- Product Dimensions: 17 x 14 x 13.7 cm ; 644 g
- Boxed-product Weight: 953 g
- Item model number: 2536A004
- ASIN: B00009XVCX
- Date first available at Amazon.co.uk: 4 Dec 2008
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Tilt-Shift lenses alter the focal plane for selective focusing (rather like Lens Babies but without all their woes). They also allow you to correct for the 'falling away' effect of converging verticals (shoot a building from ground level and it looks like it's collapsing backwards). Canon T-S lenses also rotate through 180 degrees so you can have the same effects however you hold your camera. They're ideal for product shots, architecture and alternative creativity with just about any subject, but...
* They're strictly manual focus, so you need a full-frame large viewfinder, live view or at least an angle viewer
* They're all primes, which means IQ, flare and CA are what you'd expect (except the 24)
* You need to meter exposure without tilting or shift first because your camera body can't meter correctly when using tilt or shift
* A tripod and time are necessary to get the full benefits of this lens
* However experienced a photographer you are, it's going to take several shots before you get what you want. This is not a walk-around point-and-shoot lens.
Of the three Tilt-Shift lenses made, the 45 is probably the sharpest and perhaps the most versatile. Do not be duped by the red ring L on the soft and flare-prone 24. The 90 is too long for my purposes. I own a full-frame and a cropped-sensor camera, so the 45 covers more of my needs and is sharp, very sharp. Construction quality is L grade. It's also a solid, hefty lens which balances out well on Canon's bigger cameras but probably wouldn't suit the smaller, cropped-sensor bodies. The seven-blade diaphragm and f/2.8 aperture ensure a pleasant out-of-focus background ("bokeh"). The focusing ring (manual, remember?) is smooth and precise and the lens markings are acceptable if nothing else (and are rated only for film and full-frame cameras anyway). Compared to lens babies, this is a dream for controlling exactly where you want your focal plane, but if you have large hands, the rather small tilt and shift knobs and the minuscule rotate latch will pinch your fingers.
One inevitable disadvantage: the lens' design easily allows dust to enter the barrel. This lens is a dust magnet and should be stored at all times in its pouch (included with a clunky, but serviceable hood) when not in use.
This really is an excellent and unusual lens in IQ terms, but a demanding one, so not at all for the beginner or full-auto shooter.
* They're strictly manual focus, so you need a full-frame large viewfinder, live view or at least an angle viewer
* They're all primes, which means IQ, flare and CA are what you'd expect (except the 24)
* You need to meter exposure without tilting or shift first because your camera body can't meter correctly when using tilt or shift
* A tripod and time are necessary to get the full benefits of this lens
* However experienced a photographer you are, it's going to take several shots before you get what you want. This is not a walk-around point-and-shoot lens.
Of the three Tilt-Shift lenses made, the 45 is probably the sharpest and perhaps the most versatile. Do not be duped by the red ring L on the soft and flare-prone 24. The 90 is too long for my purposes. I own a full-frame and a cropped-sensor camera, so the 45 covers more of my needs and is sharp, very sharp. Construction quality is L grade. It's also a solid, hefty lens which balances out well on Canon's bigger cameras but probably wouldn't suit the smaller, cropped-sensor bodies. The seven-blade diaphragm and f/2.8 aperture ensure a pleasant out-of-focus background ("bokeh"). The focusing ring (manual, remember?) is smooth and precise and the lens markings are acceptable if nothing else (and are rated only for film and full-frame cameras anyway). Compared to lens babies, this is a dream for controlling exactly where you want your focal plane, but if you have large hands, the rather small tilt and shift knobs and the minuscule rotate latch will pinch your fingers.
One inevitable disadvantage: the lens' design easily allows dust to enter the barrel. This lens is a dust magnet and should be stored at all times in its pouch (included with a clunky, but serviceable hood) when not in use.
