With both tilt and shift movements, as a wider version of the earlier TS 35mm f/2.8 SSC FD, the original Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 caused quite a stir when introduced in the early 90’s. But the design was made for 35mm SLRs and with successively higher resolution DSLRs being launched the model was in need of an update.

Canon’s revamping has been substantial. You really only need look at the increase in filter size from 72mm up to 82mm to appreciate it’s a far bigger and, at 780g, far heavier model than the original. Despite the substantial increase in bulk, the maximum aperture remains the same at f3.5. However, much of this is due to the increase in size of the image circle to accommodate the greater tilt and shift movements off axis, now ±8.5 degrees and ±12 degrees respectively.

Just as the earlier model featured a rotating mount, so that the shift or tilt feature could be used in any direction, the new TS-E 24mm Mk II adopts a clever second rotating mount so that the tilt and shift feature can be used on the same axis. On the earlier model, the two were set at right-angles to each other from the factory, which was great for extending depth of field (DOF) in shifted, horizontal panoramas but restricting when to trying to increase DOF while reducing the effects of converging verticals.

With the complex tilt and shift movements, this and previous versions are of course manual focus. But even here Canon has tweaked the new model with a much broader, metal focus ring. Our particular test sample had a peculiar rasping sound during focus and the ring had some slight looseness to it but improvements to the build can be seen elsewhere.

Moreover these enhancements extend to the optical construction, which now adds Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) glass, SubWavelength structure Coating (SWC) to reduce ghosting and a circular nine-bladed aperture for smoother out-of-focus highlights, often referred to as Bokeh.

The earlier iteration included an aspherical element as part of the L-series specification, but the Mk II’s addition of UD glass substantially lowers lateral chromatic aberration where it’s usually most noticeable, right into the corners. Light fall-off, distortion and edge sharpness have all been noticeably improved too, especially wide-open, though sharpness is still behind the centre somewhat at least till f11. Thereafter, incidentally, the centre and edge performance closely matches that of the Mk I.

It’s at the wider apertures though that users will appreciate the dramatic improvement to the optical quality, as, unlikely as it seems, with the lens tilted the TS-E 24mm doesn’t really need to be stopped down much and so can be used handheld. However, technique is everything, so, even with the obvious benefit of Live View, there is quite a learning curve.

Image quality doesn’t suffer unduly when the lens is off axis, at least when kept within reasonable limits, and in any case extreme movements aren’t generally necessary at this focal length. But this lens is so good we really can’t complain about that or the asking price. And, as high as that undoubtedly is, the TS-E24mm f3.5L II isn’t that much more than the original now and is simply worth every penny.

Final Verdict The first of two TS-E lenses with user-selectable tilt and shift axis options comes with a steep learning curve but also improved optical performance over the original OVERALL

Debbi’s passionate about all things photographic: from the latest digital kit to the greatest techniques to capture a scene. She’s been at the helm of the photography portfolio of magazines, websites and more for three years.