Velbon DF-60 Dual Function Light Weight Tripod Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Like the other reviewer - I checked out tripods at a camera store. Hadn't heard of Velbon, but a quick Internet search showed them to be a recognized name in tripods. I needed a tripod for my Nikon D50 (especially with the 70-300mm zoom lens), and perhaps a video camera, and the DF-60 fit the bill - lightweight, quick to set up, leveling bubble, detachable baseplate, etc. Sure, it's pretty much all plastic, but if you take care of your equipment - shouldn't make that much difference for non-professional use. It's stable enough with the built-in leg brace spreader. The price at the camera store was almost $70 - Amazon beat them by a mile. Received it in a few days. So far - everything I though it would be. Highly recommended if you need a lighweight tripod. Now I need to get a bag so I can sling it over my shoulder.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Velbon DF-60 Dual Function Light Weight Tripod

Item #: T44800. Product Type: TripodWeight: 4 lbsTripod Head Type: PanTripod Operating Height: 64 in Customers also search for: Technology\Cameras, Camcorders, Digital Frames, and Accessories\Digital Cameras\Camera Lenses, Flashes and Accessories Discount Velbon DF-60 - tripod, Buy Velbon DF-60 - tripod, Wholesale Velbon DF-60 - tripod, 0017915400603, DF-60, Camera Lenses, Flashes and Accessories

Click here for more information about Velbon DF-60 Dual Function Light Weight Tripod

Manfrotto 234 Monopod Tilt Head (Replaces 3232) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)It's rated to 5.5 lbs, and handles my 70-200 + 40D without slipping. It's well made - the photo on Amazon does it little credit, so I'm uploading some of my own. It's also larger than it looks.
It's exactly what it purports to be - a tilt head.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Manfrotto 234 Monopod Tilt Head (Replaces 3232)

A must for you monopod, this is a simple tilt head to allow a camera on a Monopod to be turned 90° to provide either vertical or horizontal format. This replaces the Bogen Manfrotto 3232.

Click here for more information about Manfrotto 234 Monopod Tilt Head (Replaces 3232)

Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L UD Aspherical Ultra Wide Tilt-Shift Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First the lens itself is an excellent wide angle prime. Very sharp edge to edge even wide open. Virtually no flare. But it should not be bought for that purpose. The 14mm f2.8 is cheaper (at $2,000!) and faster. The 16 to 35mm f2.8 zoom is even cheaper and much more versatile. Also, this lens does not auto focus and has a big unprotected bulb in front that requires special care in handling.
What the lens does is produce wide angle shots that cannot be obtained from any other lens. In a normal wide angle, tilting the camera so it is not parallel to the ground makes the vertical lines tilt strongly open or closed. The more you tilt the camera, the stronger the effect. Sometimes you want that effect. It can enhance the height of things. But other times you don't. This lens offers the ability to control line tilt or eliminate it altogether. Set the camera so lines are all straight or tilted to the extent you want then shift the lens itself up, down or sideways to capture the desired field of view. The effect is amazing.
But that is not all. Because lines can be kept straight, shooting two or more shots by shifting the lens instead of the camera facilitates stitching multiple shots into very wide angle images. It is possible to get a shot wider than a fish eye lens with no linear distortion.
And that is still not all. The ability to tilt the lens helps depth of field. I won't try to explain the principle (there are plenty of sites on the internet that describe it) but with the camera on a tripod, it is possible to set the basic shot, shift the lens to the desired point, tilt the lens until everything is in focus up to within a very short distance from the lens, take that shot, then shift the lens the other direction with no or the opposite tilt and take a second shot, then stitch the two shots to get an image wider than a fish eye in focus from inches to infinity even with the lens wide open.
This lens is mostly useful for architectural and landscape photography. You will not use it to photograph the kids or carry around town on vacation (unless you take photographic vacations). It takes a lot of work. Basically, the shot has to be set up in manual exposure and focus before the lens is shifted. A tripod is not absolutely necessary but will be useful for most shots, especially if you plan to stitch multiple shots. It takes those of us old enough to remember back to the days when everything had to be set manually. For those not that old, it will be a shock to have to make so many settings. But for certain shots, there is no substitute for this lens.
It is probably a professional only lens. The cost, effort and basic photographic knowledge required means this lens will never hit the mass market. But for those who like to take landscape panoramas, it is almost a necessity.
UPDATE
I recently had a chance to photograph a slot canyon. It was narrow and tall and I thought a perfect place to try out this lens. I did get some good shots but I was much more impressed with the 16 to 35mm f2.8 II. It was a sharp as the 17mm, easier to use and a lot more versatile. Part of the problem with the 17mm was the work required to set up a shot. It took forever and the results were uneven. This was not a place where tilting lines were a problem so I had the highest hope for shooting multiple shots shifting from side to side to create very wide angles. I found that the 17mm would produce a shot that appeared to be wider angle because I could get closer but the 16mm would get the same shot just not as elongated. The 16mm shot was the more impressive for that particular place. At another site I was shooting an arch and found I could easily get the whole span in the 16mm. A two shot stitch with the 17mm was no more impressive and had a problem with darkening at each end.
Bottom line, the 17mm is no substitute for other lenses. It is a highly specialized lens useful when you have to stitch multiple shots or keep vertical lines straight. The 16mm to 35mm zoom and the 15mm fisheye will be better choices for 95% of all the landscape panoramas and canyon shots.
SECOND UPDATE
I recently tested this lens agains the 14mm II and 16-35 II zoom in a simple landscape panorama with the sun in the upper left quarter of the frame. The 16-35 flared the most, to the point the photo was ruined. It had a high quality filter that may have added to the effect but I was surprised with the amount of flare, which was mostly thick uneven rays emanating from the sun and not multi colored shapes across the frame. The 14mm also flared badly around the sun but less than the zoom. It had no filter. The biggest surprise was the 17mm. It had virtually no flare. Slight rays around the sun but a nice effect. Shifting the lens to both sides then stitching the shots together produced a stunning shot, very wide and clear. This will be my choice for that kind of shot in the future.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L UD Aspherical Ultra Wide Tilt-Shift Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

