Tilt/Shift 3

[I'm taking a break until Wednesday- today and the next two days will be posts I prepared late last week.]

There are a number of difficulties I encountered during this second sojourn with the Tilt/Shift lens. The first involves the difficulty of lugging the heavier tripod around (it is necessary, b/c the camera with the TS lens weighs a few pounds.) I found that I was basically walking around with the tripod extended- which made balancing the camera in my other hand sort of difficult. Sometimes I'd even leave the camera on the end of the tripod as I carried it, which has got to be the world's worst idea- perhaps a quick break tripod would make it easier to get the camera off the top. Anyway, apart from transport issues, I also had difficulty lining up the camera with the building. Working at night, it can sometimes be hard to know if you are exactly parallel to the front of the building, and if you aren't, it sort of negates the purpose of having the TS lens in the first place. Finally, I had a little bit of trouble with the lens itself- remember to check that the tilt and shift controls were still locked in the right position, remembering to check the manual focus, etc. Definitely a challenge, but all in all a rewarding one.

Comments

[Rocka]

You have some awesome pictures... Nice site...

[Ken]

Carry the tripod with the camera mounted..., yes, it's very bad idea. Buy a quick release head, I saw at BH where you purchased your tripod that there is a good and cheap "Bogen / Manfrotto   
Price : $ 48.00
3413QR Proball Head (Quick Release) - Supports 8.80 lb (3.99 kg)
MFR# 3413QR • B&H# BO3413QR". Even if it is not a super head like ArcaSwiss, it's a very good one. With it you can attach and deattach your camera quickly.

[jake]

thanks for the tip, ken- i'll pick that up today.

[Tom]

Be careful of the Bogen quick-release heads, they're prone to dumping cameras if they "quick release" when you're not read.

The best write-up I've seen of tripods is here:
http://www.photo.net/equipment/tripods/philg

For tilt-shift, are you using a decent bubble level? You can get acceptable ones that fit into the hot-shoe of your SLR, although one that works with your tripod head might be better.

[Tom]

Forgot... if you are going to carry a heavy metal tripod, go to a hardware store and buy 6 feet of foam pipe insulation in an appropriate diameter. Tape it on to the top tubes and it will save your shoulder/back.

[Henry]

I love that one alley in Chinatown (#6 from top). Reminds me of old New York.

[joey harrison]

Jake,
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your nighttime shots of the city. The light of the long exposures creates a museum diorama effect that I really like. I thinks it's really important to document the city as you're doing. In 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, those shots will be invaluable. And even now, they're really fascinating. Keep up the good work.

[Sam T]

Kewl azz pix...