Tilt-Shift Lens Basics with Vincent Laforet -- Explore Tilt Shift Lenses in New York City at night

Vincent Laforet gives an overview of what a tilt-shift lens is and how it differs from other lenses. Check out the Accessories, Lenses and Editing Tips Playlists on my Channel for more Videos like this.
Learn how a tilt-shift lens can correct, enhance and dramatically change a composition. Practical examples of how to use tilt-shift lenses for architecture, portrait, lifestyle, and tabletop photography.
He talks about the shift property of the lens and how it can be used to correct distortion and also aid in multi-shot stitching by showing a few practical examples from around New York City.
Also, a demonstration of how the tilt functionality of the lens can shift the plane of focus to create a miniature look as well as increase the focus plane.
Informative Video, shot in a beautiful location (and of course it is filmed in Low Light). ;)

[@barfussfoto]

2:03, you’re the only reviewer I finally found mentioning this, big thanks. Subscribed of course!

[@omarjabr8019]

Thank you Vincent. An excellent and most valuable all round practical guide.

[@SirCrest]

This video was really great. For a long time I was confused about how a real tiltshift lens worked.

[@joseparedes357]

Best review of tilt shift lenses ever made. Every photographer need to see this review.

the best video I've seen explaining the use of this type of lens. Great. Thanks very much

[@diegoeidelman]

Excellent and clear description of the lenses and examples of their uses Thanks Vincent

[@iTip28]

Thank you so much for this tutorial!! I've been wanting to add tilt/shift to my bag but have been "scared" of the lens. This gives me more confidence to get one, use it, and make bigger impressions on my clients.

[@jelosamkr]

Thanks a lot for the comprehensive explanation ~ I have watched several videos but this one was the best! Thanks!

[@shadowliu1619]

This covers all the bases and very detailed. Thanks for sharing!

[@viba1953]

The best tutorial in TSE lenses thank you

[@valeriyshvetsov7022]

Great Video! I would say it's the best video i found about TS lenses. Now i know for sure that i need one! Thank you!

[@JamesVibe]

Hey, thx for this. The way you explain it, andd the examples u shoot are really helpful

[@publicemail6518]

Really helpful video, Vincent. Thank you!

[@mbnyus]

Fantastic video tutorial, thank you so much for doing it.

[@upnorthbob410]

Excellent explanation of these remarkable lenses!

[@markacevedo441]

Vincent Laforet has to be one of the top masters of tilt shift lenses. He not only knows how to use it with architecture, but selective focus portraits, and creative uses as well, all done masterfully!

[@paristo]

tilt shift is actually super easy to use, easier actually than typical camera because you don't need to work with the limitations of camera. of course, if a person has never owned or used a large format camera that required to handle both standards, it can be odd thing to learn as it isn't so clear like it is with large format where just using the camera tells you everything.

[@KarigHutje2024]

Coming from a 4x5" Cambo plate camera and Rollei SL66E I must say I started to miss the tilt function a lot. Some months ago I bought the first version of Canon's 24mm f3.5 TS L lens. The distortion is there, but the price was also almost half of the 24mm Mark II version. I hope to find a used 17mm TS L lens though :-).

[@ianstewart8243]

Like that use for portraiture!! Really isolates the face

[@BoraBora_Sasha]

Thank you for sharing it, well done!

[@tgchism]

Excellent tutorial!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@joshua9416]

very clear explanation! thank you

[@vanomaden]

Thanks for the brilliant explanation.

[@davidcruzpuebla2507]

Thanks, great tutorial!

[@trexor14]

Great video. I have this lens and learned a bunch.

[@yubidubi]

Nice video. Thanks for posting.

[@ritamoll4347]

Thank you for the great video 👍🏼

[@mihailfridljand8977]

Awesome! Thank you very much!!

[@lukalukaluka7000]

Thank you thank you thank you! Really informative

[@markhardycreative]

Great video, I’m trying the 19mm pc Nikon and this video was very helpful ,many thanks

[@jamieandrei]

Nice man.. super simple example of shift.. love it.. frame up square & use the shift function to frame up the over sampled image..

