Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift Lens

2017-05-28T20:00:00

For tabletop product shooting and near macro work the TS-E 90 cannot be beat. The image crispness and detail is awesome. I often crop images in post processing and have never had trouble loosing detail in images from this lens. There are alot of digital tricks you can play with software. But the optical effects of a true shifting and tilting lens cannot truly be replicated after the fact by software.

jbinco

Originally posted at

2016-12-12T10:44:02

Typical canon quality

WILLIAM D.

2016-04-01T20:00:00

I'm advertising professional photographer since 1980 and large and medium format is what I used in this time since I have my second Canon, (my first was a Canon F1 in 1978, after that I switch to Nikon for a while the new 5D, just after his launch into the market, I saw the TS90 in Canon's website and I got both at the same time, y feel from the beguining that this duo will be my future in my specialization: Product Photographyfor advertising at high level, whith better results than my Sinar P2 with high end Schneider optics and Hasselblad. So I really know what I talking about. I'm using it to shot portaits and models too And best at all: I can still using the Scheimpflug rule, in only one way, but excellent enough to have a good depth of field for close focusing set in table top take or macro with extension rings. I love big size to show and see my work and I'm pleased each time I see a photo taken with the TS 90 it's a magnificent, superb, and awsom lens!

Manolakky

Originally posted at

2014-06-17T21:00:00

Landscape and portraiture are my main uses. having plenty of manual focus lenses manually focusing was not a problem it simply takes a little longer. The focus confirm is very helpful. I own both this lens and the zeiss 135 APO sonnar and I must say both lenses are very nice and this 90mm for being a very old model is pretty on par, even if it not apochromatic. Its resolution is superb. My main reason for getting this lens instead of waiting for the newer 135mm Tilt shift that canon is rumored to produce Is because of its rendering characteristics with its gaussian optics which made it very worthwhile.

Federico M.

2013-02-06T19:00:00

The tilt was only half what I expected. The lens will not attach to Canon's Macro Twin Lite. The lens will focus quite close, acting as a macro lens. The lens is well made, but the shift and tilt are at right angles and should have been made adjustable so they can be combined. I would recomend this but point out the shortcomings.

BOB T.

2013-01-14T19:00:00

I actually borrowed this lens from Canon a year ago for testing and just happened to have a small assignment shooting a large antique tractor truck for a calendar while I had the lens. I was absolutely blown away by the image quality then and knew that I would have to own this lens at some point. And while I'm still shooting architecture most of the time, I don't anticipate using it much for that except for the possible detail shot of wrought iron, woodwork, etc. very occasionally. But for product shots both large and small, this lens is amazingly sharp. And of course being able to utilize the Scheimpflug principal will yield the great benefit of getting the image correct in the camera instead of compromising any pixels in post production. I also own the Canon 17mm & 24mm TS-E lenses. Those are both stellar optics and travel with me everywhere. This lens however, due to it's Gaussian design and focal length, is sharper, has NO chromatic aberration or barrel distortion, and just snaps into focus albeit manually. Pretty good performance for a 21 year old lens. The only downside is the fact that while the orientation of the shift and tilt can be altered, a small screw driver is required or you can send it to Canon's repair facility. The lens is delivered with these at a right angle to each other and upon delivery I changed this so I could tilt and shift in the same direction. A pleasant surprise for me after doing this is that the tilt and shift controls are on opposite sides of the lens and for that reason are much easier to manipulate; they don't get in each other's way. While I don't think much about macro photography, except when my children inquire about it, just yesterday I had the need to put this lens to the test. A friend who shoots portraits had an SD memory card which was causing problems so I used this lens focused to the nearest distance along with flash to shoot some quick snap shots of it. The detail allowed me to see physical damage to the card that wasn't apparent with the naked eye, and that was repairable and saved two hours worth of images for her. Again, at closest focusing distance there were no aberrations. I was amazed. And I've seen many examples of nature macro shots with creative blurring/focusing which I want to try. The only negative issue I can imagine with this lens is the size of the image circle. In certain situations I can see where an image circle larger than 58mm would be helpful. This will have little to no impact on anything I'm required to shoot. And lastly, Hollywood seems to have caught on to the value of all 4 of Canon's tilt-shift lenses since a major lens manufacturer is reworking and reselling these lenses in their barrels with gearing for follow focus and mounts for the major camera brands in that arena. I'm thinking Canon can probably thank the 5D Mark II and its' acceptance for movies and television for that.

Lock,Load S.

Originally posted at

2012-07-02T21:00:00

The TS-E 90 is the oldest in Canon's Tilt & Shift lenses line up. It is obviously a manual focus lens, as all this type of lenses. The focus anyway is very easy and the ring is easy to reach and nice to use. Quality and sharpness are at very high level as well the chances to have a picture nice but sometimes also out of the choir, and would be make the difference. The lens is quite small, very well built not so eavy. This lens can make the real difference if you are into commercial photography i.e. making product catalogs or other in studio works, as well as typical minuature landscapes, especially from an elevated standpoint.

Filippo

2012-04-23T21:00:00

I use this for product photography, either to isolate a detail (tilting the focus plane away from the surface of the object) or to maintain focus along the entire product when shooting at an angle (tilting the focal plane to run along the object's surface). I also use it when I need to magnify something; it's not officially a macro lens but it focuses down to half a meter, letting me get pretty close. The 90mm may not be an L lens (nor does it have an L price, grin), but I have no complaints with its sharpness and overall image quality.

Adam W.

2011-11-27T19:00:00

Although manual focus is old school, optically this lens is mindblowing. The build quality is on par with a L series lens. This lens has a bit of a learning curve through the additional creativity this lens provides makes it worth the effort. It has been one of the most used lens for product & portrait work.

Seattle S.

2011-09-26T21:00:00

I generally use the 90mm for close-up shots when depth of field and boken are important. The lens is very sharp and the boken is wonderful. I use it even when perspective control isn't needed. Fantastic when combined with 6mm extention tube.

Photo M.

2011-09-04T21:00:00

I've used this lens for over a year and come back to it whenever I am working of close-ups. Great manual focusing capabilities but with live view it's spot on sharp, contrasty and of course you have the tilt shift. I shipped it to Canon to align the tilt and shift capabilities to the same axis

Photo M.

2011-01-11T19:00:00

Great specialty lens. Makes me want to shoot everything in TS. It's very sharp once you're able to manually focus onto your subject.

tedge

2010-04-24T20:00:00

Although manual focus is old school, optically this lens is about as good as it gets. The build quality is on par with a L series lens. This lens has a bit of a learning curve through the additional creativity this lens provides makes it worth the effort. It has been one of the most used lens for product & portrait work.

Seattle S.

Originally posted at

2010-01-09T19:00:00

portraits & product photography.

Seattle S.

2007-09-25T21:00:00

This lens is amazing sharp, you can make big up-samples of your photographs and keep a lot of detail and contrast in the final images. The large aperture let you shot in low light conditions. For product it is the best, you can control what you want in focus.

Juancho

2007-02-14T19:00:00

Its realy Razor sharp in combination with 1Ds MkII, Amazing control over focus range, Particulrly selective focus in Food photography, & even for total sharpness. Amazing to shoot products to control perspective with some limitation.

Soumitra