I rented a tilt/shift lens this past weekend for my cousin’s wedding. Sadly, the wicked witch of the north (AKA the wedding coordinator) prohibited me from using it to it’s full potential. But I digress…

All in all, the lens was pretty darn cool, but definitely requires some time spent with it to learn it’s ins and outs. In “normal” photography, the focal plane is always parallel to the sensor, but a tilt/shift lens allows the photographer to change this plane. This allows the photographer to have a tremendous amount of control over depth of field. Other uses allow the photographer to correct perspective distortion and to take panoramas without moving the camera back.

There’s so much more to keep in mind when using this lens and the tilt/shift adjustments. Not only does tilting or shifting change the perspective or focal plane, it also introduces vignetting and changes in the exposure are also necessary. I feel like extreme tilt or shift also affects the sharpness of the lens. But overall, the lens is very fun. If my large format lenses sell, this lens may be next on my list.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Pros:
- Options! Change that focal plane!
- Great colors
- Sharp (for the most part)
- Opens tons of creative doors

Cons:
- Lack of sharpness when using extreme tilt/shift (but could be due to poor technique)*
- Takes some time getting use to, but obviously there will be a learning curve
- If you don’t have Live View, you better have a split-prism focusing screen