 |
|
|
httivals
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 7, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 1605
|
|
Review Date: Jul 19, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
See below
|
|
Cons:
|
See below
|
|
|
Contrary to some reports, the lens is not soft on a 5D. It may not outresolve the sensor (especially not when shifted), but the image quality from about f8 to f16, of a good copy, is very good both unshifted and shifted (until the last millimeter or so of shift) on a 5D. I have tried it on my rebel xti and it is soft on the rebel even though you're only using the center of the image circle -- there is greater pixel density on the rebel hence the need for higher resolving power of the lens. Also, chromatic aberration is present with my copy when shifted or tilted, but it is quite well controlled, on my copy. I tried a couple of copies when I bought it, the other copy that I sent back was as sharp in the center but the resolution fell off a lot more quickly when shifted than the copy I kept.
It's an unusual lens, even though the implementation of the concept is imperfect. I'd rather pay twice the price and have less chromatic aberration, more biting sharpness, and less distortion, but the lens I'd like doesn't exist, and might cost 3 or 4 times the price. At about $1,100 it's a good value, if not a bargain.
|
|
 Jul 19, 2007
|
|
IFeito
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 11, 2006
Location: Mexico
Posts: 124
|
|
Review Date: Jul 8, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,069.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Wonderful lens, appears sharper than anything else if used right, built like a tank, CAN TAKE 1.4x EXTENDER!
|
|
Cons:
|
Perhaps price, but you get what you pay for
|
|
|
This "little" lens is really wonderful, it really sparks creativity once you realize how much you can do with tilt and shift.
I just realized you can use it with the 1.4x Extender, which gives you a 31 mm Tilt Shift lens. With a 12 mm spacer I can get Macro 1:2 with Tilt & Shift!
If you're thinking about it go for it, no other lens can do what this little gem can!
|
|
|
Jul 8, 2007
|
|
Aaron Hogsed
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 31, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Jun 12, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,200.00
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
One of a kind Good focal length, sharp
|
|
Cons:
|
price
|
|
|
I had heard all the talk about the softness of this lens but I have had nothing but sharp and contrasty images. It compares very favorably with my 17-40L which is very very sharp.
Not a lens for everyone, if you don't know what you're doing you can get some bad images, but leveled up and square it is a great lens. I do wish it were a bit wider maybe 20mm at least for interiors.
|
|
|
Jun 12, 2007
|
|
sboerup
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 13, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 9878
|
|
Review Date: Mar 9, 2007
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $950.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Great build quality, focus ring is very smooth. Ability to change shift to pano wide, or stitch side by side portrait is amazing. Very versatile lens, indespensible for architecture. No noticeable distortion, very sharp as well.
|
|
Cons:
|
Mild CA, but can be fixed in CS2. Not a 20 or 21mm, even 24 on FF can be limiting, but probably is the standard WA for FF.
|
|
|
For the price, it's not terribly expensive for the amount of work you can do with it, and that you can't do perspective correction with ANY other Canon lens (on the WA side).
I bought this originally for architecture stuff, knowing how much I'd need the shift. Boy is it amazing. I read and read about this lens, the techniques, but nothing helps you more than having it. I was worried about the learning curve, but once you understand how it works, it's amazing. Others swear by CS2 for perspective control, but I've found that it isn't nearly as superior as doing it in camera. Not only is the quality higher, but you don't lose resolution by doing it.
The lens is quite sharp, and probably just as sharp as most other lenses I've tried. I only use this lens from the f11-22 range, and inside that range it's phenomenal. The CA is the only thing that I don't like about the lens, but when the work is done, you can't see it in printed material. If it gets that bad, you can always fix that in PS.
For anyone serious about doing interiors for homes or designers, this lens is a must. I don't know how I'd get perspective control on a crop body as this isn't nearly wide enough on a crop. It's at my limit of wide angle on FF, which I think is a perfect FL. I look forward to getting the 45 TSE as well in the future. I have not compared it to the Olympus 24, but someday maybe I'll have both to do the comparison.
|
|
|
Mar 9, 2007
|
|
RichieHatch
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 24, 2004
Location: Ireland
Posts: 131
|
|
Review Date: Aug 2, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Great build, sharp, Good contrast and silky smooth focus...!
|
|
Cons:
|
Well maybe the fact that it meters funny buti was expecting that anyway...!
