You can fit five of them in the barrel of a traditional macro lens. And they’re cheap, sharp, and cover pretty large image circles to boot. The most impressive of the inexpensive enlargement lenses I have used is the regular Rodagon 80/4, which retails at B&H for 379$ USD. It keeps up with the most expensive Canon/Nikon T/S lenses in the same focal range.

It came attached to the Horseman VCC Pro, which I reviewed earlier this year. While the Rodagon lens greatly impressed me, the VCC Pro platform, did not.

Alas, I do not have that lens, and hence, most of the images in this review were taken by the Funinon-EX 90/5,6. Albeit slower, with the proper modifications, it is nearly as good as the Rodagon. Without them, it suffers intensely from flare, ghosting, and veiled contrast.

BALPRO T/S VS the VCC Pro

In comparison to the BALPRO T/S, the VCC PRO’s array of tilt/shift movements is limited. Tilt angles were poor, shift was minimal, the front standard moved only a handful of centimetres. Most movements lacked distance markings. Workmanship was so-so. Ad infinitum. Worst of all, stability was poor.

The one area where the VCC Pro trumped the BALPRO T/S was its ability to pitch the front standard forward, a movement that requires you to vertically re-mount the BALPRO T/S on a right-angle rail.

Why not tilt/shift?

Tilt-shift lenses themselves introduce minute wobble that affects focus stability in stacking photography. Even when mounted to focusing rails, most tilt/shift lenses are unable to reach 1:1 enlargements.

All images in this portion of the review were shot using a Fujifilm X-T1. Later I will showcase images captured by Sony and Nikon cameras. The final strike against tilt/shift lenses is that they are heavy. The fragile mounts/tripod base plates of certain mirrorless cameras are unable to support the weight of heavy tilt/shift lenses without incurring damage to the camera.

For that reason, I use the Novoflex ASTAT NEX system with 35mm macro and tilt/shift lenses. It is wonderful. And, I make use of WiFi remote control apps. Even when used in conjunction with ASTAT, tilt/shift lenses just don’t stand up to the utility and stability of a lightweight bellows system.

And, a pair of good tilt/shift lenses will cost more than double the VCC Pro or the BALPRO T/S plus two high-quality Rodagon lenses. Finally, they offer less movements/coverage than any decent bellows system.

The following images illustrate the amount of DOF that is achievable by the Fujinon-EX at close range. In the first image, it was pitched forward to achieve great DOF. In the second image, it was pitched back to achieve a minimum of DOF. Note: a macro lens could never achieve the same amount of DOF at f/8. And no tilt/shift lens can be pitched at the same angle. Here, the Fujinon-EX 90’s capabilities as a macro lens are well essayed.

Review: stability and stacking

This first part to the review will gauge the stability of the BALPRO T/S in both single-image photographs and in stacked photography. I will focus on the results of shooting the system rather than the process.

Equipment used:

Camera: Fujifilm X-T1

Lens: Fujinon-EX 90/5,6

Head: Sunwayfoto FB-44 ball head

Tripod: Gitzo 3-series X6 Carbon

Lighting: Profoto Pro B2, and Pro-B heads

Stability

The BALPRO T/S is more than up to the strain of a medium format back. In fact, a LEAF Credo weighs less than a Nikon D800, and the D800 hangs perfectly steady from the rear standard of the BALPRO T/S. The front standard can support, with very little flex, the weight of heavy lenses such as the Nikon 180/2,8 ED AiS. For enlargement lenses, it is rock solid. Ditto technical-camera LF lenses.

Its integrated focusing wheels are smoother and more accurate than the helicoids of macro lenses. And, adjusting tilt, then focus on the front standard is far more stable than adjusting a tilt/shift lens. Not once have I netted a negative focus result.

Below are some tilted, single-image results I took for headfonia.com portable audiophile reviews.

Stacking

While I use stacking in most of my commercial photography, I don’t usually bother for reviews. It is too time-consuming. But this section would be pointless without illustrative examples.