Karm Redland
Member
I am longing for techniques to use with a tilt/shift lens to maximize my depth of field in landscape shots.
Thanks
Mark
Thanks
Mark
Tilt Techniques
- Thread starter Karm Redland
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Warren D
Well-known member
Study this technique: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheimpflug_principle
There is much more in large format techniques books.
There is much more in large format techniques books.
Great link above, but this is pretty good for how to apply tilt to align plane of focus with your intended subjects: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses2.htm
FWIW, Shift is great for dealing with perspective issues like converging lines that would result for angling your camera up to catch tall trees or architectural shots but Tilt is what you're after to maximize apparent DOF. Note the actual DOF doesn't really change, you've just aligned the plane of best focus and the associated DOF better to the elements in your image.
Pistnbroke
Active member
sounds like a topic for steve to give us a video on /////////////////////
Warren D
Well-known member
Well, the DOF does change but not in the usual sense. Instead of being a rectangular box as it were, it becomes a wedge, slightly narrower at the camera and widens as you get farther away. This would be relative to the lens and it's tilt, as soon as it goes off paralell from the film plane, the DOF is no longer equal across the image circle. The usual method is to determine what you want the plane of focus to be, noting that it must intersect the film plane somewhere. Then the lens tilt is set to intersect that point. Only when all three planes intersect is the S-principle in effect. Once you've done it in the field it's actually quite easy......easier than spelling or pronouncing the name!
Yes, that's a more accurate description. But tilting for the purpose of aligning the plane of best focus is very different than simply stopping down for increased DOF as it allows some really interesting creative effects like establishing a slanting plane of best focus but shooting with a wide aperture to have dramatic focus fall off as you move away from that slanted plane.
But no argument you described it much better than I did.
Karm Redland
Member
Thanks for the citations. They do a good job explaining the core principles of using a tilt/shift lens. What I am looking for (not longing for) are cookbook approaches to using tilt for landscape photography. The Cambridge site offers one approach that is doable with my 24mm tilt/shift lens (It requires finding the approximate hyperfocal point). In fact, the Cambridge site offers an approach that uses tilt and shift for landscape images. I am looking for other easy to use techniques. If anyone cares to share their approach I would appreciate it.
Warren D
Well-known member
There really isn't going to be a one size fits all approach. The best thing is to look for large format how to's as they will cover the basic movements of view cameras. View Camera Techniques by Simmons is one that I've referenced during my LF adventures, but includes all the motions available (standard tilt, shift, swing, axis tilt, rise, fall). Combining swing and tilt allows for changes to the plane of focus both horizontally and vertically.
One thing to be mindful of when using these movements is the limitations. For example, if you are setting up for a landscape shot of a field of wildflowers that goes off to the horizon you might think a simple tilt will get you the best plane of focus. For the flowers, it would, and would allow a reasonable aperture for good DOF. The thing that will get you with this is if there are trees or anything sticking up from that field (plane of focus). Trees sticking up will be the first objects to go soft and they will go sharp at the bottom to soft at top as the top is farthest from the plane of focus. There is only so much you can learn from reading, you have to get out and experiment. Digital is so nice in this regard, no $20/shot costs for sheet film and instant feedback.
One thing to be mindful of when using these movements is the limitations. For example, if you are setting up for a landscape shot of a field of wildflowers that goes off to the horizon you might think a simple tilt will get you the best plane of focus. For the flowers, it would, and would allow a reasonable aperture for good DOF. The thing that will get you with this is if there are trees or anything sticking up from that field (plane of focus). Trees sticking up will be the first objects to go soft and they will go sharp at the bottom to soft at top as the top is farthest from the plane of focus. There is only so much you can learn from reading, you have to get out and experiment. Digital is so nice in this regard, no $20/shot costs for sheet film and instant feedback.
Really good post by @Warren D above. In the end you have to go out and play with it.
FWIW, when I used a Tilt/Shift lens on DSLRs (the Nikon 24mm TS that you mention) I sure didn't calculate any angles or do any trigonometry in the field. My approach was pretty much to identify the plane of focus I was interested in, more or less align the camera back (sensor plane) to that plane of focus and tilt the lens to restore the field of view (scene) that I was interested in. And then like any shot I'd adjust aperture and either check DOF Preview or take a test shot and inspect on the monitor or these days I'd probably use Live View to verify that the combo of tilt and aperture was maintaining sharpness where I wanted.
So for a typical landscape scenario where either I'm up high and looking down into the scene to increase a sense of middle ground depth or perhaps up close to an interesting foreground object and again tilting the camera down to make it loom I'll generally:
- Tilt the entire camera on the tripod head so the back of the camera is more or less parallel to ground stretching out in front of me (perhaps not completely parallel if it's too extreme an angle and the lens won't tilt that far).
- Tilt the lens back up to frame the desired scene (again some iteration is necessary with these first two steps if the down angle is too steep)
- Consider a bit of Shift if the image presents parallax problems like strong diverging/converging lines I don't want.
- Focus using hyperfocal techniques or about a third or less into the frame (less if there's a super close foreground object).
