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kodakeos
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jan 9, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1317
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Review Date: Oct 23, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,900.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Tilt, Shift, Sharpness, Wide angle
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Cons:
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Size, Cost
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This is my 3rd T/S canon lens, starting with a 24TSE on the 20D, followed by the 90TSE, and now the 17 on a 5DIII.
This is my Favorite by far. I sold the 24 because on the crop sensor it gave me awesome panos and LOTs of MP addition. When i moved to the 1DsII, suddenly the shift was not nearly as noticeably, and gave me larger rectangles, than wide panos.
I decided to sell the 24TSE and invested in the 17 instead and that was an excellent choice. Other than the lack of a filter, this is by Far the better lens. On the 24TSEV1 I had, switching between orthogonal and linear t/s was a PAIN. This one is never more than a level and a turn away, and it can be stopped at 45* increments!
Images are so sharp, the 10X live view looks almost as good as the no-zoom live view. The FOV on this lens makes everything look incredible, and the focus range is amazing!
Add to this that it takes the 1.4X and 2X very well and you have a Great lens which can easily double as 2 or 3 lenses depending n how much you want to bring into the field with you. Its a heavy lens, but its Built like a tank. The rotating cap location is a bit annoying since you have to reinstall it every time you move since the elements are so exposed but its not to problematic. For those that dont know why it costs so much, look at those front 3-4 elements. Those dont polish themselves and that curve must be insane to build. Working for a lens company I can tell you, the only reason it isnt 2-3X as expensive is because they can make thousands of these lenses.
It is not for the undaughting, however, youll need to understand the t/s principals to make this lens shine.
If you think youll enjoy some Scheimpflug, pick up this lens!
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 Oct 23, 2012
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willis
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Jul 23, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 457
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Review Date: Apr 9, 2012
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp, good flare control, no CA, great build. Amazing versatility and creative potential. Stitched, shifted shots can be made enormously wide.
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Cons:
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Hair-raising front element. A bit bulky. Price. No filters.
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I recently succumbed to the temptation of my first T/S lens and have only had this a few days. It's challenging to use with a steep learning curve but very very sharp, not quite so good in the corners when shifted to extremes but 12mm is a hell of a lot. Chromatic aberration is virtually absent and flare control seems very good given the nature of the front element.
It feels to be of very high quality. Other than the price, the biggest limitation is the difficulty using filters but that's the nature of the beast. Looking forward to using this for landscape on the 5DIII and 1DIV.
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Apr 9, 2012
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sixgun
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Nov 21, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 137
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Review Date: Nov 5, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,100.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Exceptional sharpness even shifted, smooth controls, very well built. Look cool too.
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Cons:
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Protruding front element, while pretty tough is easy to bump or scratch if not careful. Price.
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Absolutely disagree with Dave-S on shift color and focus issues, we've used every TS lens from Nikon or Canon and this out outshines them all. Don't expect view camera tilt performance from a lens designed for 35mm and you will be fine.
We don't compare to film because digital is not film. Analog lenses don't have to be as perfect as digital lenses - 'nut said.
This lens outperforms any prime at this focal length (including the coveted 17-35 Nikon zoom which is a great lens) and is the sharpest and clearest wide angle lens we've used. Our IQ on product and architecture shots went up an order of magnitude when we purchased this lens.
I was talked out of buying the 16mm in favor of this lens, and so far, I have not been disappointed.
My only complaint is price - I don't see how this thing can be that expensive, but I don't set price points. The lens has paid for itself in the first month we've owned it.
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Nov 5, 2011
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dehowie
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 22, 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 803
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Review Date: Jun 21, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great build awesome IQ overall super package lens.
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Cons:
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Protruding front element is a worry..
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As my first tilt shift lens its been an awesome learning experience.
I've found its razor sharp and an excellent performer before you start to take advantage of the TS functionality.
Unlike the previous post i found its performance very much inline with reviews with little CA and very sharp until you use a combination of Tilt and Shift towards the extremity's of the image circle.
Even then its still extremely good quality.
Anything less than the extreme boundaries provides excellent IQ and its now my go to lens for all my wide angle shooting.
