The 1DsMKIII as a View Camera, using Live View & a TSE Lens?

I was just thinking that with the new canon DSLR's that have the Live View function (1DMKIII, 40D, and 1DsMKIII) and a Tilt & Shift lens you would have a View Camera.

What do you think of this???

You add one of these and you're set to go.......
http://www.horsemanusa.com/digital/LD.html
http://www.horsemanusa.com/vcc.html
There's another by someone else.. Just can't find it right now......

Duke Beattie said:

You add one of these and you're set to go.......
http://www.horsemanusa.com/digital/LD.html
http://www.horsemanusa.com/vcc.html
There's another by someone else.. Just can't find it right now......

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Very interesting. However, I can't help wondering; how much worse is the resolution of the larger image circle lenses compared to my TS-E 90mm? Afterall, larger image circles mean larger compromises in aberration reduction.

Bart

Can you zoom in on live view? If so it might make movements bareable. Of course with one of these cheap chinese adaptors and a digitar lens (not that much more expensive if at all than a T/S) you would have a great system.

Ben Rubinstein said:

Can you zoom in on live view?

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5X and 10X.

Bart_van_der_Wolf said:

Very interesting. However, I can't help wondering; how much worse is the resolution of the larger image circle lenses compared to my TS-E 90mm? Afterall, larger image circles mean larger compromises in aberration reduction.

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That depends on who's making the lens!

I have discovered a guy that does the grinding of the lens and the coating. He's going to be retiring from the company and I wonder whether one might be able to custom finish lenses like the 24 T/S to perfection!

Asher

You could also get a Zork, or a mirex, or a cambo x2

Hi Will,
I've definitely thought about it too. Sure it would work but the canon 24mm is not such a great lens. The tse 90 is a very good lens, but still no match for other glass. That being said there are several options that will allow you to use better glass.

I have the zoerk MFS system which I have used extensively with the 1Ds and 5D as well as my leica r8/dmr combination. It's much less expensive than the horseman or cambo x2 setups and you can use quite a variety of glass with it. I mostly use a 80mm Rodagon APO enlarger lens, which cost me less than $200 used and is every bit as sharp as my leica 100 APO macro but has a medium format image circle. I don't believe you can get to wide with the MFS but you can get 30 degrees tilt (or way more than enough).

Another option that is very cheap (but I have no personal experience) is the mirex T/S adapter that will allow you to use either hasselblad or mamiya lenses on your 1DS with 11deg tilt and 11mm shift. It's a nice looking solution for only about 370 euro and as you may know you can find mamiya lenses quite cheap. A real plus if you also shoot MF and use one of those two systems.

I find that with both the zoerk and the canon tse lenses (I have both the 90mm and the 24mm) the viewfinder is good enough, but I think live view would be very helpful for macro and a lot easier than a view camera since the image would not be reversed or inverted.

If you are doing very precise work, then perhaps the cambo x2 would be better but its a heck of a lot more bulky than the zoerk or mirex adapters. I shoot handheld all the time with my zoerk.

Hope this is helpful.
Eric

Hi All.

Eric, like you I have the 24 & 90 but have only used the 24 and only once at that due to the pain of the small viewfinder.

I am hoping to have a much more pleasant experience with the MK III.

that's funny

What? You have all three ts-e and only used one of them once? Dang! Send them over and I'll put them to good use!

The canon ts-e 90 is one of my favorite lenses (when I use my canon 5D). I use it all the time. If you fit a Ee-s focusing screen, I find it quite easy to MF and also to see the scheimflug effects. I use it with my 2x extender and or macro extension tubes as well. Great lens! I often shoot flowers with the macro, hand held with one hand and a flash gun in the other hand remotely controlled by the st-2.

The 24mm ts-e I use less, but do use. I don't shoot a lot of architecture....I use it for model shoots and use the shift for effect (to make their legs look longer, make them look taller, or use the distortion for some other effect).

My vision is not super, and I still find it easy to use....you should give it more of a go.

Eric,

Will has more stuff than some camera stores! He doesn't even know what he has!! Same with his Shiatsu blind dogs which seem to come out of everywhere in his house. He collects them from people who don't want them anymore!