- If it's a typical landscape here to infinity focus shot I'll start at around f/8 to f/11 on a FF camera body and check to see if the elements in the scene are as crisp as I want them. That could be a test shot and 100% or 200% zoom reviewing on the monitor, it could be Live View with a zoom or it could be DOF Preview button but I'd confirm I'm delivering the DOF I'm interested in. Again these last two steps might be iterated a few times as focus and aperture/DOF tend to interact a bit in TS lenses. If necessary I'd stop down further but don't want to go crazy on small aperture for diffraction limiting reasons.
- And of course these days if I'm not 100% sure I've nailed the critical focus on everything and have to stop way down I might take a series for focus stacking.
I no longer own a Tilt/Shift lens but it was a really fun tool. To be honest I didn't use it a ton for standard landscape images. I used it a lot more at wide apertures for relatively close subjects to establish a sharp diagonal plane of focus and intentionally letting things out of that plane of focus go soft. I did some portrait and product photography sessions using the lens like this and the results were something that just can't be accomplished without Tilt capabilities. I've also seen some great work by food photographers also using these lenses relatively wide open for intentional shallow DOF but on a plane of their choosing which is where I think Tilt lenses really shine. And of course the Shift feature is really handing anytime you're battling converging or diverging lines from camera up or down tilt so a huge benefit to architectural and some landscape photographers (e.g. close to tall trees and needing to tilt up to capture all of them thus leading to converging tree trunks in a standard non-Shift lens).
But as Warren says, the key thing is to get out in the field and play with the lens and you'll figure out what you can do with it and where it can help an image. I've only done a bit of view camera work but have friends that specialize in it and they sure aren't pulling out protractors and calculators in the field. They're looking at their upside down images and making adjustments based on what they see.
FWIW, when I used a Tilt/Shift lens on DSLRs (the Nikon 24mm TS that you mention) I sure didn't calculate any angles or do any trigonometry in the field. My approach was pretty much to identify the plane of focus I was interested in, more or less align the camera back (sensor plane) to that plane of focus and tilt the lens to restore the field of view (scene) that I was interested in. And then like any shot I'd adjust aperture and either check DOF Preview or take a test shot and inspect on the monitor or these days I'd probably use Live View to verify that the combo of tilt and aperture was maintaining sharpness where I wanted.
So for a typical landscape scenario where either I'm up high and looking down into the scene to increase a sense of middle ground depth or perhaps up close to an interesting foreground object and again tilting the camera down to make it loom I'll generally:
- Tilt the entire camera on the tripod head so the back of the camera is more or less parallel to ground stretching out in front of me (perhaps not completely parallel if it's too extreme an angle and the lens won't tilt that far).
- Tilt the lens back up to frame the desired scene (again some iteration is necessary with these first two steps if the down angle is too steep)
- Consider a bit of Shift if the image presents parallax problems like strong diverging/converging lines I don't want.
- Focus using hyperfocal techniques or about a third or less into the frame (less if there's a super close foreground object).
- If it's a typical landscape here to infinity focus shot I'll start at around f/8 to f/11 on a FF camera body and check to see if the elements in the scene are as crisp as I want them. That could be a test shot and 100% or 200% zoom reviewing on the monitor, it could be Live View with a zoom or it could be DOF Preview button but I'd confirm I'm delivering the DOF I'm interested in. Again these last two steps might be iterated a few times as focus and aperture/DOF tend to interact a bit in TS lenses. If necessary I'd stop down further but don't want to go crazy on small aperture for diffraction limiting reasons.
- And of course these days if I'm not 100% sure I've nailed the critical focus on everything and have to stop way down I might take a series for focus stacking.
I no longer own a Tilt/Shift lens but it was a really fun tool. To be honest I didn't use it a ton for standard landscape images. I used it a lot more at wide apertures for relatively close subjects to establish a sharp diagonal plane of focus and intentionally letting things out of that plane of focus go soft. I did some portrait and product photography sessions using the lens like this and the results were something that just can't be accomplished without Tilt capabilities. I've also seen some great work by food photographers also using these lenses relatively wide open for intentional shallow DOF but on a plane of their choosing which is where I think Tilt lenses really shine. And of course the Shift feature is really handing anytime you're battling converging or diverging lines from camera up or down tilt so a huge benefit to architectural and some landscape photographers (e.g. close to tall trees and needing to tilt up to capture all of them thus leading to converging tree trunks in a standard non-Shift lens).
But as Warren says, the key thing is to get out in the field and play with the lens and you'll figure out what you can do with it and where it can help an image. I've only done a bit of view camera work but have friends that specialize in it and they sure aren't pulling out protractors and calculators in the field. They're looking at their upside down images and making adjustments based on what they see.
Warren D
Well-known member
Yep, that's pretty much what I do with the exception I always start with my back and front standards vertical and square. Although I do confess to visualizing my focus plane and the intersection with the film plane, then setting my tilt as a starting point. After that, it's all on the ground glass. I'll say that by the time I'm checking my full DOF @ f64 things are mighty dark!