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Archive 2017 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?

  
 
rdeloe
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


I just finished loading up my backpack for an early morning winter shoot tomorrow. It has two different camera systems in it -- Fuji X-T2 and some great lenses, and Sony A7r with my dual Mirex Tilt-Shift adapters and a set of SMC Pentax-A 645 lenses plus a Zeiss Distagon 21/2.8 to cover the wide end). They're both excellent systems for what they do (which is quite different things).

I use my A7R with Tilt-Shift adapters all the time in my architectural and landscape photography. It's tripod work, slow and methodical. I use my X-T2 for more fluid work, and almost never have it on a tripod. When I'm not sure what I'm going to find (like tomorrow), I bring both -- but that's a heavy backpack.

I highly doubt Fuji is going to make a T/S lens for the X mount. I don't want to replace my A7R-based T/S system, but sometimes when I just have my Fuji kit I'd love to have even one T/S option. So, I'm checking to see if anyone has come up with a good solution. Here's what I've found so far as options (in no particular order); I haven't tried any of these (so all are just possibilities at this point).

1. [Dumb Canon EF to Fuji X adapter] + [Mirex P645 to Canon EF T/S adapter] + [SMC Pentax-A 645 35mm f/3.5 lens]. This would give me a "normal" field of view on the X-T2, but it's heavy. On the plus side, I'd just have to buy the dumb adapter.

2. [Kipon Nikon F to Fuji X T/S adapter] + [Nikon mount lens like my Zeiss Distagon 21mm f/2.8 ZF]. This would be a moderately wide field of view on the X-T2. I'd have to buy the Kipon, and the Zeiss is heavy (but excellent)

3. [Dumb Canon FD to Fuji X adapter] + [Canon FD 35mm f/2.8 T/S lens]. This would give me a "normal" field of view on the X-T2. I used to own the FD T/S lens; it was excellent for it's era, but I'd have to buy another one (sold mine), and it's not nearly as good as my SMC Pentax-A 35/3.5. It is quite small though, which is a plus.

4. [Metabones Speedbooster Ultra Canon FD to Fuji X adapter] + [Canon FD 35mm f/2.8 T/S lens] --> to give me a "wide-ish" field of view on the X-T2 (equiv. to 37.5mm in 35mm terms). I'd have to buy the Metabones and the FD lens (but then I'd have two focal lengths assuming I also had a dumb Canon FD adapter)

5. [Dumb Nikon F to Fuji X adapter] + [Samyang/Rokinon 24mm f/3.5 T/S lens] --> to give me a nice moderately wide field of view on the X-T2. The lens isn't awesome and I'd have to buy it, plus it's no lightweight. There's also a Speed Booster option, which gives additional flexibility, but I'd worry about image quality.

A Canon EF 24mm T/S II solution would be fantastic, but are there any adapters that control the aperture on the Canon lens? If not, that's a non-starter.

Another non-starter is a Cambo Actus system, which would be awesome I'm sure, but if I go that route I might as well just keep hauling my A7R system around.

Any other ideas? Any experiences or solutions?



Mar 18, 2017 at 08:47 PM
rbf_
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


This is really the best I've seen. You'll need some FF or larger lenses to give you the bigger image circle since X series lenses have a very tight fit around APS-C. You could use X series glass on m4/3 though. It basically treats your mirrorless body as a digital back.

https://www.cambo.com/en/actus-mini/cambo-actus-mini-view-camera/

Edit: Sorry didn't see your note the Actus was a non starter. I don't think you should consider it that as you'll likely need new MF lenses to cover FF format with room for movements. With Fuji APS-C you could use your E mount glass with Fuji and get significant camera movements. You could even use the XT-20 with this setup and get Fuji's latest X series sensor it's only $899, no need to buy X series glass for the Actus + Fuji alone.



Mar 18, 2017 at 09:06 PM
Edward Castro
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


What about a Kipon T+S adapter with OM lenses. OM lenses are pretty compact from what I've seen and are fully manual.


Mar 18, 2017 at 10:42 PM
jcolwell
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


Edward Castro wrote:
What about a Kipon T+S adapter with OM lenses...


