Is there such a thing as a small format bellows lens?

[Gavjenks]

Is there any reason why nobody seems to manufacture a small format lens+bellows made to work with dSLRs? As in, just like a medium format lens design, but smaller to fit a dSLR. A 1-2 inch bellows + lens mount + normal affordable lens calibrated to focus on the sensor WITH a bellows in between (most likely a retrofocus lens)

Basically like the build quality of a lensbaby, but with a more flexibletraditional type bellows so that you can shift as well as tilt, just like a view camera. Right now, the only tilt+shifts available for something like a dSLR cost like $2000. Which makes sense considering all their complicated metal joints and hinges and precision optics, but why always even HAVE those joints instead of a cheap cloth bellows? Fine for pros, but you could cut like $1500+ off the price and make it accessible to amateurs as an alternative option.

Is there some technical reason this wouldn't work well? (I'm not asking for any sort of ridiculous 12mm lens or anything with this design... but something like 70-80mm should be quite doable) Or does it exist and I just didn't find it?

 

[Gavjenks]

Note: I know you can buy bellows by themselves, but if you don't have a lens calibrated to focus to infinity with that extra flange distance, then it won't work the way I'm talking about as a normal tilt/shift. It will only function as a macro tube (with tilt/shift macro capabilities).

 

[amolitor]

There might be issues with the mount and camera body getting in the way of any sort of shifts, unless you're at some pains to bring the lens in very very close? I dunno.

You can pretty much do perspective control in a photo editor, and focal plane control can probably be done with focus stacking techniques. Do it all in post!

 

[David444]

.

 

[table1349]

Randomn3ss ? Horseman Bellows for DSLR Cameras

Take your pick

bellows| B&H Photo Video

 

[amolitor]

The trouble with bellows of that sort for normal use is that you need to use quite long lenses to focus at infinity and still get any bellows between the sensor and the lens, which means you're doing tilt shift games with long lenses, which is frankly odd.

This is surely why the OP suggested retrofocus lenses, it's a good solution, if you want to go the bellows route.

 

[Gavjenks]

Followup, I found a very elegant solution:

http://www.jonmartinphoto.com/images/tilt/DSC00011c.jpg


(Instead of a $40 bellows rail, you could use additional lumber and just screw it directly into the tripod mount, too).



This is brilliant, as it is very simple to make and use, and has vastly MORE mobility (and control!) than professional tilt shift lenses. Basically a wooden gimbal. You can tilt (loosen either screw and rotate the attached part) to like... 40 degrees if youre crazy, not just 8. And you can shift (loosen screw and shift the screw in the slot either horiz. or vert.) a whole inch or two, not just 12mm. And you can do either of these in any direction simultaneously, with no restrictions on tilt vs. shift being in the same dimension or at 90 degree angles to one another. Obviously extreme tilts or shifts will give you vignetting etc., but you have the CHOICE if you want. You can also lock it in place anywhere continuously across the whole range of movement, unlike many commercial T/S lenses which have detents at fixed intervals.

I'm not sure what lens that guy is using, but if you get any old random medium format lens that you like on ebay, usually they have flange to focal distances of up to 100mm or more (compared to, for example, Canon EOS at 45mm). This gives you 2 whole inches of space to put a bellows or rubber or whatever to block light and allow flexibility, while still getting infinity focus, = lots of mobility. Also most medium format lenses of course are made to fit into a lens board, and are thus convenient for this.

The cheapest and most easily available lenses are indeed long, 100mm or so (not long in their original medium format, but very long on digital APS-C sensor). However, it is possible to find what would be extremely wide lenses for medium format--like 24mm or so--that still have flange focal distances of 100mm. I.e. retrofocus lenses, like I suggested earlier. These will give you still reasonably wide focus in APS-C + tilt shift abilities. Voila!



So yeah, somebody should make a commercial product that looks like THAT ^ but using high quality and more sturdy aluminum framing, etc., instead of plywood. And it would essentially be a <$300 MSRP tilt shift lens with more motion than the $2500 ones. more like $6-700 to make it really nice glass too.