[@lucasdownunder]

Great video, thanks.

[@markanderson6639]

Very interesting video. Thanks for posting it.

[@timurhant469]

Well done, thanks a lot!

[@robyfyoutube]

thanks, this is the best video about tilt shift lenses

[@LowLightVideos]

+Roberto Fratazzi - Glad it helps you out. There's a couple more buried in the Editing Tips and the Accessories Playlists.

[@19davo57channel]

great video,very helpful

[@ankitraj6465]

very well presented video and insightful video ... thank you

[@Hangsengfutures]

Nicely made. Thanks

[@MattWhittingham]

Very comprehensive thanks

[@RagingBubuli]

Miniture effect blew my mind.

[@Orkrist]

Great video!

[@aortiz1009]

Excellent video, well done :)

[@Necronomicon08]

great video, thank you ;-)

[@raj-hg7yd]

It´s great for group photos I can imagine!

[@mdturnerinoz]

I have the 45mm TS lens but have not as yet used it as best I could; this video gave me some great ideas to try. Thanks!

[@LowLightVideos]

Anything to inspire creativity. Thanks for visiting, Rob

[@TheRealLink]

Thank you for this tutorial! Now I really want to try a tilt-shift ;).

[@LowLightVideos]

Try it for free with your DSLR: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pou7haKhjtxoaqM - use a strip of black velvet to prevent light leaks, unless you really want them.

[@Kidraver555]

The lenses have a few tricks, not many so it is not as tricky as some may think, the creative application of these 'Tricks' is where the action is., great tips mate, was worried you were going to miss the ferry, lol.

[@1337flite]

The leaning of the verticals isn't lens distortion as such, at least not in the normal (optical) sense of pincushion or barrel distortion. The keystoning (as the leaning effect is called)due the effect of perspective. When you tilt the camera with a normal lens to get the top of a building the distance between the top of the building and bottom of the building is different. The top is further away so appears smaller.

[@aaroncollins5188]

This is something that drives me CRAZY - in real estate photography groups folks are always talking about how they don't like the "distortion" with a particular lens, asking if another is better - except they're talking about perspective distortion, not optical - which like you said has nothing to do with the glass and everything to do with framing and perspective. If you shoot 16mm in a kitchen and you're right next to a countertop or fridge, the countertop is going to look wonky - that's not the lenses fault.

[@adendominic542]

I realize it is pretty off topic but does anybody know a good place to stream new tv shows online?

[@danielellis7219]

@Aden Dominic flixportal :)

[@adendominic542]

@Daniel Ellis Thanks, I signed up and it seems like a nice service =) I appreciate it !!

[@danielellis7219]

@Aden Dominic no problem :)

[@jeronimobedel1065]

great video, thanks !

[@LowLightVideos]

No problem, thanks for visiting. YT, Rob

[@igorjilek2573]

Perfect

[@stevenradcliffe9772]

I enjoyed this as well, but wondered why he didn't use the Mk III's built in level. It allows me to shoot with the camera level in both planes, removing the guess work for these older eyes.

[@bonopufosul]

thanks for sharing

[@johananGR]

Thanks!

[@mehdighasemy8451]

it's perfect.....thank you very very very very very much damet garm .....halimoon kardi

[@krane15]

Great explanation of TS operation. Please give us a second or two more on settings. I had barely enough time to hit pause.

[@antonv.]

nice video

[@jakobmariasoedher4522]

excellent

[@orsoncart9441]

You go into great detail about the shifting for buildings. But you skip through the tilt in order to get larger depth of field.The bit with the clock 15 secs max of explaination!

[@mikezupancic2182]

Awesome video, thank you! Want to walk around now with a TS rather than my 24-105

[@LowLightVideos]

Thanks for your comment Mike. You can look for a video on #freelense (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZStpKesiJiDhpI or kzbin.info/www/bejne/o2bHga2Fa6hgqKs) to try Tilt-Shift video and photography with your existing lens before investing in a proper setup. In addition to what is suggested in the videos you might want to wrap black felt around the base of the lens to prevent light leaks. It's actually easier to hold the lens than it appears in those examples (if you have a steady hand). YT, Rob

[@KenCheng]

for stitching multiple images, could you combine images shifted from both landscape AND portrait orientations?