|
|
|
I just got this lens and a 5D for architectural photography. Its a super combination. So far I have noticed that its way sharper than my other WA lens... more so than the 17-40L and Sigma 12-24...! The Shift function is a lifesaver for me... not just for the ability to eradicate perspective distortion but for the ability to do easy panoramics as well..! Its built like a tank too and feels great on the front of the 5D and Grip... Not sure how much i will be using the Tilt function but playing around with it has givin me some interesting results. The metering can be a bit funny when shifting but as mentioned in a previous post as I am shooting digital it doesnt bother me as I can either compensate or just blindly bracket..! I have a feeling that this lens might end up being welded to the front of the 5D... might not be wide enough on the 20D...!
Richie
|
|
|
Aug 2, 2006
|
|
whatcheer
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 12, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 123
|
|
Review Date: Jun 17, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Sharp, versatile, close focus, smooth operation
|
|
Cons:
|
Watch your fingertip when rotating lens!
|
|
|
When rotating the lens to adjust tilt/shift direction, watch those fingertips. After releasing the tiny lever, it's easy to pinch a finger. Otherwise, I found the lens bright, crisp, and easy to use. It might not be as versatile as my 4x5, but I found it has immense creative potential. I also was amazed at how close it focuses--and in that sense, it does whip my 4x5.
|
|
|
Jun 17, 2006
|
|
DrPablo
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 10, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1556
|
|
Review Date: Jun 11, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $900.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Tilt and shift functions, color/contrast, build quality, compactness
|
|
Cons:
|
Chromatic aberration, corner softness, weird barrel distortion, metering
|
|
|
This is an amazing lens. There's nothing else like it. I use it on a 300D, but on my 35mm SLR the field of view is much better -- it's a focal length that makes more sense on FF. The color and contrast are great.
The main negative is barrel distortion -- weird barrel distortion. PTLens has a servicible profile for it, but nothing completely undoes the distortion. The trick is to be very careful with placement of vertical lines and to make sure the camera is perfectly straight up and down (i.e. with a spirit level). Otherwise the convergence of lens distortion and perspective distortion can look pretty ugly. Cyan-red CA occurs in all high contrast images, but it's easily correctable. Metering is tricky with this lens -- you have to meter in manual and with the lens unshifted and untilted, but then often add a stop to compensate for light loss when shifted.
On my 1.6 crop SLR I've seen no vignetting at all.
|
|
|
Jun 11, 2006
|
|
wimg
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 8, 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 143
|
|
Review Date: May 8, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
T&S, sharp, 24 mm / 45 mm APS-C equivalent, fairly close focus. Nothing else like it...
|
|
Cons:
|
Like all T&S lenses, slight radial movement in base plate, caused by the option to be able to turn the lens, and thus the tilting and shifting directions. Annoying, but understandable...
|
|
|
For the type of lens and the creative possibilties it gives you, there just isn't anything better available for dslrs, except the other two Canon TS-E lenses.
Bought used, at a fair price, it is excellent value for money. And this copy is sharp from edge to edge.
On an APS-C dslr in combination with an extender tube it is great for spectacular macro work, with different to normal and still in focus views thanks to the tilting options.
Highly recommended!
|
|
|
May 8, 2006
|
|
John Black
Offline
Image Upload: On
Registered: Jul 14, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3905
|
|
Review Date: Apr 13, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,099.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Very sharp - best WA lens I've used on a 1Ds and 1Ds2
|
|
Cons:
|
Not seeing appreciable value from tilt - could be me.
|
|
|
I'm only going to add things not already mentioned or follow-up on some points in earlier reviews that I don't agree with -
The lens is very sharp from edge to edge. F8 is good, F11 to F16 really shine --- and on the 1Ds2 that's saying alot. F3.5-F5 are so-so, about F5.6 the corners start doing much better on full-frame.
Shift is very useful for creating the big sky look you get from ultra wide lenses. Normally you tilt a 17-21mm lens upwards to get that effect, but with the TS-E you just shift up - your subject is nice parallel and you've got a giant sky (if you want that effect).
I'm not seeing much bang for the buck with tilt - maybe for creative uses it pays off. Maybe another 6 months I'll finally figure out how to use to it to my advantage...
