Looks like you got a nice copy, I borrowed one from CPS and it wasn't very good optically. It sure was nice to have the tilt/shift adjustments and the flexibility to rotate them independently.
Mine was a demo from adorama. Got it for $2200 and it is in perfect shape (though no box ). I had a great Tokina 11-16 demo from adorama before and it was sweet, so I figured I would try again. They have great service and no restocking fee. I would say there is a bit of softness fully shifted in portrait orientation (like the last shot), but that is to be expected because it is at the very edge of the image circle.
Now I just need a crop body or a TC 1.4 to give me some more options
Wow Julian! Those are just amazing! People might think these are taken with a Zeiss 21 Just kidding! Did you use downward tilt in either of these shots? Any idea how much was needed?
Have you tried comparing the 17 with 1.4 TC to the 24? I have heard the 24 is stunningly sharp (better than the 17) but I could only get one and I figured I could add a teleconverter and fake it a bit. I have also read that you get more effective shift and image circle to work with when you use teleconverters. Article here:
saneproduction wrote:
Wow Julian! Those are just amazing! People might think these are taken with a Zeiss 21 Just kidding! Did you use downward tilt in either of these shots? Any idea how much was needed?
Have you tried comparing the 17 with 1.4 TC to the 24? I have heard the 24 is stunningly sharp (better than the 17) but I could only get one and I figured I could add a teleconverter and fake it a bit. I have also read that you get more effective shift and image circle to work with when you use teleconverters. Article here:
Thanks for sharing these amazing images!...Show more →
Thanks Sane. I also own the Zeiss 21 and 24 L MK II. As you can see, I'm a wide angle/ fanatic type shooter. I have never tried the 1.4 X on the 17 but, I do know a guy on POTN that uses the 1.4 X MK II and does very well with it. Anyways, I did not tilt or shift the lens for those images above. I did do it with this one but, can't remember what I did.
TS-E 17 on the 1DIII. I opted for the 17 because my SLRs are all APS-H and the ~22mm equivalent crop is more along the lines of what I usually need. If I was on FF, I probably would have opted for the 24, though the 17 is very cool the few times I've used it on loaner FF bodies.
I did a comparison of the TS-E 17 with the 1.4x TC (mk II version) against the original TS-E 24, though on an APS-H body. Other than central area resolution, it outperformed the old 24 in terms of lower distortion and CA, including when shifted. I think the 17 & 1.4x combo is certainly usable. I haven't compared it against the new 24, but since that one is spec'd somewhat higher, I don't think it would quite reach the same level. One other thing about the 17 w/1.4x is that it appears to increase distortion and makes it difficult to blend shifted captures if the content contains a lot of linear, geometric elements. My write-up is here: http://www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=37
This is the TS-E 45 shot wide open, possibly a touch of shift but definitely some tilt. The goal was to get a bit of lens flare from the backlighting. It was at a time when I was unhappy with the distortion of the EF50 f/1.4 and wanted to try some options. It's a sharp lens, but does exhibit a lot of CA, especially when shifted.
Using lens shift to keep the verticals absolutely vertical does not always give a good look. Sometimes a little bit of lean-in looks more natural even if it is not as severe as a non-shift lens would capture.
saneproduction wrote:
......I had a great Tokina 11-16 demo from adorama before and it was sweet, so I figured I would try again. They have great service and no restocking fee.
Good to hear!
BTW I'm only ever an email away for advice or after-sales support with any order from Adorama: [email protected]
Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
). I had a great Tokina 11-16 demo from adorama before and it was sweet, so I figured I would try again. They have great service and no restocking fee. I would say there is a bit of softness fully shifted in portrait orientation (like the last shot), but that is to be expected because it is at the very edge of the image circle.
I have never tried the 1.4 X on the 17 but, I do know a guy on POTN that uses the 1.4 X MK II and does very well with it. Anyways, I did not tilt or shift the lens for those images above. I did do it with this one but, can't remember what I did. 