[@snowecat6930]

Thanks Vincent for a great, very helpful video. Very well done and educative. I use a Nikon PC 28 mm F 3.5 shift lens. Excellent old school PC Lens. Usually I shoot 3 photos of an interior and use Photomerge in Photoshop to stich the 3 photos. Photomerge dose the merging well, however I get some bands of grey where photos overlap as the exposure of each of the 3 photos is slightly different when the lens is shifted vertically a few millimetres for each photo. Would you, or anyone else here, know if there Is a way to resolve this banding of greys on the merged final photo ? Thanks ! I Subscribed with great interest.

[@runningwithscissors3280]

Very excellent presentation and I've seen MANY. I wonder which head, geared, you are using for proper leveling. I just ordered the Arca-Swiss d4 Geared Pan Classic Tripod Head and look forward to more convenient leveling. Thank You Sir.

[@azizulzulzaha]

that shift function, if modified with a follow focus, could double as in lens "slider" movement, if shift from left to right/right to left. Im mindblown.

[@rustembac9236]

Thanks

[@tgmwright]

5:34 - "That looks good to me" It does? :\

[@wooflord]

Ahahaha glad i wasn't the only one! Drives me mad that it wasn't level also

[@dominiclester3232]

Nice video, thanks, but as a geared head user, the idea of using my tilt shift lenses with a ball head, seems like hell on Earth!

[@jonathandarts1956]

With "extending focus", you say "rotate the lens". Are you rotating the shift, tilt, or actually shifting or tilting the lens 3 ticks? Really helpful video! Thank you.

[@Kidraver555]

Do you ever use the tilt shift's hand held, am exploring that side atm.

[@CBW0314]

I have an older canon rebel t3i, what is a good BUDGET wide angle lens for interior real estate photography?

[@paulweijenberg5237]

Great video! You really left nothing out, and I can tell as a user of the 24 TS-E.

[@rajanpaulphotography]

Is the same method in HTS adapter for Hasselblad....? Is there any tutorial video any where...? please let me know the link. thanks.

[@giuliovaleriomancini4137]

Does anyone know the name of the LCD screen he has attached on camera??? Thanks!!

[@michaelmcphee2930]

Great work, easy to follow. I would like to see a landscape panorama of mountains perhaps using the 90 mm TSE, which I have but stitching in portrait and landscape mode. I have tried to do this but it is a shambles, any ideas?

[@LowLightVideos]

Michael McPhee AutoPano makes great Stitching Software that rarely has artifacts. The "Video Stitcher" can take a Video and make a very large Image out of it. They also sell motorized Pan Heads. www.kolor.com/360-video/autopano-video-360-video-stitcher.html

[@mamamartinslui]

this video makes me want to buy a TS lens !

[@krane15]

You'd need a set, so way out of my budget. Rental only for me.

[@user-hd4wf5gq8r]

Krane why would you _need_ a set? Just choose your preferred focal length, less is more.

[@maxmacross]

8:07 Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars

[@PasmadongKamay]

Good day, sir. Is it possible to mount an EF mount Tilt-Shift via a speedbooster (Metabones or Viltrox) to a Micro Four Thirds Camera? Thank you and regards.

[@LowLightVideos]

You _could_ but there are other choices: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXTFh5KwYtd-d9k

[@brucecrippen2110]

I have the 24 mm TS. I can use the 17 on a full frame body and move it to a crop sensor body and then have a 24 (approximately) on that body. What do you see as advantages/disadvantates to using this technique?

[@LowLightVideos]

The lower amount of shift would be the disadvantage, using a lens you already own is the advantage. You can probably not crop (in camera) and do it in post, either accepting a bit of vignette or more finely cropping and gaining a slight increase.

[@bird271828]

Is that purple fringing around car headlights at 14:00 ?

[@andrewmckenley5355]

Do you prefer the 24 over the 17?

