Schneider Optics has added a new 17mm T4 Lens to go with the Century Clairmont Swing/Shift System, which employs bellows, swings, tilts, rises, falls and shifts for a variety of effects. This new lens allows for a wider angle of view focal length than previously available. Existing lenses include: 24mm f3.5, 45mm f2.8, 90mm f2.8 and 150mm f3.5.
Much like large-format view cameras, the Swing/Shift system lets operators distort the shape of a subject, remove unwanted objects from the frame or shoot straight into a mirror without catching the camera's reflection. Access to shifts and swings also provides nearly total control over the focus plane, for extremely deep or shallow depth of field. Distant objects and extremely close ones can both be sharp in the same frame. Users can limit focus to a particular object, isolating it even from objects the same distance from the lens.
Tilting or swinging the lens can alter both apparent depth of field and an object's shape. Shifting allows repositioning of objects within the frame without changing the relationship (angle) between the object and the film plane. Combining these movements facilitates control over perspective distortion that affects the shape (proportions) of objects. Additionally, the Swing/Shift System uses bellows with a built-in rack and pinion mechanism, which extends for close focusing.