Highly recommended and a very enjoyable lens to use and learn to explore its unique possibility's.
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Jun 21, 2011
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dave-s
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 5, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Jun 19, 2011
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $2,374.00
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Pros:
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solid construction
very good as a short focal length, rectilinear lens
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Cons:
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horrible performance when tilted
mediocre performance when shifted a lot
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What a heartbreaker!
Before ordering this TS-E 17mm f/4L, I checked all the review sites. None tested its performance when tilted. It looked good by the tests they did do. So I ordered it.
The following results and observations are from testing the lens in carefully controlled conditions on two Canon 5D Mark II bodies.
I have been using view cameras and/or tilt-shift lenses for over 30 years. There are lenses that are optically designed to perform well when tilted and/or shifted. This is definitely not one of them.
The TS-E 17mm f/4L optically turns to junk when tilted. Tilted as little as 1 degree, the image quality visibly deteriorates, and it is only useable tilted up to 2 degrees. When tilted 3 degrees or more, the image quality becomes bad beyond belief (for a Canon L lens that is designed, marketed, and sold as a TS lens).
If you absolutely MUST use this lens in tilted mode, just know that you must stop down to f22, use a lot of software sharpening, and know that your final image size will only look acceptable up to maybe 4x6".
When UNTILTED, this lens performs amazingly well for a 17mm rectilinear lens, with very little geometric distortion and chromatic aberration. At f4, the corners are a little soft, but with selective software sharpening and vignetting compensation, a usable image can be created. f5.6 is very good, and f8-11 creates images that need no help at all. Very nice and amazing for a 17mm rectilinear lens!
Its shifted performance is mediocre, as the outer edges of the image circle deteriorate in quality. If you shift only a few millimeters and stop down to f11-16, you can come away with an acceptable image.
So here's the bottom line. If Canon chose to sell this glass as a 17mm rectilinear wide-angle lens, it would be a masterpiece, or close to it. If they chose to put it in a mount that allowed shifts of just a few mm, it would be nice. But when packaged in a mount that allows tilts, it becomes a major disappointment and a real black-eye for Canon. Canon needs to hire someone from Schneider or Rodenstock to learn how to create glass that can be tilted, because this lens doesn't even come close. The lens feels and looks nice, and operates smoothly. But all for naught.
I returned this lens for a refund.
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Jun 19, 2011
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djpapa
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 4, 2009
Location: China
Posts: 232
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Review Date: May 23, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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rotate 180 degree in 2 way, sharp sharp sharp, 17mm
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Cons:
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no filter or any option filter holder .
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I have had 17-40L, 16-35L ii, S 12-14mm...
This 17mm L far batter than above lens for the sharpness and color contrast especially in crop
I keep it in 9 because Lens design can't mount any filter .
This is one of important reason when day time with strong sun lights if i can't mount any filter for shoot any building or water move.
I prefer TSE24mm L II (auto pano easy nowadays)
Here with some image (just a few shot)
http://www.pbase.com/kpo/tilt_shift
Love tilt shift ,will look forward to the 45mm and 90mm upgrade.
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May 23, 2011
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Dr.EVIL
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 23, 2006
Location: China
Posts: 7
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Review Date: Mar 29, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp sharp sharp, TS abilities (doh)
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Cons:
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price, flares, no hood!!!!!!
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I struggled long time with this purchase, it was down to the ts-e 17 and ts-e 24 II.
even though i could have finally use my 82mm slim cpl filter with the 24mm i chose the 17mm for its sheer wideness.
the sharpness was even better than i expected.
i dont find the lens as flare resistant as many do.
yes its good but i am a night photographer and so i have to struggle with a lot of bright lightsources but the flares that appear are very concentrated and can me stamped away easily.
the one thing that gets me down is that canon didnt included a lenshood. hey you can still use this lens without TS function and then a lenshood would be possible!
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Mar 29, 2011
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LizzieShepherd
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 24, 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 697
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Review Date: May 20, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Outstanding IQ from close to far distance subjects. Amazed by the detail this lens can capture compared to my previous UWA Canon (16-35ii)
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Cons:
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Unnerving at first with so much glass and so little protection - but you get used to it and just need to be a little careful. Cost is high!