[@lucaraimondo5967]

Nice video. I have a question, when you shift up or down do you still have the possibility to shift left and right so that you can get as much as possible in the frame (so that instead of having a 3 pics left to right or top to bottom you will have 9 pics?)? thanks for the tutorial video.

[@LowLightVideos]

If you shift left or right a little you reduce the distance you can tilt up or down *and* still have the Sensor on the 'usable' part of the Lens - if you go full left and full up you'll vignette the corner of your Sensor and have distortion from the edge of the Lens (which isn't as perfect as the center of the Lens). If you don't move too far you can shift and tilt at the same time. Another consideration is that shifting and tilting doesn't create a 'regular' Panorama Shot, it warps the perspective of the edges (if that's what you want this is the best way to do it). If that's *not* what you want (a warped Photo) you need a Panning Head (which you could even combine with tilting and shifting). With a Panning Head (example: www.omegabrandess.com/Gigapan and *many* other places) for a few hundred to thousand bucks you can shift *any* Lens physically sideways (without changing the perspective) and make a Gigapixel Photo (that sounds sort of what you're asking to do). You can also use the Panning Head for timelapse and video whereas using a tilt-shift Lens for that can be a bit tricky to get the shot setup and calculated. Here's a Demo using it for video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/enOrfqyHlt2jpas . Here's using it to take multiple Photos (way more than just 9, even thousands) to create a Gigapixel Photo (with Stitching Software): kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnrSc6iei9iagbM . Hope that helps, Rob

[@lucaraimondo5967]

LowLightVideos thanks man, really appreciated!

[@Federico84]

what's the difference between shifting a lens and just raising the camera?

[@DalsPhotography]

Thanks a lot for you very interesting video, I am on the process of choosing my first tilt shif lens, which one would you suggest for landscapes? Hills, and sunsets and ocean, is what we get down here. On the other hand, could you tell me which tripod are you using? It seems great for the camera plus the lens and the atomos ninja all together. Thanks a lot, regards from Uruguay.

[@Kidraver555]

Daniela Argandoña for landscapes the coolest trick for me is doing multi row panoramas without changing the relationship of the sensor to the subject, you shift up and down for more rows, awesome mega pixel stuff. for that reason a 45mm makes sense to me, can get wide angle using the multirow trick. but the best is the 24mm,I have the 3 nikon TS lenses.

[@DalsPhotography]

Well, finally and due mainly to the fact that I was looking for a tilt lens in Europe and I was looking for something around 19... I bought an angular lens, for now it will do..... :) The idea of stitching is very interesting, thanks for your input Robmar555

[@Kidraver555]

Daniela Argandoña stitching is simple, PTGUI is the best program to use, in a few hours using youtube tutorials you will be getting awesome results, try hdr panoramics, be bold.

[@DalsPhotography]

robmar555 Thanks a lot for your input robmar, I am sorry, even if I sound stupid, as I don't live in an english country, could you please let me know what is PTGUI? . Thanks a lot for your wise input!

[@Kidraver555]

Daniela Argandoña Ptgui is a program specifically for stitching panoramic photographs, just google the name, you can get a demo, there are simpler stitching programs but none give you the editing control that ptgui gives, depends on how much time you have to figure methods out, things can get pretty complex fast, some of my hdr panorama's have file sizes over 10gb for one hdr pano, gets even worse for hdr timelapse, can end up with 100gb files for 5 mins of footage.

[@v-22]

Would a TS lens be a good - or even the best - choice for wide angle VIDEO shots? Once you fix the distortion, what happens when you pan and tilt? Is the distortion corrected regardless or will it show?