That's what I'd do. I use Mamiya 645 lenses (55mm to 150mm) on FF with a M645 to EOS Mirex T-S adapter. I use Zeiss and Canon at 35mm and wider focal lengths.

OM lenses are fine, and so are a variety of other brands; with Zeiss, Leica-R, Pentax, Voigtlander, and others offering quite a few, small and very sharp lenses. The SMCP-M 20/4 is an interesting choice, as it's sharper across the APS-C sensor-frame than the highly-regarded Olympus 21/3.5 OM. The OM has sharper edges and corners on FF, but the SMCP-M 20/4 is noticeably sharper in the rest of the frame. Another lens worth special mention is the Voigtlander Color-Heliar 75/2.5 SL. Mine is actually in OM mount, which is my favourite for adapting Alt third-party glass (has its own stop-down lever), but any mount is worth considering.

All of the lenses I mentioned here, and many more, are included in the Lens Price Database,

Lens$db, http://tinyurl.com/jcolwell-lensdb



Mar 19, 2017 at 10:00 AM
rdeloe
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


I have been keeping an eye on the Cambo Actus because it does look like a very nice setup. My first view camera was a Kardan Super Color (basically just a rail with two standards and a bellows), so this approach is very familiar.

I think I shall give it a second look... To get camera movements on my A7r I'm currently using a dual Mirex setup. One is a Canon EF to Sony E Mirex, and the second one is a Pentax 645 to Canon EF. With those two adapters together I get a huge range of movements (not as much as with an Actus, but close). The SMC Pentax-A 645 lenses I use are also really good -- and they would work just as well on an Actus (big enough image circle for movements on full frame, and huge range of movements on APS-C).

Anyway, thanks for the prod!

rbf_ wrote:
This is really the best I've seen. You'll need some FF or larger lenses to give you the bigger image circle since X series lenses have a very tight fit around APS-C. You could use X series glass on m4/3 though. It basically treats your mirrorless body as a digital back.

https://www.cambo.com/en/actus-mini/cambo-actus-mini-view-camera/

Edit: Sorry didn't see your note the Actus was a non starter. I don't think you should consider it that as you'll likely need new MF lenses to cover FF format with room for movements. With Fuji APS-C you could use your E mount glass with Fuji and get significant
...Show more




Mar 19, 2017 at 01:14 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


I used to have an OM 21/3.5. People rave about it, and it was quite good. However, I sold it after getting the Zeiss Distagon 21/2.8 because the Zeiss was just all around better (albeit much bigger and heavier). Interestingly, Olympus made a 24mm T/S lens that looked very appealing and received some good commentary on an old FM thread. I owned one briefly. The image quality was just not there. It may be that my copy was damaged (it certainly had taken a ding to its permanently-mounted shade), but I suspect even the good copies were not great. That's a shame because one of those plus the Kipon T/S adapter would have made a very flexible rig.

Edward Castro wrote:
What about a Kipon T+S adapter with OM lenses. OM lenses are pretty compact from what I've seen and are fully manual.





Mar 19, 2017 at 01:19 PM
rbf_
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


rdeloe wrote:
I have been keeping an eye on the Cambo Actus because it does look like a very nice setup. My first view camera was a Kardan Super Color (basically just a rail with two standards and a bellows), so this approach is very familiar.

I think I shall give it a second look... To get camera movements on my A7r I'm currently using a dual Mirex setup. One is a Canon EF to Sony E Mirex, and the second one is a Pentax 645 to Canon EF. With those two adapters together I get a huge range of movements (not
...Show more

Hope it fits your needs and works out for you!



Mar 19, 2017 at 01:30 PM
jecottrell
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


This is the best solution I could find:

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Other/i-Tq65ptX/0/L/2017_0319_19472700-L.jpg



Mar 19, 2017 at 09:51 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


jecottrell, how many mm of shift are you able to get with this setup before you get unacceptable vignetting or other image quality issues? Also, what do you think of shifted image quality in general on this sensor (within what you would consider safe shifting range)? I have no issues shifting and tilting on my full frame A7r, but I've heard some rumblings of sensor-related issues on the Fujis.

