Craig Stocks
Well-known member
Being something of fool for wide angles as well as a glutton for punishment I couldn't resist the siren song of the Canon 24 TS-E lens in front of a Phase One IQ3100. I have a Cambo WRC-400 with the WRE-CA Adapting Lenspanel for Canon EF Lenses in between. My logic is to augment my XF with a Phase One 28mm (non-leaf shutter) lens for a little wider field of view plus some limited movements. All together (lens, adapter and body) the price is comparable to a new SK 28mm leaf shutter, and I'm sure it would be less than a Phase One SK 24mm tilt-shift lens (if one even existed).
So, how well does it work? As with so many things in life it's not about how good you look as much as what you're standing next to. The Canon 24 TS-E is certainly not as sharp as the Phase One 35 BR, and probably not as sharp as any other lens in my kit - except for the Phase One 28 mm. From my testing so far I'd say it's about equal to the 28 in the center and better in the corners. I'm also surprised at how much movement I can get by with. I can get some rise and fall but not much before vignetting becomes problematic. Tilt, on the other hand, is more forgiving and I can use nearly the full tilt capability of the Canon lens.
Here is a quick comparison set. The images posted are low res. There are links for high res JPEGs.
Both photos were shot from the same tripod position just a few minutes apart, ISO 50, f/8 for 1/4 second, mirror lockup on the XF with vibration delay, 2 second ES delay on the Cambo. I focused using live view on the leaf in the center of the second step. The 25 TS-E has a small amount of tilt applied to shift the plane of focus to follow the stairs. Both were processed in similarly Capture One where I also tried to compensate for slight color and exposure differences. Both images were cropped to the same field of view.
In my testing I made 16X20 inch prints of each because, after all, it's the print that counts. There is a noticeable difference. The leaf that served as a focusing point is similarly sharp with perhaps an imperceptible edge to the Phase One 28. The left and right edges are better with the 24 TS-E, and of course the top and bottom are better because of the advantage of tilt.
My conclusion so far, I like the results compared to the alternatives. I don't like that it requires a complete separate body but I think I can live with that inconvenience for the benefits.
http://www.craigstocksarts.com/Canon-24-Large.jpg
http://www.craigstocksarts.com/PhaseOne-28-Large.jpg
So, how well does it work? As with so many things in life it's not about how good you look as much as what you're standing next to. The Canon 24 TS-E is certainly not as sharp as the Phase One 35 BR, and probably not as sharp as any other lens in my kit - except for the Phase One 28 mm. From my testing so far I'd say it's about equal to the 28 in the center and better in the corners. I'm also surprised at how much movement I can get by with. I can get some rise and fall but not much before vignetting becomes problematic. Tilt, on the other hand, is more forgiving and I can use nearly the full tilt capability of the Canon lens.
Here is a quick comparison set. The images posted are low res. There are links for high res JPEGs.
Both photos were shot from the same tripod position just a few minutes apart, ISO 50, f/8 for 1/4 second, mirror lockup on the XF with vibration delay, 2 second ES delay on the Cambo. I focused using live view on the leaf in the center of the second step. The 25 TS-E has a small amount of tilt applied to shift the plane of focus to follow the stairs. Both were processed in similarly Capture One where I also tried to compensate for slight color and exposure differences. Both images were cropped to the same field of view.
In my testing I made 16X20 inch prints of each because, after all, it's the print that counts. There is a noticeable difference. The leaf that served as a focusing point is similarly sharp with perhaps an imperceptible edge to the Phase One 28. The left and right edges are better with the 24 TS-E, and of course the top and bottom are better because of the advantage of tilt.
My conclusion so far, I like the results compared to the alternatives. I don't like that it requires a complete separate body but I think I can live with that inconvenience for the benefits.
http://www.craigstocksarts.com/Canon-24-Large.jpg
http://www.craigstocksarts.com/PhaseOne-28-Large.jpg
