tiltshift

Tiltshift, often written tilt-shift or tilt-shift lens, refers to a set of camera movements used in photography to control perspective and depth of field. The term is most closely associated with tilt and shift mechanisms built into dedicated lenses and view cameras.

Tilt movements tilt the lens relative to the image plane, changing the plane of sharp focus. By tilting, a photographer can extend or compress the depth of field, allowing more of a scene to remain in focus at a given aperture or creating a selective focus effect with a shallow or elongated field.

Shift movements move the entire lens parallel to the image plane. Shifting is primarily used to correct perspective distortions in architectural photography, preventing keystoning when shooting tall structures, and to adjust composition without moving the camera.

In practice, tilt and shift are often used together to achieve precise control over both focus and perspective. Modern tilt-shift lenses are commonly produced by Canon (TS-E series) and Nikon (PC-E series), and are designed for DSLR or mirrorless systems. Some photographers use view cameras to access similar movements.

A common creative use is the miniature or toy-city effect, produced by combining a narrow focus plane with relatively heavy blur in other areas and sometimes enhanced in post-processing. Historically, tilt and shift originate in large-format view cameras, developed to solve depth-of-field and perspective issues in architectural and landscape photography, and later integrated into interchangeable-lens systems.