For myself, the most economical and light weight answer might still be a Kipon Nikon to Fuji T/S adapter. I already have a 21mm Zeiss Distagon in the Nikon mount, which is a heavy but excellent lens. Interestingly, I can get about 4mm of shift on my full frame A7r with this lens because it has a generous image circle. After that I get mechanical vignetting, but if I'm willing to crop to effectively 24mm or 28mm field of view, I can get a heck of a lot of shifting with that setup. That means it might do quite well on the X-T2 as a ~32mm equivalent field of view.



jecottrell wrote:

This is the best solution I could find:

https://photos.smugmug.com/Other/Other/i-Tq65ptX/0/L/2017_0319_19472700-L.jpg





Mar 20, 2017 at 08:57 AM
jecottrell
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


rdeloe wrote:
jecottrell, how many mm of shift are you able to get with this setup before you get unacceptable vignetting or other image quality issues? Also, what do you think of shifted image quality in general on this sensor (within what you would consider safe shifting range)?


I'll shoot some sample images at various shifts this afternoon if I get a chance with my X-T2 and let you look at them.

To be honest, I adopted the Fuji system prior to a trip to Italy a couple years ago in hopes of having a lighter travel kit. In the end, it just made things worse. I ended up taking both my 5Diii kit and Fujis(X-T1/X-E2) with a 17mmTSE for the Canon. It helped a bit by lightening my walk around setup to Fuji, and then using the Canon when I was out "making" images. But, overall, my total kit doubled. What's hard to believe is my wife and I travel with carry-ons only, so things got pretty tight and heavy for a two week international trip.



Mar 20, 2017 at 10:20 AM
rdeloe
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


That's exactly my problem! Yesterday morning I lugged around a backpack that not only had my A7r with double Mirex adapters and a suite of medium format Pentax lenses, but also my Fuji gear with 5 primes... I used everything, but the pack mule routine is not fun. That's why I'm hoping I can add just one T/S option to my Fuji setup, and leave the Sony gear behind unless I know the shoot is specifically going to need it all.



jecottrell wrote:
I'll shoot some sample images at various shifts this afternoon if I get a chance with my X-T2 and let you look at them.

To be honest, I adopted the Fuji system prior to a trip to Italy a couple years ago in hopes of having a lighter travel kit. In the end, it just made things worse. I ended up taking both my 5Diii kit and Fujis(X-T1/X-E2) with a 17mmTSE for the Canon. It helped a bit by lightening my walk around setup to Fuji, and then using the Canon when I was out "making" images. But, overall, my total
...Show more




Mar 20, 2017 at 10:42 AM
wallpapervikin
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


Have just seen this post and have a very similar query...

rdeloe, I also have a Sony A7RII and have a Hcam Master (Canon - Sony tilt/shift adapter the same as the Mirex) and also have the Pentax 645 35mm.. Are you able to give me any idea as to how much movement you can get with this "double" Mirex combination? The thought of having "independent" rise/fall and shift is really appealing..

I am able to get that with the Canon 24mm TS-E II (having preset its aperture to f11) by using the movements on the adapter as well as the movements on the lens... To get this with the Pentax 645 35mm, I would have to look at purchasing a second adapter like you have done..

My main issue is running into mechanical vignetting from combining two adapters..


Also, like yourself, I am interested in what combination would work with the Fuji XT-2 which I am interested in purchasing. Using a full frame lens like the Zeiss 21mm, any idea how much shift is able to be achieved? Is it similar to using a Canon full frame and one of their dedicated TS-E lenses? In the 10-12mm range? Or likely much less?

Thanks in advance, any help or advice you could give would be greatly appreciated!



Apr 02, 2017 at 01:19 AM
rdeloe
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


On my A7R, I can get more movement than the lens and sensor can handle using dual Mirex adapters and an SMC Pentax-A 645 35mm. Have a look at this image: http://www.robdeloephotography.com/Image-Galleries/Guelph/i-fQtjh38/A
It's hard to see on this tiny web version, but at 100%, or even a good sized print, you'd be able to tell that the spire at the top of the church has been mangled by distortion. This is 17mm, the most shift I've ever used on this setup. You can get a lot more with two adapters. You might get more if you used a Pentax 6x7 lens, but I doubt it because you'd be getting into mechanical vignetting range.

