Control converging verticals in architectural and landscape photography, create stunning 3:1 aspect ratio panoramas, or make large field-of-view images from a mosaic of stitched files.

Achieve 3:1 aspect ratio panoramas using left and right images. Effective angle of view is 120 degrees (using Mamiya 645 35/3.5 lens on Panorama Shift Adapter).		Stitched files of two horizontal shots doubles the effective field of view (taken with 35/3.5 Pentax 645 lens on Panorama Shift Adapter). Photo courtesy of Jeremy Jachym - www.newworldphoto.com

The Panorama Shift Adapter uses lenses from medium format camera systems
for view-camera range shift adjustments on 35mm and digital SLRs.

The Panorama Shift Adapter brings view-camera-like shift adjustments to 35mm and digital SLR cameras. Ideal for architectural, scenic, landscape, and many other applications, the PSA goes far beyond a dedicated PC lens. Unlike most PC lenses, the PSA permits up to 20mm of shift. Most PC lenses allow 8-10mm, maximum. The PSA also allows you to create impressive, perfectly aligned 3:1 aspect ratio panorama photographs using film or digital capture by taking a left and right image (these can be easily stitched together in Photoshop or aligned in a panorama width negative carrier).

While some panorama cameras allow you to shoot single a panorama width frame, few will do so without some light fall off at the edges. The large image circle of medium format lenses, coupled with a smaller format 35mm or digital camera body greatly reduces light falloff.

Owners of medium format lenses can add versatility to an existing system by adding a Panorama Shift Adapter for Hasselblad, Mamiya (manual focus only), Pentax 645 (AF or manual focus lenses), Pentax 67, and Zeiss Jena / Exact 66 / Kiev mount lenses. (For use of 6x6 and 6x7 lenses for shift on 6x4.5 cameras, please see our Pro Shift Adapter.)

When ordering, please specify medium format front mount and 35mm / digital body rear mount. The Panorama Shift Adapter is available for most 35mm and digital SLR camera bodies. Please note that some cameras may have prism housing that protrude too far to allow the standard PSA to rotate fully. We have special models available for some of these cameras, or else they may be fitted with a Pro Shift Adapter. Contact us for information about compatibility with your 35mm or digital camera. 

Features at-a-glance

• Correct converging verticals lines, in architectural, scenic, landscape, and product photography.
• Cover panoramic landscapes, views and groups.
• Create large field-of-view files by stitching together perspective corrected multiple exposure segments of the subject / scene
• Switch viewpoints around obstructions in interiors, galleries, landscape, and scenics
• Achieve special effects, double exposures (using left and right frames)
• Part of the Zörk modular system. Combine the PSA with the Multi Focus System and a 105 or longer enlarger or large format lens and your 35mm or digital SLR becomes a view camera!

How it works
Every lens produces an image circle that projects the subject image back to the image plane (in an upside down orientation). The image circle of standard lenses is slightly larger than the film format or digital sensor area it is intended to cover. Shift lenses, however, must have a larger image circle than standard lenses because they move off axis relative to the image plane. Shifting the image relative to the image plane allows you to compensate for converging vertical lines and other types of perspective distortion.

In order to cover the intended format area when the image circle is moved, a shift lens must have an image circle much larger in diameter than the target image area of the film or sensor (for more detailed description of this, please see www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/accessories/zork.shtml). For this reason we use medium format lenses, as these lenses were designed to cover an image area larger than standard 35mm and digital camera image areas.

The PSA shifts the lens up, down, or sideways ­ using a micrometer for fine setting or quick-release for coarse adjustment ­ and rotates through 360°, with 30° stops along the way. There are precise alignment marks for left and right panorama shots. (For an expanded operational description of the PSA, please see our User's Guide)

An additional advantage of using the medium format lenses on cameras with a smaller image area is that the center area of lens is usually sharper than the edges. As a result, a medium format lens on the PSA produces superior edge-to-edge sharpness than most dedicated PC lenses.

Control of converging verticals is the most obvious application of a shift lens. If you keep the camera level (the Zörk PSA is available with or without a tripod socket) and shift the lens up, you can include the top of tall structures while keeping converging vertical lines straight. Typically, a medium format lens of 35-50mm is used (35mm is the widest available), which provides a natural perspective and gives professional quality results. This focal length is somewhat longer than that of a standard PC lens for 35mm or digital cameras (usually 28-35mm). However, the 20mm shift provided by the PSA helps overcome the narrower angle of view these longer lenses offer. 

Changing viewpoints and straightening horizontals may call for a sideways shift ­ for instance to photograph a painting in a gallery when a direct, frontal viewpoint is impossible. To see 'around' the obstruction, set up the camera to one side, then shift the lens on the PSA. This will allow you to take a photograph from an angle, while keeping the object square and undistorted. A more flexible choice of viewpoint can be useful in portraiture and landscape photography as well.

For panoramas, shift the lens fully to the left for one exposure and then fully to the right for the second (after rotating the adapter from one alignment point to the other). Once combined, these shots provide an undistorted 3:1, or 'wide screen,' aspect ratio. The perspective of each frame is exactly correct, from the foreground to the background, because only the lens has moved; the camera has remained fixed at one location. More elaborate 360° panoramas are possible by combining the panorama shift with a rotating pan head on the tripod.

This vista consists of left and right images taken with a medium format lens on the Panorama Shift Adapter.

Large field-of-view images from a mosaic of stitched files may be create by stitching together 3 or more images, either in horizontal or vertical orientation.