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I thought long and hard before purchasing this lens and sold a lot of gear to get it. It's very hard to 'try out' lenses here in the UK so I bought it after just a very brief trial at a CPS event locally.
After a month or so of use, I'm amazed by the IQ of this lens - that's the first thing that strikes me, having been a bit frustrated by the 16-35 I used to own - itself a very good lens but with the 17TSE I can get amazing detail with subjects near or far. And that's before you consider the ability to tilt/shift. So far I've had little need for much tilt as the DOF is brilliant as is. Shift is much talked about for architectural work but it can also be invaluable for landscapes - particularly where towering cliffs are involved.
I've been pleasantly surprised by how little I've needed to clean the glass to date and also how controllable flare seems to be with a little shading from your had, a bit of cardboard or similar.
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May 20, 2010
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Rajan Parrikar
Offline
Image Upload: On
Registered: Sep 9, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 942
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Review Date: Apr 16, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,499.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Superb optical performance (contrast, colour, sharpness, minimal distortion), Outstanding mechanical construction, Ability to Tilt and Shift
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Cons:
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Cost, Not amenable to filters
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This lens makes possible images that were hitherto difficult to score. It is an indispensable tool for architectural and landscape work. This is not a lens for the casual shooter. Optimal use and mastery of it take practice and time. The end result - the images it helps create - is pure joy.
TS-E 17 has a bulging front element that protrudes out, so care in handling is called for.
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Apr 16, 2010
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Alan Goldstein
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 20, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 30
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Review Date: Apr 2, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,399.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Incredible
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Cons:
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None - worth the price. This is big and heavy but well worth the size and weight for what it does.
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I can't add anything to the other reviews. I can only say that as a long time architectural and interior photographer, this and the series II 24mm TSE lenses are a dream come true. Both are just very very amazing lenses and I really can't think of any way they could be better. (Unless technology some day allows them to be made smaller and lighter without compromising the image quality.)
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Apr 2, 2010
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ViscaB
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Sep 9, 2009
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 507
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Review Date: Mar 16, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Amazingly wide, hardly any CA, good sharpness acceptable even when fully shifting, very little distortion.
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Cons:
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Does not accept filters. Does not accept a lens hood. With night images lights sometimes cause some minor flaring.
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I love this lens. My only quibble is that I wish I had it earlier. Living in Hong Kong this lens allows me to take architectural images I could only dream of. I already owned Canon lenses. And if I didn't this lens would make me switch to Canon.
Very often I combine different shifts to come to very sharp 40+ Megapixels super high resolution images on my 5D mark II. I have not been using the tilt ability yet.
My flickr stream has many images taken with this lens.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xavibarca/
I also posted 2 slightly higher res samples.
Full shift up:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xavibarca/4423334715/
A pano of two images. Neutral and full upward shift.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xavibarca/4424080792/
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Mar 16, 2010
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nkanellopoulos
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 23, 2010
Location: Greece
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Feb 23, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very sharp, excellent flare control
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Cons:
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Protruding front element, oversized front cap
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I expected this lens to be really good.
It performs better than I expected!
Sometimes I have to double check the EXIF, to convince myself that I am looking at a photo taken with a super wide-angle lens. The shift function does wonders, and the ability to rotate the shifting mechanism is very useful.
I have made some large prints, and the details I can discern does not stop to amaze me.
The build quality is stellar. Believe me, I have dropped the lens (sigh).
My advice: only remove the cap to take a shot and replace it soon after.
This is my favorite, out of many L lenses I own.
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Feb 23, 2010
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perpera
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 11, 2005
Location: Denmark
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Feb 9, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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VERY best wideangle I've ever used. Sharp from corner to corner at every aperture. Flare and ghosting very well controlled.
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Cons:
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You can't use filters! Pricey!
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Sets new standards for Canon wideangles!
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Feb 9, 2010
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cathpah
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 28, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 746
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Review Date: Feb 3, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,300.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp as can be, non-existant CA, shift, shift, shift, have I said shift yet?