[@LowLightVideos]

It's difficult to explain in words, here's a video example of tilting, shifting and moving: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2awgGOebLN8p7s also see Keith's videos: kzbin.infovideos and this Interview where he spent 3 years getting the shot: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKnHZIyZfdpgi6s . When you *Shift* you affect the parallax and change the angle of parallel lines (straightening, converging or diverging them) - you need to either maintain the angle or adjust the shift while you move. With *Tilt* you tilt the Plane of Focus (the Depth of Focus becomes tilted) and objects very close or far move in and out of focus (see first Link above, the way the Plane of Focus _spins_ around in many of the Shots). As long as you maintain the same distance to all objects or you adjust the Tilt while you Pan then you can maintain a continuous Video with all Frames correct. Needless to say it takes a lot of practice and likely a few attempts. It would be easier to use a motorized Pan/Tilt Head and take a bunch of Still Photos, combining them into a Video rather than trying to shoot Live and adjust everything on the fly. The above Links will demonstrate what can be done with enough skill, time and money. Thanks for your question, it took a while to find the best example videos. YT, Rob

[@v-22]

Hi Rob, thank you very much very through explanation. I was thinking of something very simple as a establishing shot. A simple tilt down or zoom in (via dolly) to show a city or a building without distorted lines and without any weird effect.

[@jimmyhill9591]

In the first example(the Brooklyn bridge), being that the distortion is caused by the sensor plane not being vertical(camera tilted up), couldn't you make the camera level and simply shoot from a higher perspective? You wouldn't have distortion from the sensor plane being tilted and would end up with more of the bridge/city/sky and less of the water. Am I missing something?

[@LowLightVideos]

Jimmy Hill 3:01 - The camera is level and he shifts to make the frame where he wants it, which is: "some water, and looking up at the bridge". He could *possibly* get higher up if there was somewhere to go. Since he wants the water and to look upward he needs to be low. Since he wants straight verticals he doesn't tilt the camera. If there was a nearby building, that he was allowed to enter and shoot a shot out their window, the window might not open (like the 10th floor of a skyscraper). In that case, in order to shoot straight through the glass without a reflection you rotate 90° and shift sideways, that pulls you out of the reflection (obviously works for mirrors too). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt%E2%80%93shift_photography#Applications So, either way shifting could help for the shot. If he devised a shot where the lens was unnecessary then there would be no tilting or shifting to demonstrate. That's a second reason to not take a different shot from a different vantage point. YT, Rob

[@Alex-mp4kl]

Every time I wish I could go shoot stuff with tilt shift I just watch this video. Because I can't afford either a camera like that or a tilt shift lens. Plus I don't live in a major city.

[@PHlophe]

Sasha, you don't need an expensive camera tho

[@jaymcalister5556]

Squirrel at 10:39.

[@artiewray747]

A bit rushed...had to freeze the video several times to study the results...but overall very informative. Love the corrected architectural shots.

[@ngkindig]

Is the ISO set on auto???

[@ericp.9497]

@16:38 It's Mona Lisa! She's alive!

[@0741921]

How do you get access to the windows in grand central?

[@LowLightVideos]

I guess if you want to shoot something they'll let you up there. ;) If you have a camera ...

[@Pixinity]

can't you just use a 14mm and for lightroom, it's just one click to get rid of the distortion?

[@icsp2]

Do we need these now we have photoshop and lightroom.?

[@LowLightVideos]

One example (of many) is that you can shift the camera operator out of the shot and shoot over the shoulder of someone looking into a reflective surface, like a store window or a mirror. Here is the ultimate demo: kzbin.info/www/bejne/moqViX94jsx2r6s - keep an eye on the lower right corner, notice that they twist the lens while shooting and the video changes smoothly. Way too hard to perfectly Photoshop all those moves *and* maintain realistic perspective. Thanks for asking, and for visiting. YT, Rob

[@JessemyBeadle]

Great video, if ONLY he gave us longer than a microsecond to appreciate and compare the results

[@fifa22myanmarbyye65]

what kind of Tripod you r using ?

[@Fatherlake]

So does the tilt function actually change the way the camera focuses, or does it just blur the top / bottom?

[@LowLightVideos]

An oversimplified explanation is: When you focus a Camera with a larger Sensor and change the Aperture to reduce the Depth of Field (usually to make the distant background out of focus and have the foreground Subject in sharp focus, thus avoiding distracting information) you can get an effect like a thin sheet that is in focus (sometimes not so "thin"). Using the Tilt allows you to take a shot of a long object (like a Longhouse, or a Barn) and tilt the _sheet_ of 'in-focus area' so that someone leaning up against the building on BOTH *ends* of the building are in focus while objects closer or further from this 'tilted line of focus' remain out of focus. Use the Shift to 'tilt the zoom' and make both those people the same height. YT, Rob

[@Fatherlake]

Ah, ok. Thanks!

