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Recommendations for outdoor/architecture stitching equipment w/ Sony a7riii

Hi

I'd love to have a setup to shoot outdoor architecture and I do already own Canon TSE 17mm and 24mm II lenses, but I'm also open buying LF lenses as I do use a Cambo Ultima for table work

my idea was to use those Canon lenses with the sony a7riii I already have and use the front shift to correct the convergence and use a secondary device to do the camera shift for stitching 2/3 photos together. (let's call it doubleshifter)

What I have tried so far:

— I bought a Kipon Shift EOS-NEX kinda cheap that does the same as the Mirex:
PRO: I can do the double shift as I want: correct building convergence and move the camera to stitch.
CONS: a lot of vignetting (it seems optimized to smaller sensors, not full frame)... I mean it's usable as I can shift 4/5mm and be able to sitch 2 images resulting in a 1.7x bigger image (like 70mp)

— I heard about the TSE Frame Rogeti, but it doesn't help...because the tilt is locked while the lens is in the cage and I can't do the double shift

— I heard about the german Hartblei double shifter adapter but is too expensive at 700-1000 euro...meh

— I already own a Cambo Ultima 35 which I love but way to heavy for outdoor/travel... I was thinking of buying an Actus Min so i can somehow cross-use them...BUT I don't see a cheap lens plate for canon (ie. I don't wanna spend $700++ for the electronic lens plate...i just need a manual as i stick to f/11 also while focusing)

— say I have the Actus mini with a lens... I guess I can't go beyond a Grandagon 35mm (flange dist about 55mm)... I bought by mistake and sold immediately the Schneider 24XL because the flange distance was way too short even for DSRL


anyways... I wonder what do you guys think and recommend... I know Novoflex also does bellows etc... Horseman has a similar solution to Actus....is there something I need to know/try?
 

TimoK

Active member
This is not a simple question. I have been looking for a good solution for long time.
I'm not sure if I understood your "doubleshifting". Are you shifting both the lens with Canon's mechanism and the camera with shift adapter?
If so, you are trying impossible. You are running out of the image circle.
I think 12mm shift is maximum or a little too much if you have camera at landscape position and shift horizontally. The extreme end of picture starts to become soft. I do it with my 24mm mkII but I have to look if there is disturbing softness at the corners. Using apertures F10-13 it's possible to get usable pictures.
I use PPL/Hartblei tripod collar. It's heavy and not comfortable for vertical shifts, but good in horizontal panos. Tilt is possible but
if you want to turn to swing, you have to use some tool to reach the locking knob. I used a small key.
Mounting is complicated or uncomfortable, nothing you want to do after every second shot.
Maybe Mirex or Hartblei doubleshifter was better solution. At least cheaper than Actus.
 
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