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Cons:
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Expensive, bulbous front element, relative inability to use filters
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This lens is truly astounding. I've owned/played with other ts-e's (mostly the 24mm ts-e mkI), and this lens just blows it out of the water. Before you even get to the shifting/tilting advantageous, the unshifted/untilted 17mm is just incredibly sharp.
Now, add in the ts-e factor, and this lens is redefining what a lens can do. Tilt shifts certainly existed before, but given how wide this lens is....it's truly amazing what one can do with this lens. Everyone always talks about how one can fix perspective in processing, but one cannot mimic some of the things this lens can do in processing (shifting out of the way of mirrors, creating an incredibly usable shot out of camera/elminating the need to frame large and then crop, etc)
Now, I bought this lens to use it....and I will certainly do so. However I must admit, that this lens is just as sexy/appealing on a shelf/mounted on the camera as the 85mm L (which I always considered the purtiest lens out there). This lens is CERTAINLY not meant to be collected, but rather used.....however, you certainly won't be dissapointed by the looks or build quality of this lens.
I'll be buried with this lens.
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Feb 3, 2010
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berni123
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Dec 25, 2009
Location: Croatia
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 16, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $2,320.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Very sharp, wide and excellent for architecture and landscape. Tilt and shift similar to what was only possible with Sinar / Cambo etc. EXCELLENT !!
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Cons:
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Price, but worth every cent, no filter or hood. You must be carefull with lens
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Because of TS-E 17mm, TS-E 24mm and EF 14mm, I bought the Canon (before was a Nikon fan) and start shooting architecture in "leica" format. Before I was using Cambo and Hasselblad. If you shot architecture or landscape that's for you and you would not regret!! My Hass. is waiting for "normal" priced ful format digital Back. Hope it will come in 2-4 years.
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Jan 16, 2010
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wimg
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 8, 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 143
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Review Date: Dec 4, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp right into the extreme corners, sharper fully shifted than 17-40L, very little vignetting wide open for a 17 mm lens, very little CA.
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Cons:
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The bulging front element, or rather, not being able to use a filter, no lens hood.
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I compared this lens to a Sigma 12-24 EX, 17-40L, Nikkor 14-24 G ED with G-EOS adapter, and pictures on the internet taken with the Zeiss ZE 21. IOW, lenses roughly covering a similar AoV.
A cropped centre from the Sigma at any aperture or FL doesn't even come close to the unshifted corners of the TS-E 17. And let's not talk about vignetting or CA. The 17-40L is not sharp in the corners from 17-20 mm, which is where the TS-E 17 easily beats it. No competition in CA or distortion either. The Nikkor 14-24 is not as sharp in the corners, not even with the TS-E shifted partly - vertical panos (12.8 mm comparable AoV) look at least as good in the corners. CA is slightly less with the TS-E, flare is better controlled in the TS-E. Vignetting is a little worse with the Nikkor than it is with the TS-E at the saem f-stops, and the latter is significantly lighter and less top heavy. The 5D II seems to struggle a little with the Nikkor and light metering, which it doesn't with the TS-E unshifted and/or untilted.
The Zeiss ZE 21 I haven't tried personally, yet, but based on photographs studied on the internet, it clearly vignettes a lot more than the TS-E, could be slightly sharper in the centre, but loses in the corners. Considering the TS-E is considerably wider, this is no mean feat.
Of the best (U)WA lenses on the market today, which can be used on a Canon body (TS-E 24L II, TS-E 17L, 24L Mk II, Zeis ZE 21, Nikkor 14-24), currently 3 are made by Canon, which is quite the landmark shift - pun intended.
The TS-E 17 is in a class of its own, not in the least because of its performance when shifted and/or tilted. It is one of those rare UWA lenses, which amaze one over and over again, due to its IQ from corner to corner, essentially at any aperture. Contrast, colour, sharpness, and yes, even bokeh are all contributing to the Wow!-factor of the images rendered by this lens. Add to this the tilt-shift possibilities and creative freedom this provides - what more can one want? Ok, F/2.8 at the same size and price would hav been nice  .
Very highly recommended.
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Dec 4, 2009
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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25
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50633
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Oct 23, 2012
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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92% of reviewers
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$2,333.42
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.79
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8.21
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9.8
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