This week I received the NEW 7Artisans 50mm f1.4 Tilt Shift lens. During my time as Analog Photographer I had a Schneider Kreuznach 35mm f4 Shift lens for my Nikon cameras and used it in some amateur architecture photography. That has been a light wide angle lens on an analog camera with it´s 35mm focal length. The 7Artisans 50mm f1.4 TS is counted as a FF ratio of 75mm lens. A tele lens, typically used for portrait photography. 75mm focal length in the architecture photography? Well let me find out how this will fit.
This is describing the functions of Tilt & Shift lens:
Shift is adjusting the position of an subject in the area of image not moving the back of the camera. Very helpful to avoid the convergence of parallel lines, e.g. imaging tall buildings. Tilt is used to control the orientation of the plane of focus, that controls the part of an image that is reproduced sharp on film or digital image sensor.
The first impression of this lens, made by 7Artisans, is very good. The build quality high, as I am used to from the latest lenses they have designed and produced. Made completely from metal and the lens mount is fitting perfect without any play. All adjustment markings are not only painted on the lens but engraved and then painted which guarantees a long life. A lens build for a full lifetime. My kids will still have much fun with this lens when I am already gone.
If I have one small point of critic, the focus ring is too small for my big fingers, you need to get used to it. All other adjustment tools like diaphragm ring, tilt and shift levelers are perfect in form and function and you can turn, indexed with clicks, the complete lens 360 Degrees to us the tilt shift functions in many different position. This lens has an enormous degree of freedom, impressive.
As this is just a first impression review, I went down town Düsseldorf in Germany and took some first shots of the wonder full architecture of the Kö Bogen and experimented with the tilt shift functions. Of course due to the 50mm focal length I needed some distance to my subject for imaging but I got my sneakers on and I felt well. To my first impression the results are outstanding. Very little parallax distortion and a wonderful narrowed focal plane. It seems sometimes that this small sharp zone is jumping out of the image like on a 3D picture watched with the special googles.
But please have a first look yourself. Soon I will do more photographical safari with this lens and report you in detail my experiences, findings and results.
All in all, my first impression of the NEW 7Artisans 50mm f1.4 Tilt Shift lens is outstanding. Such an optical performance in a mechanical well build lens for that budget price. Very well done 7Artisans!
