Tilt-shift lenses allow photos to be taken that are not possible with other cameras.
A tilt-shift lens allows a camera user to redefine the depth of field in a camera. Given the tools provided in this specialized camera lens, the user can move the depth of field by angling the lens, which is not possible with a normal unit. Such benefits come in handy when photographing large objects such as buildings and desiring to keep their edges vertical. With a normal lens, images such as this would seem to angle inward, with the edges seeming to meet in the center somewhere above the photo image.
Shift Upward
The tilt-shift feature can be exercised by first aiming at an object to be photographed. Before taking the photo, the user turns a knob on the side of the lens to actuate the tilt feature. This raises the angle of the lens so that the focus is at the bottom of the lens rather than in the middle. The range stays the same, so the user doesn't need to move in or out. The effect allows greater photo coverage of the desired space. An example is a building from a distance. Left alone, you would get a photo of the building plus a lot of a ground. With the lens tilted upward, the building is at the bottom of the photo with a large sky.
Tilting Downward
Similar to the sky approach noted above, the tilt-shift lens can be angled downward as well. The same benefit is gained, now in the lower half of the photo. For example, when using this lens at the Grand Canyon, the focus in front can stay the same, but the user can capture the depth of the canyon opening up below in the bottom half of the photo. This gives a depth effect not possible with a normal lens unless the entire camera is pointed downward.
Still Life Effects
For studio photographs, the tilt-shift lens can provide the user the ability to take model or object photos dead on with a feeling of looking down or looking up at the object. The only other way to achieve this is to take a photo with a normal lens and crop the image for the desired off-focus effect. Doing so loses depth and image data. With the tilt-shift lens, loss is avoided entirely.
Aperture Tricks
Setting an aperture to a low value (wide setting) on a camera creates an effect where things in the background are fuzzy while the focus of the lens stays sharp. This approach produces interesting still life and portrait photos. Adding a tilt-shift lens to the mix allows the user to emphasize the depth even more, enhancing the aperture effect.
Tags: tilt-shift lens, normal lens, possible with, depth field, half photo, lens allows
