Very cool lenses, Hartblei Tilt and shift

They are apparently asking 9000 Euros for the set of three (40/f4, 80/f2.8, 120/f4) tilt/shift lenses. Looking strictly at the photos, it would also seem that these lenses lack the AIS coupling to communicate aperture information (and I also assume that they're non-CPU). Thus they'd be stop-down metering only. That'd be inconvenient but hardly more so since these lenses would have to be operated at a snail's pace due to the tilting and shifting anyway.

If I understood it correctly, the lenses will eventually be available at around 4300 Euros each. Wow!

 

Daniel,

It seems an interesting option but if you want tilt and shift (and more) let me suggest a completely diferent aproach:

Cambo X2-PRO system

http://www.cambo.com/index.htm

Horseman VCC

http://www.komamura.co.jp/e/vcc.html

The Cambo system can use a 28 lens, an advantage for architectural pictures.

Cheers,

Paulo

 

Thanks for those links, Paulo. Those are fantastic. I've been looking for those kinds of products for a long time.

But, the Cambo looks WAY too complex for an amateur like me, and at $4000, forget about it. The Horseman looks just like I imagined this kind of product to look like. I want one, but at $2000, it's another forget about it (for me). I'll wait until someone does a knock-off of the Horseman, or I'll make one myself out of spare parts.

DAB

 

That Horseman is definitely something I am considering getting for my flower work.

 

Daniel,

You are right, but I still have some nostalgia of using something like this:

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Anyway, the Hartblei isn't cheap from 2700 € to 4890 €, while the basic Horseman setup starts at € 1 198,00 without lens (that maybe can be found secondhand). The Cambo is in the same level of price, around 1200 euros (in Calumet site).

Here's the link to the Horseman french reseller price list:

http://www.legrandformat.com/Neuf/HORSEMAN.htm

If some job shows up maybe I'll make that investment. Much cheaper than buying a digital back for large format, wich prices start at more than 10 times.

Cheers,

Paulo

 

C'mon, Ed. When I saw that Cambo, I thought of you. All those high tech clamps and such. Go for it!

DAB

 

I Daniel,

Thank you for the link, I think this is an alternative to medium format high end digital photography, it is more resourceful than tilt and shift lens but, as you very well put it, expensive unless you use it in your daily work. Maybe a combination of software (image correction+stitching) will be a solution (cheaper) for now. Seen great examples in several other threads. If you have some imagens with DXO correction will you let me see them?

Cheers,

Paulo

 

Seems it works alright. It gives a strange kind of LL, software lust.

Cheers,

Paulo

 

What about a lensbaby lens? Ever consider one of these?

 

As far as I know the Hartblei/Zeiss lenses are not yet available, or are they?

There is also a review of the Hartblei Super-rotator.

http://luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/hartblei45.shtml

Practically, all lenses with tilt function are stop-down metering only. When I work with my 85/2.8 PC (although it has a CPU) I focuss with open aperture but meter with aperture closed. Even then it is often necessary to do some slight correction of exposure values.

Novoflex, too, offers a tilt/shift bellows (BALPRO T/S) - for much less money.

A pity that the good old Nikon PB-4 is offered so rarely.

Cheers

 

Harry,
I supose PB-4 doesn't have tilt and shift, Novoflex BALPRO T/S does but limited and only adequate to tele/macro work reducing it's usefulness for architectural work.

Fred,
Lensbaby looks like it is a piece of glass (or plastic) with great creative potencial but i'm not sure it's useful for straight documental work.

Best regards both,

Paulo

http://www.pbase.com/paulorbaptista/galleries

 

The PB-4 does have T/S. It's the PB-6 that cannot do it.

That's right. A pity that those WA-bellows (like Cambo Ultima) are so pricey. However, all these solutions require at least a 80mm lens on a SLR if you want to focus to infinity - which is a must for architectural work I guess.

Cheers

 

The lensbaby 3 should be since you can lock that version. They also have macro kits available. It runs about the same price for a 50mm Lensbabie and a 65mm Hartblei.