Looking down from a canyon rim the "converging lines" seem fine to me.
Probably I associate the downward view with the very pleasant top of the
world feeling. Also when looking up with no foreground, the "converging
lines" also seem to work.
Having trees or waterfall framed against a canyon wall with the lens
pointed up was very disappointing for me. A non-vertical back makes the
canyon wall recede and appear less grand. If the back is vertical the
trees would have been chopped off. When going after waterfalls the shift
lens gives much more flexibility. I often couldn't get in a location to
give a pleasant perspective without the shift. YMMV
Yes I think the 35mm shift works great in Yosemite. I often use it where
I would use a non-shift 24mm. That probably has to do with how I "see"
the world. (My OM outfit started with an OM1, a 24mm f2.8, 50mm 1.8, and
100mm f2.8 in the 70s). When in Zion I was carrying both shift lenses,
probably both an 18 and 21, and a new to me Mamiya 6x7 with 43mm and
80mm lenses.
Looking over the pictures since I got back, I've been left with a couple
overall impressions;
*In spite of taking plenty of time I can frame a picture better with the
OM than with the Mamiya RF. I guess because that is what I'm familiar
with.
*The Mamiya 43mm can get great pictures but probably many would benefit
from cropping away some of the foreground.
*I used the 18mm much less than the 24mm shift. I don't think I even
used the 21mm.
I believe it was an Olympus publication that showed three pictures of a
small wooden church; no shift, partial shift, and shift which made
vertical lines parallel to the edge of the picture. The partial shift
was the best picture. It may have something to do with the angle of view
each person "sees". If you think in terms of a narrow angle maybe you
expect vertical verticals. If you have a wide angle perspective you
expect to see converging lines. If you are in the middle you expect to
see a little convergence. YMMV.
Sorry for the long ramble.
-jeff
****
If you can resist tilting a very wide angle lens upwards I don't
think you need a shift lens. There are very few parallel lines in a
natural environment. It depends on whether you want much foreground
in the picture. I think foreground anchors the picture. Level 21,
24, 28mm lenses will take superb pictures.
- --
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California
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