Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Tilt-Shift Lens - Black
Average customer rating
4.7
(12 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 12 reviews
5 Stars
11
4 Stars
0
3 Stars
0
2 Stars
0
1 Star
1
92%of customers recommend this product.
(
11 out of
12)
Customer Reviews for Canon - TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II Tilt-Shift Lens - Black
Customer Rating
5
View Camera capabilities...
on August 30, 2010
Posted by: ppro
from North-Easterner
As soon as I learned how to use a view camera, I became disappointed in my 35mm because it lacked some of the controls available in large format. Notably, one could not correct perspective distortion or achieve a deep field of focus under some conditions.
With this lens, control returns. Although it is possible to correct some perspective distortion in image-editing software, this is achieved at the expense of sharpness, and results in incorrect proportions. Also, using image-editing software to achieve correction results in losing image area - the more correction applied, the more you lose.
There is no way to achieve the kind of depth-of-focus possible with this lens through image-editing software. While it may be possible to get great depth-of-field by stopping down, sharpness starts to fall off as diffraction sets in.
The tilt and shift features of this lens allow great flexibility and control. The ability to rotate the axis of operation of these features is a big bonus.
This lens is incredibly sharp, produces images with great color and contrast, and offers the side-benefit of sharing the filter size of the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM.
I feel like I have my view camera back. I don't have to stretch images in an image editor to correct perspective distortion - I can do it in-camera, maximizing the image area recorded.
The ability to tilt the lens for increased depth-of-focus opens up new ground for my landscape photography. Now I can shoot at large lens openings and get everything from the flowers at my feet to the mountains on the horizon in perfect focus, without diffraction or loss of sharpness!
Pros: sharpness, contrast, color accuracy, control of perspective control in-camera, maximum control of depth-of-focus
Cons: large filter size, no auto-focus, no image stabilization
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
1
24 and 17mm T/S aren't useful.
on July 17, 2010
Posted by: Frank
from Kansas City
The lens does two things that are practically unrelated, and both of which are borderline useless in the extreme wideangle.
Firstly, the shift mechanism allows perspective correction. This was a critical part of photography in the days of large format, and I used this lens to get the same benefit on film when I started out with Canon. However, if you are working digitally, it is far easier and cheaper to correct perspective while editing.
Second, It allows tilting of the plane of focus, which allows near/far compositions to simultaneously be in focus when simply stopping down doesn't do enough (or isn't desired for other reasons such as stopping subject motion, etc.) However, these extreme wide angles, with small apertures even wide-open, have extreme DOF already and it'd be a rare photograph that needed more DOF than a normal lens could accomplish at 24mm (or even more so, 17mm). On the other hand this ability would be very attractive at 45-90mm. (A related trick is to tilt focus in the opposite direction of your composition to minimize DOF. But again at 17 and 24mm, I'm sorry but nothing gets very defocused anyway.)
As far as other details of the lens go: the construction is the very best Canon makes, comperable to the 70-200Ls or better. The image quality unfortunately suffers as you shift off-center, as the lens resolution falls off as with every lens. (There is also extreme cos^4 vignetting, though that can be fixed in your editing software.)
Pros: fantastic build quality
Cons: leave perspective correction to editing software, wideangles have too much dof to need tilt, resolution becomes quite poor when shifted
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Excellent Lens
on January 12, 2010
Posted by: CanonFan
from CA
Being my first TS lens - the picture quality - sharpness, color reproduction and contrast is exceptional. I own several L lenses and this has definitely one of the most sharpest pictures!! Playing with the Tilt and Shift does take time getting used to but learning this lens is fun. Would definitely recommend this lens.
Pros: Superior build quality, Super-sharp images
Cons: manual focus only
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
get to the higher planes
on October 20, 2009
Posted by: scjurgen
from New York, NY
I was first a bit skeptical, but after being out in the field and getting used to the endless possibilities of tilting and shifting the focus plane I can't do without it.
Landscape and architecture get a new meaning, but also portraits/wedding can get that nice addition if you use the TS intelligently.
Perfectly sharp (sharper than the corresponding prime, IMHO) the superiority is easily visible on my 5D mkii.
Not having an auto focus (no, I am not complaining), I would suggest also to add a manual diaphragm control for quicker control.
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, extreme focus plane control
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com