We are still missing Tilt-Shift lenses in the E-mount lens range!
One of the T/S images shot by Davide Perbellini using the Mamiya 645 system
The idea for this article was sparked by a discussion I just had with a colleague of mine named Davide Perbellini (here is his IG account). He’s an architectural photographer looking to switch systems. He currently owns an old Phase One Back for the Mamya 645 system and asked me what kind of tilt-shift lens options we have for the E-mount. Specifically, he needs a 24mm and 80mm focal length. I am not an expert in this field and I quickly googled the different options and none were really satisfactory:
Option 1: Using third party Tilt Shift lenses like the Samyang/Rokinon 24mm T/S that has a poor optical performance compared ot the majestic Canon 24mm T/S lens. Some other better quality lenses are shift only like the Laowa 20mm lens.
Option 2: Using a third party Tilt-Shift lens adapter from Fotodiox and adapt older Canon or Nikon lenses on it.
His request: He would like to know from you if you can get professional results using the Tilt Shift adapter (your feedback in the comment system is welcome).
My thoughts: I’m afraid that nothing even comes close to what the Canon R or Fuji GF system can offer. They have native T/S lenses like the Canon 24mm, Fujifilm 30mm and Fujifilm 110mm. And I really wonder why the E-mount lens line is completely missing this market. We have a ton of 50mm and 85mm lenses that are completely redundant. How come Sony (and other third party manufacturers) have abandoned this segment?
Maybe Sony thinks the market is too small to waste time developing lenses for architectural photographers. Would love to hear the opinion that are in this market, if they have some “work around” that are satisfying, or if they gave up on Sony and use different camera systems for that specific task.
Thanks!
