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Many greetings from Heligoland from Theodor Scheimpflug! Nikon Z5 with AF-Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 at F8. By applying the Scheimpflug principle, the focal plane was placed onto the ground! |
Tilting the focal plane is an important option for me in photography. My PC-E Nikkor lenses are great tools for this. I prefer to use these lenses with an FTZ adapter on my Z5, because digital mirrorless cameras really shine with manual focussing.
Wildlife photography is dominated by individual portraits with usually blurred backgrounds. However, animals often stay in groups and sometimes act as a group, such as grey geese when an eagle appears. Moreover, showing the environment in which the animals reside is also an important part of wildlife photography.
Tilting is a good option here! I sometimes manage this with the PC-E Nikkor 85mm f/2.8, but in most cases a focal length of 85mm is too short. I would need focal lengths of around 200mm for this, perhaps even more in some cases. BTW: stacking is not an option due to the moving subjects.
Originally I was thinking of buying a Pentax 6x7 200mm f/4 and a tilt-shift adapter from F-mount to Pentax 6x7 mount - a significant investment.
Then I found two F-to-Z adapters that use the 30.5mm between the Z and the F mount for a tilt option: one from Kipon and a more expensive one from ROKR (which also offers a shift function and mechanical aperture control for G lenses). Given my many F-mount lenses, such an F-to-Z tilt adapter was a tempting option! However, it was unclear to me to what extent vignetting would occur when tilting, if the tilted lens is not designed for a larger format (like in the case of the Pentax 6x7 solution)? I had to try it out! Therefore I bought the Kipon tilt adapter.
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The adapter is well made and the ergonomics are good. It can be rotated, with click stops every 30°. The maximum tilt angle is approx. 11°. |
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The Kipon adapter requires a lens with a mechanical aperture ring. G and E lenses cannot be used properly - the aperture is either always closed as far as possible (with a G lens) or always open (E lens). Please note: G lenses work on the ROKR adapter via an aperture ring in the adapter. |
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The AF-Nikkor 180mm IF-ED works really fine on the Kipon adapter. The image quality is very good, even tilted. Vignetting is moderate. If you tilt along the short side of the frame there is no vignetting at all. The worst vignetting occurs in the 60°, 120°, 240° and 300° positions - the image above shows the adapter in the 60° position. |
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Above: AF-Nikkor 180mm f/2.8. Below: AF-S Nikkor 300mm f/4. Both lenses were fully tilted at F5.6. Camera: Nikon Z5. Left: Vignetting in 90° or 270° positions (along the long side of the frame). Right: Vignetting in 60°, 120°, 240° and 300° positions. |
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For a short holiday on my beloved island of Heligoland, I took the tilt adapter and the 180mm f/2.8 along for a first practical test. The results met my expectations!
I'm also planning tests with my AF-S-Nikkor 300mm f/4 in the near future - I'll keep you informed.
Please read the Chapter "Finding the plane of focus" in my article Tilting the 85mm PC Nikkor lenses! My main conclusion from the Scheimpflug principle is also valid here. But please note: f indicates the focal length. However, if this is smaller than 45mm, you should calculate with f=45mm. This is due to the fact that F-mount lenses with focal lengths shorter than approx. 45mm are retrofocus constructions.
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Grey seals on the beach of Heligoland, April 2025, shot with F11. |
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Northern gannets on the top of Heligolands bird cliffs, April 2025, shot with F11. |
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| Six male common eiders endeavour to attract the same female, April 2025, shot with F4. |
