Canon TS-E 17mm shift and tilt lens

I fancied TS lenses for a long time, even bought a 4x5 to experiment some years back, but thats not exactly the kind of camera you carry around with 2 to 6 exposures. Yes, we can use Photoshop and tilt and warp images, fake miniature scenes, etc. but is not the same as using a TS lens. There are only few in the market and they are all expensive (though you can try a shift adapter for MF lenses on Canon or Nikon DSLR). Finally I got one from DDElectronics in Singapore (almost 400 SGD cheaper than other shops in town !), and just start to enjoy this new lens and learn to create images again in a completely new way. I spare you with technical details, as the web has quite a number of reports, tests and comparisons about this:

• http://guytal.com/wordpress/2011/03/review-canon-ts-e-17mm-f4l/
• http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=371
• http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/cameras/lenses/ts-e_17_f4_l.html
• http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Canon-TS-E-17mm-f-4-L-Tilt-Shift-Lens-Review.aspx
• http://www.ronscheffler.com/blog/?page_id=309

I highly recommend to read Peter Hills' introduction about tilt and shift here:

• http://www.redbubble.com/people/peterh111/journal/5713153-an-introduction-to-tilt-shift-photography

Drop by the TS-E 17mm Flickr group with plenty of real-life sample images:

• http://www.flickr.com/groups/canontse17mmf4l/

My first personal impression:

• Its a fantastic lens, a prime lens worth every cent. 
• Crisp sharp.
• You can shoot handheld, its a myth a shift lens always requires a tripod and a big screen.
• Lot of glass without protection, you will take care of this lens !

A quick comparison to get an idea what it means to shift:

1. Shifted 10mm, camera levelled
2. Not shifted but camera tilted up to capture rooftops
3. Not shifted but camera levelled