By the way, a cheaper way to get the independent movements is to make one of the adapters just a shift. If you rarely or never need tilt and swing, for example, then this is a good solution. For example, you could have tilt and shift on the 645 lens adapter and shift only (with rotation of course) on the Sony end. See below for this on a Fuji.

OK, as for Fuji, I've been recording results over on this thread:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1482525/0#13988958
I started it focusing on Olympus, but I added some data from my Zeiss 21 and a Takumar.

Bottom-line is with some lenses you can get some good shifts happening, but you face the same constraints as on full frame if you use full frame lenses on APS-C cameras. As you'll see at that thread, 10mm is probably your upper limit (but remember 10mm on APS-C is like 15mm on full frame -- so that's a lot). Some lenses are better than others. The Zeiss 21/2.8 ZF was not good. Those ones have lots of field curvature already and weird mustache distortion. I had better results shifting on my tiny Olympus 21/3.5. Could be it was just my lens but I doubt it.

Interestingly, an option to consider is 645 lenses on APS-C. I owned a set anyway, so I just had to buy a Fotodiox Canon-Fuji shift adapter (an excellent piece of kit by the way). That gave me tilt independent from shift on my X-T2, and the huge image circle of the 645 lenses. The benefit is more that you're not shifting to the edges rather than that you're getting a lot more shift. You do get a lot more... but at an extreme angle things start to get strange, and there's still mechanical vignetting to deal with eventually.

For myself, I've cued up a nice set of Olympus lenses that will be my "Fuji" shift kit (21/35, 28/2.5, 50/1.8 and 85/2). They're all tiny and share 49mm filters. I can't speak to the shift capabilities of the 28 and the 85 because they're in the mail!) However, I'm optimistic.

The problem right now is the tilt-shift adapter. I bought a Kipon Olympus to Fuji t/s. My copy was a total piece of crap, but others have reported that they have good ones, so I'm getting a replacement from the vendor. I'll try to update this thread if it works. Key is I asked the seller to test the adapter at both ends to make sure it works before shipping! If you go this way, you'd be back to tilt and shift not independent (but this is not my main rig for that so that's OK).



wallpapervikin wrote:
Have just seen this post and have a very similar query...

rdeloe, I also have a Sony A7RII and have a Hcam Master (Canon - Sony tilt/shift adapter the same as the Mirex) and also have the Pentax 645 35mm.. Are you able to give me any idea as to how much movement you can get with this "double" Mirex combination? The thought of having "independent" rise/fall and shift is really appealing..

I am able to get that with the Canon 24mm TS-E II (having preset its aperture to f11) by using the movements on the adapter as well as the movements
...Show more




Apr 07, 2017 at 06:25 PM
wallpapervikin
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


Hi rdeloe,
Thanks so much for that, much appreciated!

Will look at getting a Kipon and having a play with it.. It is much cheaper than the Mirex and I can also return it if it is no good...

Thanks again!



Apr 16, 2017 at 10:58 PM
ZoomerX
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


What has worked for me is a Fotodiox Shift adaptor, coupled with a 20mm Nikkor f.4 found on eBay for $179, all on a XT-1. A very light travel kit. Very impressed with the results. The really beauty of it has been to be able to shoot indoors without a tripod, pushing the ISO on the XT-1 up to 1600 is really not an issue, at least for my taste.


Aug 02, 2017 at 04:57 PM
prosumerhacks
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


ZoomerX wrote:
What has worked for me is a Fotodiox Shift adaptor, coupled with a 20mm Nikkor f.4 found on eBay for $179, all on a XT-1. A very light travel kit. Very impressed with the results. The really beauty of it has been to be able to shoot indoors without a tripod, pushing the ISO on the XT-1 up to 1600 is really not an issue, at least for my taste.


Interesting. Could you please post some photos of the setup please. Thanks.



