24mm pc-e shift maximum & other things

Just wanted to bring out some information about compatibility of the 24mm pc-e

with older bodies. I wanted to use it on the F100 but it only allows a shift

of 6mm along the short axis and full shift on the long axis of the frame. It's

not a very good combination, although still it can be useful. On the F6 the

shift allowed (again, along the short axis) is about 10mm, on the F5, about

8.5mm with finder on (full shift with the default finder taken off). With the

D3 of course, full movements available.

 

I think this lens is almost impossible to use without a tripod. The locking

screws are on opposite sides of the lens relative to the locked control which

means that you need two hands to adjust shift and tilt.

 

I will go on and do some outdoor architectural testing now. Let me know if you

want me to do any specific tests. I plan to test its close-up performance

against the Zeiss 25mm for example.

 

The manual is 223 pages .... unbelievable.

Could you explain exactly what is limiting the movement on the F100?

The viewfinder prism housing stops the shift movement short. Basically the shift mechanics are only about 5mm towards the front from the bayonet so it's really close to the camera body. The F5 and F6 have more elevated prisms and the D3 prism doesn't protrude to the front as much.

Interesting, I never noticed such differences among the viewfinders.

Thanks Ilkka.

Ilkka,

 

I'd suggest you maybe show some "no shift" versus "shift" examples for those who don't

know what this does.

 

And some "extreme" examples, too.

Ilkka, can't you just adjust the locking screws to provide a nice feeling of tension, and essentially forget them? That seems to work on the 85mm.

 

Shun, I've been running into that stuff for years. I had to give up my T-Mount 500-800 zoom cat when the old 8008 became my main machine: it interefered with the prism housing.

Just a thought, can't you take camera upside down and shift downwards to achieve the full length of shift? I know this isn't a very comfortable setup, but since you already must have the camera on a tripod, I thought this way you could use the full shift. Does it work?

Even easier: rotate the lens :)

 

The locking knob for shift is much smaller than the shift knob itself, so it will allow for more shift if the lens is rotated so the locking knob is facing upwards.

The Canon 24mm TS-E lens has the same problem on certain bodies. I just unlock and

rotate it so the knobs do not interfere with the finder.

One of the oldest S/T contraptions ever made, a Varioflex with Schneider Angulon 65/6.8, can't even be mounted on most SLRs.

 

It can be mounted on Nikon Fs (the real ones) without their prism and offers 15mm shift and >15 deg tilt.

 

As Bjorn said, just rotate it. Watch out for slippery ice surfaces and of course, don't expose it to the Sun as there is danger that it will combust!

The problem is not any of the knobs. It's the body of the lens that is obstructed by the F100 viewfinder and nothing can be done about it, if you don't want to cut some of the viewfinder off. If you have a tripod that'll allow mounting the camera upside down then it will be possible to use it at full shift. I don't have one.

 

I'll post some samples later.

I think the tilt function (esp. for close-ups and near close-ups) would be the most useful with this lens. You may not need any shift at all unlike for the longer FL lenses such as the 85mm PC Micro.

On the F5, you have the option to remove the viewfinder prism completely.

Vivek, yes, for landscapes or close-ups, esp. on DX, the tilt is very useful. I bought it for the shift alone. I would not often be in a situation to take close-ups with a 24mm lens on FX/35mm film. However, this lens is absolutely fantastic for architectural shots on FX.

Shun, Yes. The F5 was the last of the "real" F system cameras. ;)

 

Ilkka, You may want to take a look at Albin's images

(yes, very different than what you want to use this lens for)that I came across recently (no tilt lens involved):

 

Ilkka and others, does the limited shift problem on the F 100 go away if you add an extension tube to the F 100, like the 8mm one the PK-11A? Or does an extension tube addition just cause more problems? I have never used a tilt shift lens, but I have been reading about the 24mm one ever since it got announced. If I got it I would use if on my d 200 and d 300 and maybe my f 100. I am probably like many, and know very little about how to use such a lens. Joe Smith

Bjorn has noted the extension ring possibility and the abrupt fall of WDs with this lens, elsewhere.

Here is an example where the shift was taken to the limit. It's a remarkable lens, and I'm having a lot of fun with it.<div></div>

I tried to smudge out the bit of vignetting in the corners. See how easily I got caught, the browser shows it differently from PS. ;-)