Will is trying to rethink his use of his lenses. With 10X magnification, the 3" LCD will give a new capability for those with less than perfect eyesight as well as quite a few more, to really get the most out of the Canon T/S lenses. I thinkl that now, Will is looking again at the utility of these lenses for situations where he'd have gone for LF, schlepping a lot of Polaroid and film holders.

So this is like having new lenses!

Asher

P.S. I hope yopu can post your figure studies where you used the Canon T/S lenses to advantage! How do you do this without distorting the face? I guess 3% or so is not noticiable or is there some other trick?

I've used the zork adapter with pentax 645 35mm af lens on a canon full frame dslr and it was very good..but had to sell that very expensive combo to fund other lenses that were more used!
Even though shooting a frame and checking on a dslr is like a free polaroid anyway live view will take it that one stage further.

But whilst the various tilt shift posibilities on the dslr's are great in what they offer I still feel they still lack much of what a film based view camera does in terms of a, range of movements and b, image quality for any large sized print.

Marc

marc wilson said:

But whilst the various tilt shift posibilities on the dslr's are great in what they offer I still feel they still lack much of what a film based view camera does in terms of a, range of movements and b, image quality for any large sized print.

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Hi Marc,

Yes, you're correct, film offers a lot more. The problem is that the DSLR does so much well that there is not enough work to justify keeping one's darkroom and all the space and cost that requires.

I have decided to move back to film for my artistic photography, important portraits and for architectural shots, none of which I do a lot of. I'll let you know how I survive! Most of my photography is and will be with the 5D and the 1DII. Film is an inexpensive way for an artistic photographer to get larger files and have lens movements without the expense of digital backs.

I have a Zork with a 45mm Pentax 6x7 lens, series II abnd am happy with it. I'm also testing the CameraFusion adapter using my 5D Canon full frame sensor on the 4x5 camera with stitching of rows of images. I'll report shortly!

Asher

We're in the same boat then!
I use my 5d with associated lenses for my work, stock etc and film (54 and Mamiya 6) for personal project work and any really high end large scale jobs...or when the client says.."oh, digital, we would prefer film if possible please!"

I like what the 24mm tse can do...sure the i.q. is not the best but rise on a 24mm lens...there is no other way on a dslr! (it was great to use the pentax and zork combo for the amount of rise, shift you could get....seemed endless compared to the 35mm shift lenses)

(I'm actually in the process of putting my 54 kit back together again from scratch...am trying to get hold of a nice arca discovery (good for both interior work and light enough (and with all the movements I could ever need for field work)...well its either that or two cameras (one compact fold up and one old sinar))

Marc

Eric, It is not that you can not use the viewfinder. It is that the focusing screen can never give the accuracy I need. The resolution I need will never be possible with a small focusing screen.

Will Thompson said:

Eric, It is not that you can not use the viewfinder. It is that the focusing screen can never give the accuracy I need. The resolution I need will never be possible with a small focusing screen.

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Will,
Can't find any of your images anywhere so don't know what you are shooting. Having never used a view camera, I'll refrain from making any comments about one, but just in case others are reading this post that also don't have view camera experience and aren't ready to take that on, the zoerk sure works for me on my 5D and 1Ds. The canon T/S lenses are great too especially the 90mm. I have not had trouble getting the plane of focus where I want it - and heck its digital, shoot tethered if you want or bracket focus.

One thing I'll add is that I've seen charts that tell you how much tilt it takes to get the plane of focus to be parallel to the ground based on camera height, focal length and some other factors. It takes a lot less than you think! If you are getting started with T/S check out some charts so you can get yourself in the ballpark. Converging/Diverging lines are easier to see and if you are doing a lot a focusing screen with grid lines can be useful.

Asher Kelman said:

P.S. I hope yopu can post your figure studies where you used the Canon T/S lenses to advantage! How do you do this without distorting the face? I guess 3% or so is not noticiable or is there some other trick?

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Asher you can see one image in the Life Decisions slide show on my site - called Gen X with a woman standing in a doorway with red x over her. Just navigate to my site, find the link at the top called current exhibition and follow that. The image is about midway through. I may have used about 6-8mm rise with that image to make her seem bigger than the viewer and also change her shape a little. The image was taken in my house.