Tilt/Shift option?

[Stuart Richardson]

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I think you can, or could order one of those from Sinar. I think the biggest problem was that they are pretty impractical. The biggest issue is the mirror and the bulkiness of the body. I am not sure what the minimum focal length for the pMFL was, but it is surely quite long. The distance to the sensor in the S cameras is already long, and then you stick the adapter on that and you are already in the 50mm+ thickness range. With symmetrical lenses like you find in view cameras, that means the system only really works with medium and long lenses. I put together my own setup using a Graflok to Hasselblad adapter I found on eBay, along with the S adapter V. That works, but is even longer. I think the minimum is probably 90mm or so. The biggest problem for me with these setups for me were threefold:

1. The S camera has so much vibration with its big mirror, that when cantilevered out like that on a monorail, it just causes a ton of vibration and shutter shock. I found it was only really able to surmount with flash, very high shutter speeds or very long exposures.

2. The focus is challenging because the knobs on the P2 were meant for analog, and are not super precise, like you need for digital.

3. The image quality of even the best large format lenses is not really in the same universe as the S lenses, and they are designed for best performance at apertures that are already diffraction limited for the S cameras. My caveat is that I did not use "digital" lenses, rather things like APO Sironar S lenses, an APO Macro Sinaron SE etc. 

The irony is that this would be vastly better on an SL camera or a mirrorless S4. Without the mirror in the way and the ability to use an E shutter, it instantly becomes much more usable.

Edited June 4 by Stuart Richardson

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[John McMaster]

The P3 was more designed for digital (Leica did different adapters for P2 and P3), I would see it mostly being used in the studio so 90mm+ focal lengths are best.

john

[davidmknoble]

I have just begun to play with a Linhof Super Technika V (the 65x70mm version) with a Hasselblad V back and the CFV50ii.  Hasselblad got that one right with a digital back that fits all the film stuff.  I have a few Rodenstock lenses to try with it.

I think the flange distance is the limiting factor.  Even this baby Linhof has issues with really wide focal lengths because of the minimum bellows distance to the film plane.  If that distance were increased for the mirror box of a DSLR, it would cause a larger focal length. 

It’s a great idea, but with this S system it likely won’t work well for wide landscape applications.

[John McMaster]

I would have no urge to carry a P2 plus suitable tripod anywhere 😉

john

[Stuart Richardson]

Did you want to use it for landscape? That would be unworkable I think. If nothing else, the slightest puff of wind would throw the whole thing in to a vibration cycle. A Sinar P series camera is already out of its element outside, and all the more so if you hang a large, heavy S body with a giant slapping mirror on the back. It just isn't a practical solution to this kind of work. The 120 T/S is there, otherwise other systems are much better suited to this kind of work.

[Sarnian]

The Mamiya 645 50mm shift lens works well. 

[John McMaster]

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Not the sharpest of lenses....

john