[@brontologos]

Long boring explanation: The reason why objects come into focus at different distances AWAY from the lens is because they come into focus at different distances BEHIND the lens. Since the film or sensor is normally a flat plane, perpendicular to the line of sight, only objects that are in a flat plane, also perpendicular to the line of sight, in front of the lens will be sharp (though lenses have a "depth of field" which means there is actually a reasonable range when things are sharp.) To get things in focus, you turn the ring on the lens which moves the optics so objects at different distances become focussed at the same distance behind the lens - that is, on the sensor. But you could ALSO change focus by moving the sensor forwards or backwards which would bring different parts of the image into focus. (I know you know this.) If you took a photo of a wall, square on, but the sensor was tilted so it was not parallel to the wall, one part of the wall would be out-of-focus and another in-focus. On the other hand, if the wall was at an angle relative to the camera, and the film or sensor was ALSO tilted, at the same angle, the whole wall would be sharp. Photographers used this principle to shoot wide shots of buildings that were tilted up or slanting away. By using a camera where you could move the photographic plate relative to the lens, you could shoot a picture where the whole building was in focus even though one side was closer to the camera than the other. To do this used a flexible bellows between the lens and the camera that allow you to set the camera and the lens at a slight angle to each other. These tilt-shift lenses essentially do the same thing using internal lenses rather than a bellows. (You can still buy bellows and do the same thing for about 1/50th cost of the tilt-shift lens.) Of course if you tilt the film in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION to the subject, you narrow the distance at which things will be sharp rather than widening it, so you get the "miniature" effect. By the way, the shift function is essentially just cropping the picture in the camera, rather than doing it on your computer. You could do the same thing by using a very wide rectilinear lens, shooting dead level, and cropping off what you don't need.

[@andes8166]

Ok, is a bit off the subject, but what is that external screen he has hooked up?

[@86Timewarp]

+ande s The external screen is used as an external recorder to record RAW video from the 5D Mark III or any other camera. It also doubles as an external screen.

[@andes8166]

Thanks, that is pretty cool, were does one get one or what is the model. Thanks for taking the time to provide the information :-}

[@lilblingking1491]

I hope you already found one by now, but try b&h or adorama. www.bhphotovideo.com/ www.adorama.com/

[@Alex-mp4kl]

My camera is a few years (maybe 8) old, is it likely I could find title-shift lenses for it? Also this video has made me realize I know nothing about photography... But it was a joy to watch. Also what was the tool used to live view and drill down for focus? Do most modern DSLRs have ports for that tool? For instance I have a Nikon D60, but it's pretty dated. I wouldn't mind finding something new. But I loved that tool, and not having to use the viewfinder during actual shooting.

[@namedjohnsmith6780]

Alex Ferraro and I thought my d80 was outdated.. :D

[@Avidcomp]

17:30 ...quick, she's freezing her butt off, and you're running out of battery... Good video

[@AssPhyxiation]

LOL

[@DuffyThompson]

Now you’re ready to go tilting at windmills.

[@paulschmitt2954]

Should spend more time early going thru the plug concept for tilt and for shift.

[@scottweaverphotovideo]

That was pretty shifty.

[@leonkool123]

That is not distortion, it’s called “perspective”, you are basically simulating a 3 vanishing point real world perspective to a 2 vanishing point perspective.. Great video tho

[@bettyswallocks6411]

Nevertheless, just about everyone involved in the field of photography calls it ‘distortion’, with, of course, the odd exception. Does it really matter? Everyone understands what is meant. One wouldn’t call Laowa’s offerings ‘zero perspective’ lenses. It’s a lot like centrifugal force. Half of the time, the speaker means centripetal force, but it doesn’t matter, because everyone understands what you mean.

[@Bishnu_Deb]

@@bettyswallocks6411 you are absolutely right.