Perspective Control

Similar to the movements of a view camera, the Leica TS-APO-ELMAR-S 120mm f5.6 ASPH., gives the photographer complete control over the perspective and the focal plane. The lens is characterized by an image circle increased by 153mm, which means that the lens can be shifted by up to 12 mm from the optical axis in any direction. This allows the user to change the view without changing the perspective, thus supporting, for example, product shots without irritating converging lines.

Independent of the shift, you can tilt the lens by up to 8 in any direction, thus tilting the focal plane in line with Scheimpflug’s principle.

The exterior of the Leica TS-APO-Elmar-S 120mm f5.6 ASPH. is different from that of other S lenses, due to its special design as a tilt/shift lens. The lens has a total of four rings for tilt and shift, one turn-and-slide ring each for adjusting the tilt and shift directions, and one ring each for adjusting the tilt and swing respectively. It additionally features a tripod plate with a 1/4″ and a 3/8″ thread, which allows the user to fix the lens in any orientation thanks to the rotating clamp and clamping screw.

The lens’s large image circle simultaneously supports a shift of up to 12 mm and a tilt of up to 8. Both the tilt and the shift mechanisms rotate through 360, so that the respective adjustments can be made in any direction and independently of one other.