Freelensing is one of many creative techniques you can use to get unique, dreamy shots. There’s a gadget for that called the Lensbender, and it’s a weird-looking piece of gear that’s supposed to make freelensing and focus pulling easier. Mathieu Stern plays with it in his recent video and claims that it’s the most absurd gear he ever had the chance to review.
Lens review: TTArtisan 100mm F2.8 2x Macro tilt-shift
Talk about ratcheting up the complexity! I’ve reviewed a number of TTArtisan lenses before, and they have mostly fallen into the categories that are filled by a lot of what I call “Boutique Third Parties”. These include various manual everything prime lenses with varying maximum aperture sizes. While engineering for larger apertures (like their F0.95 lenses) are more challenging, their newest lens adds a LOT of new moving parts. That lens is the TTArtisan 100mm F2.8 2X Macro Tilt/Shift (we’ll shorten that to TTA100M for this review).
TTArtisan 100mm f/2.8 2x Tilt-Shift Macro announced for RF, Z, X and E mounts
TTArtisan has announced its new full-frame 100mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift Macro lens. As a manual focus lens, it’s available for a variety of mounts that wouldn’t otherwise be easily available. Of course, there’s the usual Sony E mount and Fuji X mount, but it’s also available for Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts.
Made up of 14 elements in 10 groups, the new lens provides 2x magnification for macro, as well as tilt-shift capabilities to adjust the plane of focus. The wide f/2.8 aperture diaphragm is made of 12 blades for smooth round bokeh and also sports a cold shoe attachment for putting lights close to your subjects.
AstrHori releases pictures and specs of upcoming 105mm f/2.8 tilt-shift macro lens
105mm (and 100mm) f/2.8 macro lenses are pretty common. They’ve been the go-to macro lens for many Nikon and Canon shooters in the past and there are also equivalents available for Sony and L mount, along with a whole bunch of third-party options. One thing I’ve not seen before, though, is a macro of this focal length that’s also got tilt-shift capability. Well, it looks like Astr\hori’s about to release one!
The company has released images and basics specs for the lens, although there’s no word on an official announcement date or a price yet. It’s going to be available in Sony E, Canon RF, Leica L and Fuji GFX mounts, so it’s designed specifically for mirrorless. Naturally, for GFX, it won’t have as much range in the shift, due to the larger sensor. I’m a little surprised there’s no Nikon Z version coming, though.
How to create and fake a realistic tilt-shift look without using a tilt-shift lens
When it comes to lenses that present a unique look none really stand out more than the tilt-shift lens. Largely the domain of architectural or product photographers, tilt-shift lenses shift the plane of focus and the centre point of the lens to be able to correct things like perspective and focus shifts and produce looks that are otherwise virtually impossible to achieve unless you’re shooting large format.
But tilt-shift lenses have another quirky use, too, and that’s making things look miniature. It’s a look often imitated in post but usually, the effect is a little too strong and unrealistic. In this video, Pye Jirsa from SLR Lounge walks us through the process of creating tilt-shift images in photoshop that actually look like they were shot by a real tilt-shift lens for very subtle but effective results.
How to – and how definitely not to – photograph mirrors
What’s the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to photograph? A bicycle? A French horn? Silverware maybe? What those things all have in common is that they are all highly reflective objects, and often present some issues when photographing them.
But what would be even more challenging than a shiny object? Have you ever had to photograph a mirror? That surely would be the ultimate in product photography challenges, and the internet of course has a hilarious collection of people trying and failing to photograph mirrors for sale. But what is the correct way to photograph a mirror? DIYP spoke to South African commercial photographer Carla McMahon to find out the best way to do it.
Aerial tilt-shift timelapse turns Sarajevo’s abandoned 1984 Olympic Village to miniature
The 1984 Winter Olympics took place in Sarajevo, in former Yugoslavia (today Bosnia and Herzegovina). It was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a socialist state after many countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
Although the Olympic Village in Sarajevo is abandoned today, it inspires artists and urban explorers. One of them is Joerg Daiber of Little Big World. Using a drone and a tilt-shift effect, he shot a timelapse of the grandiose venue in an unexpected way – he turned it into a miniature.
Canon reported to bring autofocus tilt-shift lenses to RF mount this year
If there’s one thing that’s been distinctly lacking from mirrorless cameras – of all brands – it’s tilt-shift lenses. Sure, they’re not exactly mainstream and pretty much all of Nikon and Canon’s tilt-shift lenses for F and EF mounts can be used on mirrorless cameras with adapters, so it’s understandable that they’ve been on the backburner.
But now, it appears that Canon is leading the charge by introducing not one but two tilt-shift lenses with autofocus into the Canon RF mount mirrorless system, according to a report on Canon Rumors. And they’re expected to be announced this year.
This photographer made his own tilt-shift lens from a CV boot
Iranian photographer Alireza Rostami is always full of interesting ideas. This time, he made his own tilt-shift lens from a CV boot. This DIY project requires virtually no budget, and yet it produces fantastic results. Alireza shared his process and some sample images with us. If you’re looking for a DIY project to have fun with over the weekend – this may be the one.
These lens adapters turn your vintage glass into tilt-shift lenses for modern mirrorless cameras
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RLcj1cz2AQ
The tilt-shift effect has become really popular in recent years as more people have discovered that these lenses exist and the miniaturising effect they can have. But tilt-shift lenses are expensive, so many people resort to faking the effect in post. No matter how much work you put into it, though, an effect you add on the computer is never going to look quite like shooting it for real.
But if your wallet’s crying at the price of tilt-shift lenses, don’t worry. It turns out that Fotodiox has a range of adapters available that let you turn many older regular lenses into tilt-shift lenses. In this video, NOMO Films takes a look at them and some of the types of photos and footage they can let you shoot.
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