Tilt & Shift Bellows fun...

[biggles3]

One of the great joys of the 4/3 and Micro4/3 mounts is the vast number of legacy lenses that can be attached by the ever increasing variety of adapters. But it's not just lenses that can offer additional versatility to your shooting options but some of the old accessories have a role too.

Pictured here is my old E-P2 attached to the superb, Contax T&S Bellows system which on this occasion sports the Yashica 100 f4 Bellows lens. Unlike using simple extension tubes or one of the new tilt adapters, the amount of control provided by the movement through 2 axes allows your to improve use of depth of field as well as vertical/horizontal lines.

Also, as someone who uses a Fuji GX680III, focusing via the bellows is second nature - it's great to go out with the bellows attached and be able to shoot from infinity down to under 1cm without having to change the lens. The bellows provides a huge extension to the macro capabilities of my E-3 and E-P2 - great fun.

[StephenL]

Looks a fascinating setup.

[biggles3]

Hi Stephen,
Having been using Contax gear since the 1970s, it's been wonderful to be able to continue using it not just for film but also digital. Although the Contax bellows are the Rolls Royce of their type, even non-tilt&shift bellows can give macro work a new lease of life (and M42 bellows and standard lenses are cheap and plentiful).

My other fun right now is using Contax G lenses (45mm [sharpest lens I've ever used!], 28mm [sans rear baffles] and 90mm) via a Kipon adapter on my E-PL1. Admittedly, wide-angles are rather redundant but the 45 f2 Planar makes a lovely portrait lens.

I think the old glassware is really coming into its own again, 30 years on, and at a fraction of the price it cost originally. Zeiss + Olympus - a match made in heaven...

[Barr1e]

That looks so classy.

Regards. Barr1e