A tilt-shift adapter for the Canon RF mount

Wednesday 22 November 2023, 20:10 by Nando Harmsen | 3,459 views | 5 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

If you do a lot of architectural photography, you know that perspective distortion can be tricky. You can solve this with a tilt-shift lens. If you have a Canon EOS R camera, you can now buy an adapter from Fotodiox that gives you tilt-shift capabilities with almost all EF lenses.

With an adapter, you can mount older Canon EF lenses on Canon EOS R cameras. This works perfectly, just as well as lenses with an RF mount. What if you give the adapter tilt-shift capabilities?

That is exactly what Fotodiox has done with the EF to RF TLT ROKR adapters. You place this adapter between a lens with an EF mount and your Canon EOS R camera. You then get 10mm of shift or 10 degrees of tilt.

The EF to RF TLT ROKR adapter has no contacts for communication between the camera and lens. This means that it has a few disadvantages.

The EF lens must not have focus-by-wire. These are lenses that need power from the camera to operate the focusing motor. The EF lens must also have a manual focusing ring, because autofocus does not work.

In addition, it is useful to have an aperture ring available. Most Canon EF lenses do not have one, or perhaps none of them do, as far as I know. This means you can only work with the widest aperture.

The most suitable lenses for this TLT ROKR adapter are fully manual lenses, such as those made by manufacturers like Laowa.

Do bear in mind that most EF lenses will show vignetting with this adapter when using the tilt and shift options. The image circle is too small for this type of use. This is only an issue with full-frame EOS R cameras. APS-C cameras will suffer less from it, or not at all.

The Fotodiox RF-to-EF TLT ROKR adapter is a great product that, within its limitations, puts tilt-shift capabilities within reach. An adapter like this costs around 300 euros.

Share: WhatsApp Facebook

About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

Tilt-shift effect in landscape photography
by Nando Harmsen
Tilt-shift lens for extreme depth of field
by Nando Harmsen
Getting started with tilt-shift without selling your kidney
by Elja Trum
Review: Canon EOS R50 mirrorless camera
by Nando Harmsen
Review: Canon EOS R50 V vlog camera
by Nando Harmsen
Canon introduces the EOS C50 and the RF 85mm f/1.4L VCM
by Nando Harmsen

Show every article in Product announcements

home

5 comments

Donald Willemsen wrote on Thursday 23 November 2023 at 13:58 | reply
It seems like an affordable solution if you have a small budget, but I find it has quite a few disadvantages most EF lenses often don't have an aperture ring or even manual focusing. You are then dependent on fully manual lenses. That in itself needn't be a problem . Besides Laowa, the brand Ttartisan also makes manual lenses, even with an RF mount.
I would like to own and use a TS lens, but Canon's are all very expensive (+2000€). That is not feasible for people like me with a small budget. One of the few options left is then a TS lens from Samyang, which is still somewhat affordable at a price of around 800€. The question for me is then: What about the quality of that lens? I haven't found any decent reviews of it yet. Do you have any tips Nando?
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Thursday 23 November 2023 at 16:00 | reply
You would like to have a TS lens?
Then I ask: do you need a TS lens, or is it only because you would simply like to have one?
If you really need one for your photography, then an investment is justified. If there is no money for an original Canon, then you are dependent on this kind of adapter or lenses from another brand, such as the ones you already mentioned.
Are you afraid of poor image quality with those lenses from another brand, then you will have to save up a little longer. Or you could try to get hold of a TS-E lens second-hand.
If you don't need a TS lens for your photography, then even 300 euros for a TS adapter is money wasted.
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Thursday 23 November 2023 at 16:30 | reply
Nando, thank you very much for your advice. Saying it is absolutely necessary may be a bit exaggerated, I enjoy photographing in cities to capture special buildings. But all too often I then have to deal with 'falling over' buildings. You can correct that in Photoshop, of course, but I don't find that easy. It is better to get the subject properly in the photo straight away while taking the picture. A TS lens can also be useful in landscape photography and even in the studio, for example with product photography.
The subjects I mention are things I really enjoy doing and I often have to adjust the perspective afterwards. So that is time-consuming.
So your advice is something I can definitely use. If I buy a TS lens, it will be sometime next year at the earliest. In the meantime, I can keep an eye on the market and take advantage of it.
Translated from Dutch.

kok.f@ziggo.nl wrote on Saturday 25 November 2023 at 09:40 | reply
I am a happy owner of the Samyang TS lens (with Sony) and I am very satisfied. Certainly after stopping down by 1 or 2 stops, I dare to call the lens simply good. Of course, the saying that you get what you pay for applies here too, compared to a lens that costs more than twice as much there are differences, but in my experience they do not detract from your end result. Working with TS is so-called ‘slow photography’, you take the time for your settings etc. This means that you also have all the room to get the maximum quality out of your lens. Reviews can certainly be found. Have a look here:
Keith Coöperatie a sort of TS guru https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/review-samyang-24mm-tilt-shift-lens/#conclusions
In Dutch Thijs Schouten https://www.thijsschouten.com/productreviews/samyang-24mm-f3-5-ed-umc-tilt-shift-lens/
Dustin Abbott is also someone who gives highly regarded reviews https://dustinabbott.net/2014/11/rokinon-24mm-tilt-shift-review/
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Saturday 25 November 2023 at 19:04 | reply
F. Kok, thanks for your info.
Translated from Dutch.

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.

Become a better photographer every week

A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
39,192 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via Facebook. Sign-up secured with Google reCaptcha.

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

Photofacts is made possible in part by