A shift lens is used to correct distortion in architectural photographs and sometimes to manage depth of field in studio shots. The lens can be moved upwards, downwards and side to side relative to the camera body. This is used to correct the perspective distortions you get when you’re unable to photograph a subject head-on. Shift lenses are heavy and expensive. One reason is the precise engineering needed to produce smooth and accurate movements, and another is that the lens has to provide a much larger image circle than usual in order to prevent corner shading (vignetting) when the lens movements are used.
Shift (perspective control) lens
Labels:
Lenses
A shift lens is used to correct distortion in architectural photographs and sometimes to manage depth of field in studio shots. The lens can be moved upwards, downwards and side to side relative to the camera body. This is used to correct the perspective distortions you get when you’re unable to photograph a subject head-on. Shift lenses are heavy and expensive. One reason is the precise engineering needed to produce smooth and accurate movements, and another is that the lens has to provide a much larger image circle than usual in order to prevent corner shading (vignetting) when the lens movements are used.