CA is not your typical purple disaster. It's more of the reds & greens, it's intermittant - not uniform across the entire image. Overall I think it's minor and I haven't lost a shot due to CA. Every shot has it somewhere, but it doesn't jump out.
Colors are very strong and lots of contrast - very bold images. You know when you used the 24 TS-E --- its boldness reminds me of the 35L, but with even more punch.
Metering can be off, but just watch the histogram and life is good. On film it could be a deal breaker, but on digital - big deal... just bracket the shot.
At 24mm the TS-E outperforms my: 24-70L, 24-105L IS and 16-35L.
Date code is UT12xx (December 2005).
|
|
|
Apr 13, 2006
|
|
Aberdeen Photo
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 9, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 3812
|
|
Review Date: Apr 3, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Solidly built, excellent image quality. A necessity for architcture photography.
Great for straightening landscapes and for being creative and having some fun too.
|
|
Cons:
|
Long learning curve, there are better options for 24mm if you do not need tilt/shift criteria. Knobs a bit small for us large hands types.
|
|
|
This lens is a must for interior architecture photography, also a great asset for exterior photography too. This lens has tremendous possibilities, and a long a yet fun learning curve. Excellent image quality, and the ability to straighten or purposely "bend" buildings mountains, trees, columns and houses, make this a true little gem in my bag. Best on a full frame, but respectable on 1.3x and 1.6x bodies. This lens and a little learning has allowed me to book real estate and design firms. It is also fun for landscape photography too. While I have used it as a plain old 24mm, there are better options available for simple wide angle shots. All in all well-built, a ton of fun, and a great way to add to your professionalism wrt architecture photography. A winner.
|
|
|
Apr 3, 2006
|
|
changkw
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 3, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 95
|
|
Review Date: Mar 3, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Tilting and Shifting. Of course. The tilting is very impression. Auto diaphragm works. Focus points will beep when focused on my 20D.
|
|
Cons:
|
Tilting seems to be over-exposed 1EV. Soft at F/3.5, but F/4 seems to be quite useable (not sharp though).
|
|
|
If you are looking for a sharp prime, this lens might not be what you want. But if you need tilting and shitfting, there is not other choice out there.
Handheld is quite manageable, but I cannot see the effect of tilt thoguht just my 20D small viewfinder. When using tripod and "angular viewfinder", you can really see the effect of tilting.
You can change the shift and tilt axes to the parallel position by yourself when needed. No need to send it in Canon service center. You can easily find the information by google.
|
|
|
Mar 3, 2006
|
|
bret
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 11, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 72
|
|
Review Date: Dec 22, 2005
|
Recommend? |
Price paid: $1,100.00
|
|
Pros:
|
Manual focus is smooth. Tilt and shift features.
|
|
Cons:
|
Challenging to use while holding an off-body flash.
|
|
|
This is the first wide angle lens I really like. I had a 17-40 f/4 that I sold, it was nice but not much better than the 18-55mm kit lens (which I kept). I had a 15mm f/2.8 sigma which was nice but not that impressive, I traded it. I had a 35mm f/1.4 which was nice, but not wide enough and nothing incredible.
The 24mm TS-E is very nice. I am still learning where the plane of focus is while tilting and I haven't really made use of the shift yet because I don't have my tripod with me. With no tilt and no shift I think it produces nicer images than any of the lenses I mentioned above.
The manual focus is nice, it is smooth and easy to use. Most shots outside of 5 ft. are somewhere near infinity so it is not hard to find focus. Most of the focus rotation is used for things within 5 ft. so it is really precise in that range.
|
|
|
Dec 22, 2005
|
|
bret
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 11, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 72
|
|
Review Date: Dec 21, 2005
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Nice manual focus. It's unique.
|
|
Cons:
|
It's hard to use with a off camera flash in hand and no tripod.
|
|
|
This is the first wide angle lens I have found that I like. I owned and sold a sigma 15mm, a 17-40 F/4, a 35 f/1.4 and I still own the 18-55mm kit lens. Not one of those lenses satisfies me but the 24 TS-E that I just bought a few days ago is very pleasing. It is interesting to use the tilt feature, I am still trying to learn where the plane of focus is though. I haven't used a tripod with it yet so I haven't made much use of the shift feature but I know it will be fun too. I actually like the manual focus... it is smooth and pretty easy to use, after about 5 feet away everything is really close to infinity so it is pretty easy for snap shots. The images it produces for snapshots, without using tilt or shift, are nicer than any of the other lenses I mentioned above. I am very happy that I finally found a wide angle lens I like.
