Tilt View camera

the axis of lens perpendicular film (or sensor). changing angle between axis , film tilting lens standard backwards or forwards called lens tilt, or tilt. tilt useful in landscape photography. using scheimpflug principle, “plane of sharp focus” can changed plane can brought sharp focus. when film plane , lens plane parallel case 35 mm cameras, plane of sharp focus parallel these 2 planes. if, however, lens plane tilted respect film plane, plane of sharp focus tilted according geometrical , optical properties. 3 planes intersect in line below camera downward lens tilt. tilted plane of sharp focus useful, in plane can made coincide near , far object. thus, both near , far objects on plane in focus.

this effect incorrectly thought of increasing depth of field. depth of field depends on focal length, aperture, , subject distance. long photographer wants sharpness in plane parallel film, tilt of no use. however, tilt has strong effect on depth of field drastically altering shape, making asymmetrical. without tilt, limits of near , far acceptable focus parallel plane of sharp focus parallel film. forward tilt, plane of sharp focus tilts more , near , far limits of acceptable focus form wedge shape (viewed side). thus, lens still sees cone shaped portion of whatever in front of while wedge of acceptable focus more closely aligned cone. therefore, depending on shape of subject, wider aperture can used, lessening concerns camera stability due slow shutter speed , diffraction due too-small aperture.

tilting achieves desired depth of field using aperture @ lens performs best. small aperture risks losses diffraction , camera/subject motion gained depth of field. testing given scene, or experience, shows whether tilting better leaving standards neutral , relying on aperture alone achieve desired depth of field. if scene sharp enough @ f/32 2 degrees of tilt need f/64 0 tilt, tilt solution. if scene need f/45 or without tilt, nothing gained. see merklinger , luong extensive discussions on determining optimal tilt (if any) in challenging situations.

with forward tilt, shape of portion of scene in acceptable focus wedge. thus, scene benefit tilting short in front , expands greater height or thickness toward horizon. scene consisting of tall trees in near, middle , far distance may not lend tilting unless photographer willing sacrifice either top of near trees and/or bottom of far trees.

assuming lens axis front tilt, here trade offs in choosing between small degree of tilt (say less 3) , larger tilt: small tilt causes wider or fatter wedge 1 far off axis cone of light seen lens. conversely, large tilt (say 10 degrees) makes wedge more aligned lens view, narrower wedge. thus, modest tilt often, or usually, best starting point. small , medium format cameras have fixed bodies not allow misalignment of film , lens planes, intentionally or not. tilt/shift (“ts”) or perspective control (“pc”) lenses provide limited movements these cameras can purchased number of lens makers. high-quality ts or pc lenses expensive. price of new canon ts-e or nikon pc-e lens comparable of used large-format camera, offers greater range of adjustment.