The widest tilt-shift lens in Canon's lineup, the new TS-E 17mm f/4L lens expands shooting possibilities exponentially on EOS Digital cameras. Designed with UD glass to minimize and compensate for chromatic aberrations, with specially coated aspherical elements for the highest possible glare-free image quality, this tilt-shift lens offers an angle of view of 93 degrees. New TS revolving lets users freely combine tilting and shifting within the range of +/- 90 degrees in the direction of movement. The lens also has an improved tilt & shift knob with an enhanced range of movement of up to +/- 6.5 degrees and revolving lenses for better operability, it uses a circular aperture for beautiful out-of-focus areas and has an SWC lens coating to control ghosting and flare to a far greater degree than with earlier coating technologies.

Get 41% OFF

Click here for more information about Canon TS-E 17mm f/4L UD Aspherical Ultra Wide Tilt-Shift Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Nikon 24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E Nikkor Ultra-Wide Angle Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I previously reviewed this lens. I now have second one and it appears the first was either defective or they vary wildly. Lens #1 came from eBay, due to Nikon's "we're backordered, but don't buy gray" policy. Naturally I wanted a lens with US warranty but Nikon US had none. As usual, they were all over Hong Kong but not one in the USA. So I bought a USA one used/mint condition to get a lens that Nikon would service if necessary. Cosmetically, the lens was flawless but something was amiss so please disregard my previous review.
Lens #2 is quite good or great, depending on what you want it for. The photo I see most often is a field of flowers with the lens tilted. I don't have much interest in tilting a 24mm lens but from what I see, its great for this and image quality should be super.
For architecture, the shifting is a bit of a different story. In theory, its possible to shift this lens 11.5 mm when the camera is oriented vertically. In practice, you can do this if the top of your subject occupies only the top center of the frame. If you are a critical user and your subject fills the entire top of the frame you'll probably find the top corners disappointing. (As with the previous lens, f/13 seemed to be best when shifted although f/11 was very close).
The good news is that if you restrict your shift to about 8-8.5mm the corners clean up, the illumination falloff disappears and things are sharp everywhere. If this sounds bad, it really isn't because previous Nikon PC lenses have a similar limitation where you can physically shift them further than advisable. (When the camera is horizontal you can shift as much as you want).
Mechanically, the lens is sound. Its a little front heavy and movements have to be locked which irks me because this is all due to the tilting business which adds size, weight, cost and complexity. But Canon started this and its tit for tat.
If you have a use for one of these and take the time to test it out I think you'll be pleased. Its hands down better than the Canon 24 TS (version 1) and ridiculously better than the Nikon 28PC. I still have to see if it can beat the Olympus 24 shift but haven't gotten around to it yet.
By the way, with regard to the comments that this is a "very technical" lens that takes practice or tutorials to master, nothing could be further from the truth. You point it at the subject, tilt or shift as neeed, focus, lock the movements down, lock the mirror up and trip the shutter. If you want to make things complicated you can read about Scheimpflug but since you get both visual confirmation and auto exposure, its hard to see how you could make a mistake.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon 24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E Nikkor Ultra-Wide Angle Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

