Think ‘Tilt and Shift’ or ‘Perspective Control’ lenses and you’re probably thinking of architectural photography. The Shift function can effectively correct perspective, so that the walls of tall buildings don’t appear to lean inwards towards the top. Meanwhile, the Tilt function literally tilts the axis of the lens relative to the camera’s image sensor, giving anything from a really tight depth of field for a ‘toy camera’ effect, to a much larger depth of field for keeping relatively near and far objects sharp within an overall scene. This Laowa lens for mirrorless full-frame and medium format cameras has a 100mm focal length, which is too long for typical architectural photography. For this, the simultaneously announced Laowa FFII TS 55mm F2.8 Macro 1X is a somewhat better fit, more so the previously launched Laowa FF S 20mm F4.0 Zero-D Shift, which has an ultra-wide viewing angle but only a shift function with no tilt facility. However, the 100mm lens’s focal length and 1.0x maximum magnification make it ideal for macro photography, where the tilt function gives a boost to the typically tiny depth of field. All in all, the lens aims for a spot in the best tilt-shift lenses hall of fame.
