These lens adapters turn your vintage glass into tilt-shift lenses for modern mirrorless cameras

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RLcj1cz2AQ

The tilt-shift effect has become really popular in recent years as more people have discovered that these lenses exist and the miniaturising effect they can have. But tilt-shift lenses are expensive, so many people resort to faking the effect in post. No matter how much work you put into it, though, an effect you add on the computer is never going to look quite like shooting it for real.

But if your wallet’s crying at the price of tilt-shift lenses, don’t worry. It turns out that Fotodiox has a range of adapters available that let you turn many older regular lenses into tilt-shift lenses. In this video, NOMO Films takes a look at them and some of the types of photos and footage they can let you shoot.

There are 8 different adapters in total, allowing you to connect Canon FD, Canon EF or Nikon F lenses to Sony E, Fuji X or Micro Four Thirds cameras. They each cost around $200 each, and when you don’t want the tilt or shift functions, you can just use them as regular lens adapters.

• Canon FD to Sony E mount
• Canon FD to Fuji
• Canon EF to Sony E mount
• Canon EF to Fuji
• Nikon to Sony E mount
• Nikon to Micro Four Thirds
• Canon EF to Micro Four Thirds
• Canon FD to Micro Four Thirds

The one thing you need to be careful of when using lenses for this technique, though, is that they offer an appropriately sized image projection circle that still covers the entire sensor when you move the lens. If you’re shooting with a Micro Four Thirds camera, then any old full-frame lens will be able to shift quite a bit over that 2x crop sensor. But if you’re shooting a full-frame Sony E mount body, then your lens options may end up being a little more limited. You might shift that lens to find that it cuts off on one side of the sensor before you get it over as far as you need to.

Tilt-shift isn’t just a gimmicky effect. It has real-life practical uses for things like architectural and product photography. That’s why the real deal tilt-shift lenses cost so much. But at this price, they’re worth taking a look at, even if just for the creative aspects it offers. If you mostly use them just as regular straight adapters, then then they’re not the least expensive options out there.

I might have to pick up that Nikon to Micro Four Thirds one at some point to have a play with. Have you tried these tilt-shift adapters? What do you think?