This really is an excellent and unusual lens in IQ terms, but a demanding one, so not at all for the beginner or full-auto shooter.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Steep learning curve, but useful for right projects
6 May 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase
I've been a photographer since the film era, and I also have previous experience with view cameras, so I'm familiar with the lens movement. Yet, TS-E has a couple of peculiar points that have its own learning curve. Image quality is also very good, but not perfect.
I use this lens mostly for tabletop product photography, food photography and creative and corrective portraiture. I think product photography is probably the most common application for TS-E45mm, although not many people talk about it online... and even less so for corrective portraiture. Anyway, if you can pay for the lens and willing to take the steep learning curve, this lens is almost essential for these things.
I found TS-E45mm tends to give inaccurate focus even when the focus is dead on on the viewfinder screen. This happens most often when tilted and shifted simultaneously, and the focus is taken near the periphery of the view. This happens on both 5D and 7D. I don't know if there's a good way to overcome this problem other than live view or tethered. (EDIT Jul 2011: Ee-S focusing screen on 5D or Eg-S on 5D mk II seems to be the solution. With 7D, live view is the only solution as focusing screen is not interchangeable.)
Although officially unsupported, we often see people say that TS-E45mm works fine with 1.4x and 2x teleconverters online. I think what they mean is merely that the teleconverter fits without a mechanical problem. However, this needs a caveat. If the lens is shifted while on a teleconverter, the lateral chromatic aberration worsens dramatically. Other aberration probably worsens, because focus is also not very sharp. Tilt is not as bad in this regard. Simultaneous tilt and shift is also very bad. So, if you use this lens with a teleconverter, you should limit the lens movement to a small tilt only. Since the movement is limited by the image quality, the limitation is not absolute, but certainly limits the usability of this lens with a teleconverter. Also, with a 1.4x teleconverter, I see a noticeable drop in image contrast. So, if you buy TS-E45mm with the hope of using it with a teleconverter, I think you'll eventually be buying TS-E90mm as well (and as I did), to avoid these problems.
I use this lens mostly for tabletop product photography, food photography and creative and corrective portraiture. I think product photography is probably the most common application for TS-E45mm, although not many people talk about it online... and even less so for corrective portraiture. Anyway, if you can pay for the lens and willing to take the steep learning curve, this lens is almost essential for these things.
I found TS-E45mm tends to give inaccurate focus even when the focus is dead on on the viewfinder screen. This happens most often when tilted and shifted simultaneously, and the focus is taken near the periphery of the view. This happens on both 5D and 7D. I don't know if there's a good way to overcome this problem other than live view or tethered. (EDIT Jul 2011: Ee-S focusing screen on 5D or Eg-S on 5D mk II seems to be the solution. With 7D, live view is the only solution as focusing screen is not interchangeable.)
Although officially unsupported, we often see people say that TS-E45mm works fine with 1.4x and 2x teleconverters online. I think what they mean is merely that the teleconverter fits without a mechanical problem. However, this needs a caveat. If the lens is shifted while on a teleconverter, the lateral chromatic aberration worsens dramatically. Other aberration probably worsens, because focus is also not very sharp. Tilt is not as bad in this regard. Simultaneous tilt and shift is also very bad. So, if you use this lens with a teleconverter, you should limit the lens movement to a small tilt only. Since the movement is limited by the image quality, the limitation is not absolute, but certainly limits the usability of this lens with a teleconverter. Also, with a 1.4x teleconverter, I see a noticeable drop in image contrast. So, if you buy TS-E45mm with the hope of using it with a teleconverter, I think you'll eventually be buying TS-E90mm as well (and as I did), to avoid these problems.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Canon TS-E 45mm on 5D MK II and 7D
29 Aug 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this lens to take advantage of the ability to alter the depth of field for landscape with tilt and create seamless panoramas. I was skeptical this lens would have enough resolution to keep up with both my 5D MK II and 7D but those concerns were quickly put to rest. This lens is -sharp- on both cameras with just a very small touch of chromatic aberation in really glarey conditions on the 7D.
