A question for tilt shift owners (perspective stickers, i'm looking at you)

About to buy a tilt shift.

I shoot architecture and real estate. And that's pretty much it.

Don't really feel like investing in new filters, since the only one I use is a polarizer with my 17-40. Not in the mood to spend a ton on 82mm, but:

I have heard that 24mm is better for interiors.

Problem is, I use a 5d and a 1d3...

What I'm asking is: Is the 17 'too' wide for interiors? There might be some distortion on the 5d (e.g. stretched corners) but I'm assuming I can crop this if necessary. I am thinking that the 17 will be perfect on the 1d3 to remove some of that stretched look if it comes to it.

Would there be a change in 'perspective' or 'view' from using the 17 and then cropping, in such a way to make the 24 better for my purposes? Or am I way overthinking this, and should I just go with the 17 for better compatbility with both my bodies? 24mm on APS-H isn't really wide enough at all.

I think I just answered my own question, but I still felt the need to ramble incoherently! Thanks Any opinions would be appreciated.

Umm... It is hard to go too wide indoors I think... I'd get the 17mm although I don't have either one... I have the 90mm one, lol

I'd go with the 17mm. I don't own a T/S lens, but here's my reasoning as to why,

On your 5D, it's full frame, So you'll have a true 17mm TS-E Lens.

On your 1D MKIII, with the crop factor, you'll have roughly at 22mm TS-E lens, which is incredibly close to the 24mm. If you want either at their true 35mm Focal length, then theoretically you'd be all set with the 17 F4 L!

Just my .02$

the thing with the tilt/shift is also that you can pin point a focus point in a very small room and make it look bigger.... The 17 on a 5d2 will allow you for cropping if necessary it is the sharpest UWA out there and is a good investment for a any real estate shooter, as you have the mk3 id go for that over the 24... I have the 24 and used it on the 5d2 or as bit longer on a 7d its very versatile.

also you will be able to stitch nice presentation shoots of the exterior of a house as a mini panorama. enormous file size though...

also as you are using flashes quite alot that removes the use of filters for indoor,

id go for it if I had the money... i just got an 85 pc so I have too wait...

I have a TS-E 17mm that I use on a 5D Mark II. I don't really shoot indoor architecture but I think it would be perfectly suited for that purpose, and you probably won't have to crop as much as you might expect. The corners are excellent even with a bit of shift.

If not ts-e 17 4.0 for interiors then what? If you feel it's too wide you can use TC and convert it easly into 24. Honestly speaking sometimes even 17 is not wide enough.

I have TS-E 24mm on my 5D and it is not often wide enough. With 17mm you can always crop or use a TC. It's a great lens, go for it!

travisrockphotography wrote in post #11506870
I'd go with the 17mm. I don't own a T/S lens, but here's my reasoning as to why,

On your 5D, it's full frame, So you'll have a true 17mm TS-E Lens.

On your 1D MKIII, with the crop factor, you'll have roughly at 22mm TS-E lens, which is incredibly close to the 24mm. If you want either at their true 35mm Focal length, then theoretically you'd be all set with the 17 F4 L!

For the newbies - all the talk above about "true" focal lengths, etc., is quite incorrect. The focal length of any lens does not change just because it may be used on different format cameras. The focal length imprinted on the lens (usually at the front around the perimeter of the front element) is the true and actual focal length of the lens.

Mike, Why not rent the two lenses for a week? Spend a little extra time on your next shoot trying out both lenses.

Just get a 14mm and cover it all

diputs wrote in post #11507364
Mike, Why not rent the two lenses for a week? Spend a little extra time on your next shoot trying out both lenses.

Because that would cost way too much money...

bcd01 wrote in post #11507441
Just get a 14mm and cover it all

Doesn't really work, do you see why?

SkipD wrote in post #11507204
For the newbies - all the talk above about "true" focal lengths, etc., is quite incorrect. The focal length of any lens does not change just because it may be used on different format cameras. The focal length imprinted on the lens (usually at the front around the perimeter of the front element) is the true and actual focal length of the lens.

this is my concern - would i still get any noticeable disortion from the 17 on the 1d3?

mikekelley wrote in post #11507692
Because that would cost way too much money...

You are correct Buying the wrong lens would be a lot cheaper than renting.

BTW, I have been following your blog posts and have learned a lot.

diputs wrote in post #11507710
You are correct Buying the wrong lens would be a lot cheaper than renting.

Your getting some good advice here and a lot of opinions, but nobody can answer your requirements. You need to find a really good camera store that stocks both lenses (this may not be easy) and put them on the front of your camera and see what best satisfies your requirement. I would not buy a $2K lens based solely on anybody's advice on any forum. That decision needs to be made by you, and you need personal input. Renting the lenses to try them out is far from a bad idea.

Actually, buying the wrong lens probably is cheaper than renting, seeing as I can just return it for the right one and be out zero dollars.

I've done extensive research on this - believe me - my question is not "do I need this" or "how can I use this" but rather "will there be a noticeable change in perspective from using a 24mm on ff or 17mm on 1.3 and cropping it"

Mike "who, contrary to popular belief, is not a total idiot" Kelley