|
|
|
Dec 21, 2005
|
|
maximage
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 24, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 139
|
|
Review Date: Sep 30, 2005
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,100.00
| Rating: 7
|
|
Pros:
|
Great focal length for interiors and tall exteriors, convenience of shift/tilt
|
|
Cons:
|
soft at all apertures. color fringing at all apertures even without shift.
|
|
|
A very handy lens if you shoot architecture or want to be creative with nature / landscape. However color fringing and softness is pretty bad despite its red ring and the big ground and polished aspherical front element. Worse thing is it's pretty hard to correct the CA after you shift since it's no longer symmetrical. Avoid high contrast situations and prepare for a lot of PS work to eliminate CA effect. Still it's a very versatile lens but it takes some work to get great results out of it. I heard the Zuiko Shift 24mm made for the OM series is the best shift lens out there. But since it's out of production this 24mm canon and the 28mm PC Nikkor are your only easy choices now.
|
|
|
Sep 30, 2005
|
|
jeffbuzz
Online
Image Upload: On
Registered: Jan 23, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2553
|
|
Review Date: Aug 22, 2005
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
<> Superbly smooth manual focus fell
<> Wide angle perspective correction capabilities
|
|
Cons:
|
<> Lens is fixed with either perpendicular or parallel movements. If the user could easily switch from one mode to the other, this would truly be the perfect lens.
|
|
|
This lens is one of the reasons I use Canon equipement. To achieve view camera like movements using a small format system gives you a very powerful tool in a very convenient package.
As this lens comes from the factory with perpendicular movements, you must choose whether you need the default setup or have it changed over to parallel movements. My recommendation: if you make landscape panoramics, leave it as is. If you shoot interiors or anything else generally not requiring horizontal stitching, have the lens changed over to parallel operation. Use it for a while to decide if you really need it switched over before going through the trouble.
The image circle of all the Canon TS-E lenses is much larger than that of standard 35mm lens. When the lens is not shifted or tilted, you are shooting through the cropped down "sweet spot" of the lens, even when using a full frame sensor camera like the 1Ds. This is one sure way to reduce issues surrounding chromatic aberation found at the edges of many "normal" lens with 35mm image circles.
Critical focusing is tricky. Not due to the lens, but to the small viewfinder of the 35mm format. When making movements with a 4x5 or 8x10 camera, you have a huge piece of ground glass on which to analyze focus. This task is difficult in bright light through the eyepiece of a 35mm style camera body. You must use a tripod when utilizing any movements with this lens.
The price of these lenses must be due to their small production numbers. Considering it is manual focus and a relatively slow aperture, over $1000 is quite steep. It is built like a tank and the optics are excellent.
|
|
|
Aug 22, 2005
|
|
waterboiler
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jun 15, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 149
|
|
Review Date: Aug 1, 2005
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $1,000.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Tilt/shift function is without equal for landscape pics. Build quality is great, built like a tank.
|
|
Cons:
|
Learning curve & price
|
|
|
Once you use this lens for landscape pics you will never go back. The ability to shoot nearly wide open at twlight and use a bit of tilt to get sharp near to far pictures at higher shutter speeds is amazing.
The TS-E lenses are not easy tools to master but once you invest the time to learn them they reward with amazing images. The first couple of times you use them the "I spent how much on this ...." will come to mind. Stick with it, read up on LF tilts/swings/shifts then get out and shoot.
Do not over look the ability to "pan" and stich with the shift function. Works great on less than full frame DLSR's. You get some of your 24 mm back from the crop factor without messing with a pano setup.
Optically, not up to the 24/1.4 at f/4 but then you can't tilt the 1.4 - so the TS-E still wins in my book. Lack of AF for landscape pictures not a factor, the angle finder helps with crop factor bodies.
|
|
|
Aug 1, 2005
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reviews
|
Views
|
Date of last review
|
|
41
|
120317
|
Sep 14, 2022
|
|
|
Recommended By
|
Average Price
|
|
88% of reviewers
|
$966.94
|
|
|
Build Quality Rating
|
Price Rating
|
Overall Rating
|
|
9.67
|
8.11
|
8.5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