So, on the 5D MK II I have a 45mm lens while on the 7D I have the equivalent of a 72mm lens. I guess that means I bought 2 $650 lenses ;)
On my eye level tripod if I just level the camera and dial in a little under 2 degrees of tilt the focal plane runs parallel to the ground which makes getting the depth of field one wants for landscape a snap. Just keep in mind the DoF runs in a vertical wedge with the narrow end at your feet to watch for DoF in the vertical direction. Live View with depth of field preview and 100% zoom is your friend for checking critical sharpness.
Only caveat is I would NOT recommend this lens if your camera doesn't have live view. Live view really is essential for working with this lens in my opinion.
Also, there is an excellent tutorial on:
[...]
So, on the 5D MK II I have a 45mm lens while on the 7D I have the equivalent of a 72mm lens. I guess that means I bought 2 $650 lenses ;)
On my eye level tripod if I just level the camera and dial in a little under 2 degrees of tilt the focal plane runs parallel to the ground which makes getting the depth of field one wants for landscape a snap. Just keep in mind the DoF runs in a vertical wedge with the narrow end at your feet to watch for DoF in the vertical direction. Live View with depth of field preview and 100% zoom is your friend for checking critical sharpness.
Only caveat is I would NOT recommend this lens if your camera doesn't have live view. Live view really is essential for working with this lens in my opinion.
Also, there is an excellent tutorial on:
[...]
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A great lens for specialist applications
28 Sep 2011
Amazon Verified Purchase
This lens gets five stars if for no other reason than it has no competitors in the EF mount. However, it is a pricey lens designed for specialist applications and is not for most general purpose photographers.
Optics: Shooting wide-open (not really the intended use of this lens), the center is very sharp with the corners falling to good. Tilting or shifting results in even more drop-off in the corners. Shooting at working apertures (f/8 or smaller), the sharpness across the frame is excellent and there is no real vignetting and very, very little distortion. The only problem at working apertures is a bit of CA in the corners, but this cleans up very easily in post.
Ease of Use: Well-damped focus ring (as it should be for a MF only lens). Tilt and shift are easy to apply and lock, though the knobs are probably smaller than they should be. You should also note that it is possible to end up with one of the knobs under the viewfinder housing, which makes operation difficult, but this can be avoided and as is a common "feature" to all of the TS-E lenses. Lens cap is a bit better than the Canon standard and the lens hood is good quality plastic and locks on securely, unlike many Canon hoods.
These lenses are said to be "hard" to use, but with a liveview and a little knowledge, they are stupid simple to use. Just remember to use the DOF preview button to stop down the lens so you can see the final composition on the screen. It will take a bit before everything clicks, but you can master the ins and outs in an afternoon.
While there are many great resources on using tilt/shift lens, as a basic overview:
Shift allows you to change the perspective of the lens. If you shoot architecture and need buildings to have straight lines, this will be handy feature. You can of course accomplish the same task in most image manipulation programs, but you do sacrifice some of the frame to computer perspective correction.
Tilt allows you to change the field of focus from being perfectly parallel to the sensor. Thus, you can get near and far objects in perfect focus, which is an important ability for landscape or product photographers. Yes, you can get landscapes that are reasonably sharp from near to far by taking advantage of the hyperfocal focus distance, but this only puts near and far in "good-enough" focus. If you consider the cliched meadow in front of mountains photo, with hyperfocal focusing, you will find that the nearest flowers are annoyingly defocused and the mountains aren't as sharp as they could be. However, with a TS-E lens, you can avoid this and more or less have the entire scene in sharp focus.
Of course, the price you pay for this ability is a that you have to purchase a big, heavy, expensive, and manually focusing lens, meaning that this lens is not for everyone. However, if you want to shoot truly great landscapes (assuming you already have a good eye for things), then a TS-E lens is the way to go (unless of course you drag a LF camera out there, which is really the way to go). And if you shoot a lot of products, then this is really the way to go.
