Shift options for Canon 5D2?

[spotmeter]

I recently returned from Yosemite with my new 5D2. I took along a Canon 45mm TS-E so that I could get shots of Half Dome and El Capitan from the valley floor without tilting the camera up and distorting the view.  Unfortunately, in landscape mode, full shift was not enough.

What are the options for more shift in a situation like this?

The lines on the 45mm lens seem to indicate that full shift is 11mm. I estimate I need at least 50% more shift, or at least 16mm.  So, something that would give me 16-20mm of shift would work.

I have seen adapter plates for mounting a Canon body on the back of a 4X5, but I am wondering if there are other more compact alternatives. Also, I recall reading somewhere that the mirror box can limit the amount of shift.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

[Phil Indeblanc]

Hartblei(? I think thats what it was called) makes some for EOS manual focus. You need to check if it reaches the angle you are looking for. Also, I know they have versions with high quality glass (Zeis, I think), vs the not so good kind. I think they are based in the Ukraine.  
Then there is Novoflex, they make the best gear I seen for these types of add-ons. They have one that is called the BalPro I believe, and it does the full tilt shift.  
I have tried the 4x5 plate to EOS, and its not that fun. On smaller snesors, if you are not using digitar lens, the quality is not so hot, and its a pain to see as 35mm screen is not so bright (outdoors maybe better).

There are others that are now coming to mind...CAMBO used to make one also.  Very high quality, I tried it out, and it is rather hefty for studio use, so i dont know if it would be the choice for field. Novoflex is rather solid but it feel light and its somewhat compact.

I think the Novoflex would be super, but it is not a cheap system. If you use Canon lens, you will get auto focus.

hope this helps

[Kirk Gittings]

I am not a fan of view cameras adapted to DSLR bodies, the movements are just not fine enough.

You might combine full shift on the 45 AND tilting it up some too. Then you correct theslight tilt in PS. By my tests that is a better technique than using a regular lens and doing all the perspective correction in PS with all the cropping and interpolation that involves. Or you may consider using a slightly wider lens and cropping the bottom some. Even though the shift may not be greater (10.4mm to each side, 12mm up and 13mm down), the greater field of view at full shift on the 35 may give you the rise you need compared to the 45. For example I use a Olympus 35PC with an EOS adapter to fill the gap between the Canon 24 and 45 t/s. Most examples of that lens are very good and some are superb.

[bradleygibson]

If memory serves, I've seen a Schneider PCS 55 (for Rollei) adapted to mount on Canon.  Unfortunately the focal length is longer (55mm) but the image circle is much larger.  It may shift enough to meet your needs.

If not, consider a wider T/S--both Canon and Nikon made T/S 35mm, I believe (need adaptation to work on the EF mount) or the 24.

-Brad

[tsjanik]

Zörk PSA allows 20mm of shift using medium format lenses.  The Pentax 645 35mm FA is widely used in this application; there are many discussions of this combination, one is here:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/713806/0

[JeffKohn]

Zörk PSA allows 20mm of shift using medium format lenses.  The Pentax 645 35mm FA is widely used in this application; there are many discussions of this combination, one is here:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/713806/0

Looking at some sources for used gear I can't find a 'Pentax 645 35mm FA', but I did find this, is it the correct lens? Just how sharp is it, will it really hold up to the pixel density of 20mp+ DSLR's?

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDeta...;GCC=&KW=35

[tsjanik]

Looking at some sources for used gear I can't find a 'Pentax 645 35mm FA', but I did find this, is it the correct lens? Just how sharp is it, will it really hold up to the pixel density of 20mp+ DSLR's?

http://www.keh.com/OnLineStore/ProductDeta...;GCC=&KW=35

Jeff:
No that's the earlier manual focus A version.  The auto focus FA version is a optical redesign and apparently in a league of its own.  I should have mentioned that you will have to search for the 35mm FA; one recently sold for $1700 on ebay with the Zörk Canon PSA, still a good deal.  As to the lens itself, I'll refer you to 16:9.net , below is a quote:

"Zörk Panoramic Shift Adaptor (PSA) Complete System for Canon Digital: £895
A whole system for the price of a new Canon 45mm TS!

• Zörk PSA (Tripod Mount version) in Pentax 645/Canon EF mount
• Fitted L-Bracket
• Pentax 645 FA 35mm f3.5
• Pentax 645 SMC-A 55mm f2.8
• Pentax 645 SMC-A 150mm f3.5

This is simply the best way to obtain maximum shift movements on a Canon digital body. The Zörk Panoramic Shift Adaptor permits movements of up to 22mm, and is the only system designed for DSLRs to accommodate parallax-free stitching. The lenses I'm selling with it have been chery-picked for ultimate performance: the Pentax FA35 is just the greatest medium format retrofocus wide angle ever. The SMC-A 55mm f2.8 is a cracking manual focus Pentax 645 lens that outperforms the Hasselblad 50mm CF. And the butter smooth manual focus 150mm f3.5 is even better at distance than the Hasselblad, Mamiya and Pentax Macro 120mm lenses. In my opinion (and that of Zörk in Germany), the Pentax 645 range is the best array of MF lenses ever, with a beautiful, Zeiss-like drawing style and bottomless resolution. Until a digital Pentax 645 option arrives, this remains the best way to unlock that potential in the digital realm. Pix pending"

Here is another comment:  http://www.16-9.net/lens_tests/pentax645_fa35mm.html

If you don't need the view of a 35mm the 55 and 150mm are easy to find and very cheap.

[JeffKohn]

tsjanik,

Thanks for the additional information. I figured that price sounded a little too good to be true if it was such a great lens.

[free1000]

I would say, try the new version of the 24 TS-E, it has a much larger image circle and should have less distortion.  Then of course the new 17mm TS-E.
 
EDIT

Sorry, I didn't read your post carefully enough at first.

I don't think you are going to achieve the desired effect with DSLR lenses, though maybe you could get your subject with the new 17mm TS-E.  

I don't know if the Zoerk approach is really practical. I'm not going to disagree with the previous poster selling his gear, but I'd advise you to try before you buy. At the very least I'd want to see a selection of raw files at various shifts.  A 35mm MF lens is not that wide on a DSLR.
 
In the end, MF backs remain king for large shifts with wide angle lenses, I think this is an area where DSLR's will remain a compromise, though I suspect that for non-critical work the new TS-E's will be adequate for 90% of commercial work, and probably for some landscape photography as well.