Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: JimAscher on August 04, 2011, 09:47:13 am
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I have only recently learned of the existence of the Lensbaby Tilt Transformer for micro four-thirds cameras and Nikon lenses. As I own both a Lumix GF1 and G1 and a Nikkor 50mm lens I still have from my 35mm film days, I thought the Lensbaby Transformer might be useful for me. However, I am a bit confused. Although in my past I also used a four-by-five view camera and believe I know something about lens plane tilting, the examples I have seen from other photographers using this item seem to concentrate on producing photos with an "artistic" blurred effect around one item in clear focus. Can't, though, tilting with this transformer be used also to EXTEND the plane of focus from infinity to close up, either top to bottom of side to side, WITHOUT any blurred area? Or am I mistaken, and is that plane "shifting" rather than "tilting"?
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You have the terminology correct, when you tilt or swing (vertical/horizontal) the lens, you will get a plane of sharp focus that can cut through the scene like a wedge, allowing focus from near to far. If you're using a Nikon lens you would get a clean plane of focus for the entire image, not just a blurry sweet spot like you would with the lensbaby optic. I imagine that most of the examples you've seen are either creative defocus (reverse tilt) or use the lensbaby optic which just has a small "sweet spot" in the center which is sharp.
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Sheldon: Thanks for the quick clarification, and reassurance. Now, if the darn thing weren't so apparently (to me) expensive for what it actually is, I would probably rush out and buy one. But it costs about the same ($240) as what I paid for my (new but recently discontinued) Lumix G1. I'll have to give it more thought. Thanks again. Jim