The Nikon PC-E 24mm f/3.5 D lens is an ideal lens for architectural and nature photography, providing an ultra-wide field of view and Perspective Control (PC) with tilt, shift and rotation capability.The three Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements minimize chromatic aberration, resulting in superior sharpness and color-correction.Features:
Wide shifting range, plus or minus 11.5mm, with a tilting range of plus or minus 8.5 degrees.
Revolving capability of plus or minus 90 degrees for versatile tilt/shift shooting effects.
Nikon's Nano Crystal Coat virtually eliminates internal reflections across a wide range of wavelengths for even greater image clarity.
High-performance Nikon Super Integrated Coating (SIC) offers superior color performance and substantially reduced ghosting and flare.
Rounded 9-blade diaphragm for more natural appearance of out-of-focus image elements.
Items included:
Nikon PC-E 24mm f/3.5D ED lens
HB-41 Bayonet Hood
CL-1120 Flexible Lens Pouch

Get 15% OFF

Click here for more information about Nikon 24mm f/3.5D ED PC-E Nikkor Ultra-Wide Angle Lens for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Nikon 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The lens is very sharp at all apertures. It works very well for portraits with good bokeh (nice out of focus areas and transition, close-ups and of course anything that requires tilt/shift capability.
I use it on both the Nikon d300 and d700 bodies and am very pleased with the images that it produces. The lens is smooth and easily worked for all operations and the manual focus is smooth and precise.
Unlike the previous reviewer, I don't have a big problem with the tilt/shift configuration. It works fine the way it is, for the vast majority of applications. I don't disagree that it would be nice to be able to easily switch the alignment back and forth, but I don't think that is a big deal.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens

The PC-E Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D Perspective Control (PC) lens corrects linear distortion in order to better replicate images assen by the human eye, including straightening the converging lines of rectilinear objects such as buildings, while also introducing welcome command over depth-of-field. Their versatility makes these the perfect lens complement for a myriad of applications, including photographing architecture, nature, interiors and still-life especially product photography. When shooting subjects, such as tall buildings with a conventional lens, composition often calls for tilting the axis of a camera. This typically results in a significant distortion of converging lines, impacting the desired visual accuracy of the image. A PC-E NIKKOR lens' "shift" control provides correction for this type of distortion. "Shift" control can also give a photographer the ability to "effectively" move the apparent position of the camera providing further perspective versatility, allowing, for example, the ability to avoid unwanted reflections in an image. A PC-E lens' "tilt" control gives photographers additional creative control over depth-of-field. Known as the Scheimpflug principal,tilt-shift lenses are capable of modifying the focal plane of the lens, allowing the extension or limitation of the point of critical sharpness in the image. The combination of "tilt" and "shift" controls featured in all PC-E NIKKOR lenses gives photographers extraordinary control over perspective control which simply is not possible with conventional lenses. A special tilt/shift mechanism gives users up to +/- 11.5mm shift for perspective control and +/- 8.5-degree tilt control for creative focus. The Perspective Control lenses correct distortion and vanishing point issues with convenient side-mounted controls at 1mm / 1-degree intervals that will adjust the fo

Click here for more information about Nikon 85mm f/2.8D PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens

Nikon 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I own both the 45 and 85 PC-E lenses and both are excellent, sharp lenses that produce great images. Both are great for close-ups, landscapes and of course anything that benefits from tilt/shift capability, like table-top product photography. Properly used, these lenses give the user tremendous depth of field control and some very unique images.
I was initially concerned with the high price of both lenses and the fact that they are manual focus, but their quality in all aspects is worthy of the price and manual focus turned out to be extremely easy and precise on my d300 and d700 cameras.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens

The PC-E Micro NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED Perspective Control (PC) lens corrects linear distortion in order to better replicate images assen by the human eye, including straightening the converging lines of rectilinear objects such as buildings, while also introducing welcome command over depth-of-field. Their versatility makes these the perfect lens complement for a myriad of applications, including photographing architecture, nature, interiors and still-life especially product photography. When shooting subjects, such as tall buildings with a conventional lens, composition often calls for tilting the axis of a camera. This typically results in a significant distortion of converging lines, impacting the desired visual accuracy of the image. A PC-E NIKKOR lens' "shift" control provides correction for this type of distortion. "Shift" control can also give a photographer the ability to "effectively" move the apparent position of the camera providing further perspective versatility, allowing, for example, the ability to avoid unwanted reflections in an image. A PC-E lens' "tilt" control gives photographers additional creative control over depth-of-field. Known as the Scheimpflug principal,tilt-shift lenses are capable of modifying the focal plane of the lens, allowing the extension or limitation of the point of critical sharpness in the image. The combination of "tilt" and "shift" controls featured in all PC-E NIKKOR lenses gives photographers extraordinary control over perspective control which simply is not possible with conventional lenses. A special tilt/shift mechanism gives users up to +/- 11.5mm shift for perspective control and +/- 8.5-degree tilt control for creative focus. The Perspective Control lenses correct distortion and vanishing point issues with convenient side-mounted controls at 1mm / 1-degree intervals that will adju

Get 28% OFF

Click here for more information about Nikon 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E Micro Nikkor Lens