Aug 03, 2017 at 01:16 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


The Fotodiox shift adapter is excellent quality. They make versions for a variety of mounts (Canon EF, Canon FD, Nikon, etc).

I'm using Olympus lenses with the Kipon Tilt-Shift adapter. The Kipon adapters are not as nice quality-wise as Fotodiox, but I needed tilt. In my experience, the widest usable OM lens is the 21/3.5. I wrote up my experiences over here: http://www.robdeloephotography.com/Pages/Tiltshift-on-APSC

Today I was experimenting with what I could do stitching images with this rig. I can make excellent quality 53 MP files using this combo and my X-T2. All it takes is one shot at 0mm, then one shot left-shifted 9.5mm and one right-shifted 9.5mm. After merging I crop to 3:2 (which trims just a bit off the sides depending on how accurate I was in my shifts). The OM 24/2.8 doesn't shift well to 9.5mm, so it's not great for this use. However, the OM 28/3.5 and OM 50/1.4 work extremely well for flat stitching like this.

As a nice bonus, because this is a simple "flat stitch" in this orientation you can combine the shift with the a tilt -- making this a good solution for landscape photographers who want to maximize the in focus area across the frame. Unfortunately it doesn't work if your goal is a portrait oriented three shot stitch (unless of course you happen to need swing rather than tilt, in which case it works fine).

Parallax error is always a concern when making panorams. An even better solution would be to keep the lens in position and move the sensor; this would eliminate any parallax error. However, doing this with my current setup would require finding some way to attach a tripod foot to the shift adapter. Novoflex makes a unit called ASTAT-NEX for its adapters; I used to own one when I had a Novoflex adapter, and it's excellent -- but I'm not sure it would work on my Kipon tilt-shift adapter. I may try one day. In the meantime, if you are not doing multi-row (or multi-column) stitching, parallax error appears to be minor and easily corrected by your stitching software when making panorams with the shift lens. I'm using Lightroom and it seems to handle any minor parallax error without any snags.

ZoomerX wrote:
What has worked for me is a Fotodiox Shift adaptor, coupled with a 20mm Nikkor f.4 found on eBay for $179, all on a XT-1. A very light travel kit. Very impressed with the results. The really beauty of it has been to be able to shoot indoors without a tripod, pushing the ISO on the XT-1 up to 1600 is really not an issue, at least for my taste.





Aug 03, 2017 at 02:17 PM
rdeloe
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


Look up! There's a post by jecottrell in this thread where he shows an Olympus OM 18/3.5 on a Kipon shift adapter, mounted to an X-T1. The Fotodiox adapter looks a bit different (and is better in my view if you just need a shift adapter).

prosumerhacks wrote:
Interesting. Could you please post some photos of the setup please. Thanks.





Aug 03, 2017 at 02:19 PM
ckapl
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


Has anyone tried the Fotodiox shift adapter with the Laowa 12 mm lens (Canon or Nikon mount) as an effective 18 mm shift lens?


Aug 05, 2017 at 10:45 AM
rdeloe
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Tilt-Shift for Fuji X - any good solutions?


I wondered about that option too. I know the Fotodiox shift adapter is excellent. Mechanically I find it better than the Kipon shift-only adapters.

I've noticed that with the film-era wide manual lenses I've tested for shifting on APS-C, the image circle has been very "tight". In other words, the lens designers made it just big enough to cover the 24x36mm of the film area. For example, the Olympus OM 18/3.5 vignettes heavily already on film and full frame; it had no extra image circle to allow for decent shifting. In my experience testing out Olympus lenses for shifting potential, the longer the focal length, the more extra image circle there is and the better the shift quality (see http://www.robdeloephotography.com/Pages/Tiltshift-on-APSC).

Does this mean the Laowa 12mm lens also has a tight image circle? I don't know, but Keith's review over at Northlight suggests vignetting is not bad, and that it also has very low distortion. http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-laowa-12mm-f2-8-zero-d-lens/ So maybe this is a good option.



ckapl wrote:
Has anyone tried the Fotodiox shift adapter with the Laowa 12 mm lens (Canon or Nikon mount) as an effective 18 mm shift lens?





Aug 06, 2017 at 11:27 AM
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