Should I rent the 17 TS-E or 24 TS-E?

Hey guys,

First week of April I will be doing a commercial shoot for a printing company and they want shots that involve large interior spaces and large printing presses. While I do have a 17-40L and a 24-105L, Im worried that the heavy distortion at the wide ends will be more difficult to correct and will result in not getting the full image I'm going for.

I want to rent a TS-E to make sure this aspect is covered. Should I just get the 17mm and be good, I think 17mm should be great, just don't to get 24mm and have to stitch images.

So I guess I kind of answered my question but want some confirmation Never used a TS-E before and want to be sure I'm making a good decision here. Want to hear thoughts and feedback. Thanks!

all i can say is they are awesome i jumped in head first and purchased a 24mm tse mkii before trying one and well after a week of using it i was purchasing the 90mm tse i want the other two but money is tight right now

imposterjeff wrote in post #15690163
all i can say is they are awesome i jumped in head first and purchased a 24mm tse mkii before trying one and well after a week of using it i was purchasing the 90mm tse i want the other two but money is tight right now

I'm watching the video on DigitalRev with the 17mm and it looks amazing with that bulbous front element. I think the 17mm will do the trick for this job.

it probably will do very well it took a little getting used to but all in all its all good for me now

Tony_Stark wrote in post #15690154
Hey guys,

First week of April I will be doing a commercial shoot for a printing company and they want shots that involve large interior spaces and large printing presses. While I do have a 17-40L and a 24-105L, Im worried that the heavy distortion at the wide ends will be more difficult to correct and will result in not getting the full image I'm going for.

I want to rent a TS-E to make sure this aspect is covered. Should I just get the 17mm and be good, I think 17mm should be great, just don't to get 24mm and have to stitch images.

So I guess I kind of answered my question but want some confirmation Never used a TS-E before and want to be sure I'm making a good decision here. Want to hear thoughts and feedback. Thanks!

I'd give yourself a goid few days of getting used to a TSE before using it on the shoot. They are a different beast.

Maybe. I must admit I don't do much in the way of interiors, but in houses I have generally not needed them because I can get the camera at a height/angle that does not cause undue distortion.

However, the TS-E will give you the opportunity to set the camera down low, high or even off to the side of the subject or direction you are shooting and still not get converging verticals. For a commercial shoot it would seem wise to rent one. Could get some interesting shots of machinery.

So, if you do decide it would be good, then definitely practice before hand. Up/down movements are pretty obvious, however my one eureka moment with a TS-E was when I realized that for architecture, side movements are very, very useful (usually mostly up with a bit of side movement for buildings). Getting the camera set up right and then invoking a movement at an angle is not rocket science, but takes a bit of practice. You can also get some strange unwanted perspective effects, so watch the background if it is important.

The 17mm is not exactly distortion-free, but it's pretty darn good, obviously better than either zoom. Not sure about the 24 when you start shifting it.

The 17 will also take the 1.4xTC and 2xTC. Even with the 2xTC (II) the IQ is pretty good - still better than either of those zooms away from the center and I prefer it for landscapes than either zoom at 35mm.

Tony, if you have a 1.4x tc, the choice is easy - get the 17mm. This will allow you the freedom to use it at 23mm too. Stopped down to f/8 it is more than adequate for most jobs.

Before committing though, I would want to know how large the printed images are expected to be. Getting in close with a 17mm creates significant perspective distortion and your clients may not be comfortable with this.

noisejammer wrote in post #15690325
Tony, if you have a 1.4x tc, the choice is easy - get the 17mm. This will allow you the freedom to use it at 23mm too. Stopped down to f/8 it is more than adequate for most jobs.

Before committing though, I would want to know how large the printed images are expected to be. Getting in close with a 17mm creates significant perspective distortion and your clients may not be comfortable with this.

The images are for website usage.

Is this referring to the 17 TS-E? I know wide lens really distort the subject, but having my 2 zoom lenses and the TS-E I feel I should be prepared to shoot anything really. The printing machines really are massive and I will be shooting in a massive warehouse/building.

Bear in mind that you can't use filters with the 17mm. How are you gonna kill glare?

Alveric wrote in post #15690465
Bear in mind that you can't use filters with the 17mm. How are you gonna kill glare?

I dont see that as being a problem. I never use a CPL as it is with my car related stuff.

Go 17.

This kind of photography is exactly what this lens was designed for. I used to have the ts-e 17 lens and for interiors it was just perfect. For exterior building shooting 24 would be better (it gives more natural perspective - does not stretch walls that much ).

Tony_Stark wrote in post #15690351
The images are for website usage.

Is this referring to the 17 TS-E? I know wide lens really distort the subject, but having my 2 zoom lenses and the TS-E I feel I should be prepared to shoot anything really. The printing machines really are massive and I will be shooting in a massive warehouse/building.

Yes - I meant the TS-E 17. Sorry for the confusion. You can plug it onto a 1.4x tc with good effect and there will be no issue with image quality (particularly if the images will mostly be viewed on the web.) My testing convinced me that at f/8, the TS-E 17 + 1.4x III was at least the equal of the TS-E 24 II however, the field curvature was different. For web presentation, you won't be able to tell them apart.

The perspective distortion I referred to is purely an effect of relative distances to the focal plane. The reason I asked is that if you're too close to the subject, perspective distortion can create peculiar effects.

Finally, a comment was made on the difficulty of using filters to suppress glare or glint. This is not insurmountable if you place your lighting sources appropriately. I'd suggest that the biggest issue may be illuminating the room evenly - however this can also be sorted out in post.

Want to thank everyone for sharing their views, I am set on the 17 TS-E and cannot wait to try out and use it! Will share my experiences next month after I get a chance to work with this beauty!

Waiting for your nice images now, also upload the most unliked image and tell why.