As a general note, tilt and shift are perpendicular to each other, so if you have the lens tilted up or down, you can only shift left and right. This is probably the behavior you want, but if you want to be able to tilt up and down while shifting up and down, you can either pay Canon to change the lens, or you can do it yourself with a screwdriver and a bit of care. The newest TS-E lenses allow you to do this yourself without tools, but for most users, this limitation will not be a problem.
Oh... build quality is also excellent. It feels like a tank and I have yet to have any problems with mine. I will of course keep everyone updated.
Also, these lenses mount the Canon series of extenders, so you get a great 60/4 and 90/5.6 as well if you already own the extenders. Optical quality drops off a bit with the 2x, but at working apertures, it is more than good enough for professional quality big prints.
Optics: Shooting wide-open (not really the intended use of this lens), the center is very sharp with the corners falling to good. Tilting or shifting results in even more drop-off in the corners. Shooting at working apertures (f/8 or smaller), the sharpness across the frame is excellent and there is no real vignetting and very, very little distortion. The only problem at working apertures is a bit of CA in the corners, but this cleans up very easily in post.
Ease of Use: Well-damped focus ring (as it should be for a MF only lens). Tilt and shift are easy to apply and lock, though the knobs are probably smaller than they should be. You should also note that it is possible to end up with one of the knobs under the viewfinder housing, which makes operation difficult, but this can be avoided and as is a common "feature" to all of the TS-E lenses. Lens cap is a bit better than the Canon standard and the lens hood is good quality plastic and locks on securely, unlike many Canon hoods.
These lenses are said to be "hard" to use, but with a liveview and a little knowledge, they are stupid simple to use. Just remember to use the DOF preview button to stop down the lens so you can see the final composition on the screen. It will take a bit before everything clicks, but you can master the ins and outs in an afternoon.
While there are many great resources on using tilt/shift lens, as a basic overview:
Shift allows you to change the perspective of the lens. If you shoot architecture and need buildings to have straight lines, this will be handy feature. You can of course accomplish the same task in most image manipulation programs, but you do sacrifice some of the frame to computer perspective correction.
Tilt allows you to change the field of focus from being perfectly parallel to the sensor. Thus, you can get near and far objects in perfect focus, which is an important ability for landscape or product photographers. Yes, you can get landscapes that are reasonably sharp from near to far by taking advantage of the hyperfocal focus distance, but this only puts near and far in "good-enough" focus. If you consider the cliched meadow in front of mountains photo, with hyperfocal focusing, you will find that the nearest flowers are annoyingly defocused and the mountains aren't as sharp as they could be. However, with a TS-E lens, you can avoid this and more or less have the entire scene in sharp focus.
Of course, the price you pay for this ability is a that you have to purchase a big, heavy, expensive, and manually focusing lens, meaning that this lens is not for everyone. However, if you want to shoot truly great landscapes (assuming you already have a good eye for things), then a TS-E lens is the way to go (unless of course you drag a LF camera out there, which is really the way to go). And if you shoot a lot of products, then this is really the way to go.
As a general note, tilt and shift are perpendicular to each other, so if you have the lens tilted up or down, you can only shift left and right. This is probably the behavior you want, but if you want to be able to tilt up and down while shifting up and down, you can either pay Canon to change the lens, or you can do it yourself with a screwdriver and a bit of care. The newest TS-E lenses allow you to do this yourself without tools, but for most users, this limitation will not be a problem.
Oh... build quality is also excellent. It feels like a tank and I have yet to have any problems with mine. I will of course keep everyone updated.
Also, these lenses mount the Canon series of extenders, so you get a great 60/4 and 90/5.6 as well if you already own the extenders. Optical quality drops off a bit with the 2x, but at working apertures, it is more than good enough for professional quality big prints.
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