the client.

I've heard that in order to create a proper LCC your LCC file can't include the black outside the image circle.

I'm looking around for an adapter plate so I can try my H3DII 22mp back on the Cambo. I'm curious to know a little more about your experiences Dan.
 

danlindberg

Well-known member
I'm looking around for an adapter plate so I can try my H3DII 22mp back on the Cambo. I'm curious to know a little more about your experiences Dan.
I suppose that your back is comparable to mine, being 22mp backs. It works well to shift with most (all?) tech lenses and that suits my workflow great.

I rarely need wider angle of view than a regular one-shot with the Super-Digitar 28, but on those rare occasions when I flatstich, it works splendid!
I attach an example here...in this situation I was squasched up the wall and to get the 'feel' I wanted both the graphical element (designer chair) to the extreme right and the flower to the left just inside that room. I could not get this with a single shot, so this is a flatstitch 14mm left and 14mm right in vertical position.
To complicate matters for the lens I, on top, introduced a 6mm fall at the very same time. Using the lens to the limit. Despite these movements, I have NO LCC at all!!! and look at the result :D

Imho beats a 5Dii+17Tse every day of the week.

 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
FYI the 28mm SK or Rodie on a FF sensor is 18mm. On those sensor you can safely go 7mm either way.

My IQ 140 is now 22mm but like Dan we can stitch for a wider view. I have not stitched or tested the IQ 140 since I got it Friday but my bet if Dan can go 14mm I would be pretty close to that
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
Well- as Mal had already pointed to, the HCam-B1 can do 17+24mm with movements, no color cast/means no needed whiteshot , no need for a centerfilter, and - if you already have the 17 and 24mm TSE and a Back - you´ll get this at a fraction of the price of the others.

here are some links to full res jpg´s with 80 Mpix / HCam 17+24mm both on Leaf Aptus 12 and IQ180

http://www.hcam.de/downloads/Leaf80Mpix_Canon17mmTSE.jpg

http://www.hcam.de/downloads/IQ180-17mmTSE-01.jpg

http://www.hcam.de/downloads/IQ180-24mmTSE-02.jpg

Greetings from Lindenberg
Stefan
 

pophoto

New member
Justalex: I know the Canon 5D3 corrects for CA on certain lenses, but I don't think the TSE are on the list. I have the 24TSE myself, though not as wide, you can certainly stitch in post. I don't know if in your opinion it is sharp enough, but certainly sharper than my 24L II.

Otherwise as most of the folks say here, there's probably no beating MFDB on a HCam with a Canon TSE, or MFDB alone!
 
J

Justalex

Guest
I cant believe there's no LCC on your shot Dan. I'm increasingly stitching 2 shots (2 images shot vertically one shifted up and the other down) in order to get a square format.

I don't need 80MP, I have trouble archiving all my work as it is but with 80MP I would have 4 times the archiving. Nor have my clients ever asked for more than 22MP.

What I want is an IQ back with all it's bells and whistles but only 22mp so that I don't get the vignetting, colour casts or headache with archiving!

Would love to see the Hartblei Stefan but I'll have to wait until I'm in Europe next.
 

goesbang

Member
The OP's question is much like any other question asking for a "best", be it best car, best engine, best powersaw, ect. etc. It begs the question, under what circumstances, given what parameters and for what purpose and outcome?
In truth, there is no definitive answer to this question. All the answers posted are both correct and incorrect in different ways. You take from it what works for you.
I make my living shooting architecture and construction in Europe, Asia and Australasia. I have been a photographer for many years and have lots of gear at my disposal. However, when it comes to architecture, my tool of choice is an IQ180 on an Alpa STC and I shoot over 80% of my work with an Alpa 23mm HR Alpagon (Rodie 23HR Digaron by another name).
As I travel a lot and mostly shoot without an assistant, my gear has to be light and fast handling. I tried other tech cams and chose the Alpa because it suited my needs best.
As to format, for me size is everything. Hence, I went full-frame as soon as I could when the P65+ arrived, then went to Aptus 12 and now the IQ180. If you are going to shift a lot, I suggest the 60MP sensors are better as they have much less lenscast at a given shift. For me, the extra pixels are more important due to the amount of adjustment I make in post. Some of my 60MP files were showing artefacts where my 80Mp files don't. Shooting architecture requires wides and my style requires particularly wide lenses that are still quick to deploy and able to be used hand-held in some situations. This negates all the scanning-type systems. Obviously the full sized sensors give me the largest field of view.
If you shoot enough with it, the LCC workflow quickly becomes second nature.
I for one, have never given a damn about what quality the client expects and is willing to pay for. My philosophy has always been to make the best images possible for me. That involves buying the best gear I can afford, learning from the best practitioners in my field, practicing and testing in all my spare time, seeking criticism of my work from people with the skills and experience to hold an opinion worth considering and constantly driving myself to improve and evolve. I believe that money is attracted to quality and so far, this has more or less borne out. In practice, my quality expectations are almost always going to be much higher than my clients, simply because of my training and experience. Why should I dumb-down my work because my client doesn't know better? My belief is that setting ones business up simply to meet client expectations is to set oneself up to be an also-ran. I seek to exceed my client expectations by as big a margin as I am capable of.
In the end, the best format for architecture is the one you have in your hand, so ask lots of questions, do lots of testing and choose what suits YOU best.
Cheers,
 
I can recommend the 33MP Aptus 7II/Mamiya DM33 as it has decently large sensor area at superb price point with a very well proven sensor and it does produce lovely files. The jump from the 5 to the 7 isn't much price wise and Dan's work shows what is possible with the 5. If you like the Canon lens and a less fussy workflow, then Stefan's H Cam must surely be the only choice.

So Aptus 7II and a H Cam.
 

aboudd

New member
As an architectural photographer, my clients are mostly developers, I'll toss my 2 cents in. I use Nikon bodies with the 24MM PC-E, the old 28 and 35 PC lenses. In a couple of instances, where shift is not necessary I have used the 14-24. The last shot, of the Carleton Hotel is NYC is an example of the 14-24. All the other shots are the 24 PC-EYes, the older PC lenses do have CA considerations but they are easily cured in post processing. I have found that with the wides tilt is mostly not necessary. My clients have always been very satisfied with the output, and I've made 36" prints with no issues. At one time I considered the tech cameras but the Nikon is much faster to work with and is is easily tethered to my Macbook.
 
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