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Why I Chose the Samyang Tilt/Shift Lens for Portraits
Why I Chose the Samyang Tilt/Shift Lens for Portraits
When we hear about tilt-shift lenses, we immediately think about miniature photography which it is known for.
Samyang 24mm F3.5 T/S is definitely a unique lens you can add to your collection, and before I explain the reason why, let us first understand, what is a tilt-shift lens?
To simplify it, it’s a type of lens in which the optics can be tilted or shifted and rotates in different directions in regards to the sensor.
his allows the photographer to adjust the perspective without even moving the camera and its incredible ability to correct perspective distortions makes this perfect for architectural photographs but due to its mechanism, it can only be a manual lens.
SAMYANG TILT/SHIFT LENS 24mm F3.5 ED AS UMC
Since I’m a portrait photographer who loves experimenting, why don’t I use this for portrait photography?
First Impression
First of all, the appearance of the Samyang 24mm F3.5 T/S is indeed quite intimidating in a cool and epic way.
It is not your average prime lens mechanism in which you can just turn the focus ring to use it,
there are knobs everywhere in which you control the tilt and shift and lock it in place which is kind of confusing if you’re using it for the first time.
But after playing with it for some time, it became even more enjoyable to use. You can experiment with different angles and perspectives which is so much fun to do!
Unique Feature of Tilt / Shift Lens
One of the unique abilities it has is its perspective control. In normal lenses, you can only focus in a plane of view parallel to the camera,
where the plane of view in focus is the same distance from your camera everywhere.
The Samyang 24mm F3.5 T/S allows you to focus everything in a tilted plane of view, so you can focus on something closer and further away at the same time.
One good example is this photo right here in which both my subject and the camera which are in different distances are in focus at the same time, which adds a dreamy effect on this photo.
Dreamy Effect for Portraits
Using this lens for portrait photography creates a very distinct type of image.
And because of that, you can make aesthetically pleasing portraits using both tilt and shift element that creates that artistic blur which isolates your subject and get extraordinary play in depth of field.
This lens can be challenging to use as not only that it is manual, the use of tilt and shift elements needs patience and precision especially when used for portraits,
as mostly, we want to focus on the eyes and this might take a few shots to get it right.
Using Samyang 24mm F3.5 T/S enables you to construct your composition to tell a story.
This reminds me of just how our own eyes see things, whereas we focus on something and everything else is
in blur which represents this lens’s unique quality to feel that exact moment.
Saying all that just means that it may be difficult but the outcome is sweet.
There’s more to this lens than just taking photographs. It’s the entire process of visualizing the pictures you want to take and finding the right tilt and the shift to get that vision come to life. It’s fascinating and gets you to be even more creative than you already are.
When I use this lens, it makes me realize that there are certain things I want to be in focus and the others be covered in blur in such a special way,
selecting just what elements are important in your photograph, and even manipulating your viewers to lead their eyes just where you want them to look.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you are a portrait photographer searching for ways to get or even add some sprinkle of magic to your photos,
the Samyang Tilt/Shift 24mm F3.5 ED AS UMC will definitely give you that opportunity.
The use of this lens is rather unconventional yet satisfying way of creating unique photographs. Who knows, it might just be your next favorite lens.
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