Medium format cameras are often the tools of choice for deliberate and technical photo work, and the Fujinon GF 110mm F5.6 T/S Macro ($3,499.95) is tailor-made for those scenarios. The manual-focus prime gets close for 1:2 magnification and, more importantly, offers tilt, shift, and rotational movements that help you lock in exceptional architectural and artistic images with unique perspectives. It's a specialty lens for sure, but photographers who can take advantage of its flexibility won't find anything better for the GFX platform.

Versatile Tilt and Shift Movements

The GF 110mm F5.6 is a tilt-shift lens, which means that its optics can change position in ways that a normal lens can't. The optics of a standard lens are perfectly parallel to the image sensor so that the plane of focus hits the sensor straight on. Point your camera at a subject, focus on it, and everything else that's the same distance away and in the frame will also be in focus. A tilt movement changes that behavior. It sets the optics at an oblique angle to the sensor so that the plane of focus is also at an angle. From a technical perspective, adding a tilt movement to a composition allows you to keep a subject that's facing the camera at an angle entirely in focus. As such, you can maintain a blurred background behind the subject, a particular appeal for medium format systems.

The shift movement is something different entirely. Shifts move the optics along the y- or x-axis—either up, down, left, or right—so that the plane of focus doesn’t change. You can use upward or downward shifts to change the height of your camera relative to your subject without introducing the keystone effect or requiring tripod adjustments. Meanwhile, left or right shifts help you capture multi-shot panoramas for stitching. This technique sidesteps the distortion you might encounter when making similar scenes with traditional lenses and panoramic tripod heads. The base of the lens also rotates so you can change the shift direction (think portrait or landscape) without having to reposition your camera. You can use tilt and shift independently or in tandem.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Because its optical formula must cover a wider image circle than a medium format sensor, the metal-barrel lens comes in at a sizable 5.9 by 3.7 inches (HD). It's also quite hefty at 2.8 pounds. The front element is small and recessed, so it's not a problem that Fuji skips a hood for this lens. If you want to protect the glass, it takes 72mm front filters. Outdoor photographers should note that this is one of the few Fuji GF lenses without weather sealing.

The angle of view and macro focus make the lens a natural fit for studio and product photos, though I had luck with it for field work, too. A tripod is nearly a necessity for either environment in my experience, as it's not otherwise practical to frame, focus, and set movements.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Fuji has one other tilt-shift option in its catalog, the GF 30mm F5.6 T/S ($3,999.95). It trades macro focus for a much wider angle of view that's more of a natural fit for architecture. I haven't tested it, but I expect comparable performance between it and the 110mm. Notably, it integrates a tripod collar whereas the 110mm does not. Meanwhile, the more basic GF 110mm F2 has the same angle of view, an autofocus motor, and a brighter aperture. It's an all-star for portraits and bokeh, while the 110mm F5.6 T/S is more useful for technical and special effect shots.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Precise Adjustments and Macro Focus

Tilt on the 110mm F5.6 T/S is set with a knob; 10 degrees of movement are possible in either a positive or negative direction along a scale marked at 1-degree increments. Tilt is set along a single axis by default, but the lens includes two points of rotation so you're not limited to left-right or up-down movements. The tilt rotation point moves 90 degrees to easily swap direction, with a detent at the midpoint (45 degrees). The lens includes two locks, a tension knob and a toggle, to keep tilt set in place, so you will need to unlock both before making adjustments.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Shift is set closer to the base, and uses the same type of knob and switch to lock and unlock movement. The lens supports 15mm of shift in either direction, with a corresponding scale at millimeter precision.

Another point of rotation is at the base of the lens for adjusting the shift and tilt together. It supports 180 degrees of rotation with detents at 30-degree increments.

Because the lens has electronic contacts to communicate with the camera body, the amount of rotation and shift, as well as the focus distance all appear in the viewfinder.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

You set focus manually via a very typical ribbed focus ring. The action is mechanical, with about 100 degrees of rotation between hard stops at the close-up and infinity marks. I used the lens with the GFX100 II and found it easy enough to set focus both with the camera's rear display and high-pixel EVF. That said, I had very little success getting in-focus photos without a tripod. The lens doesn't provide much depth of field to work with at close distances and even small movements led to blurred results.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

That's a shame because the macro focus and tilt movement are natural fits for close-ups of watches and other similar subjects that can benefit from skewed planes of focus. Focus is available to 16 inches (measured from the camera sensor) for 1:2 life-size magnification. If you're thinking about using the lens for cinema or macro stacking, just be aware that the optics show quite a bit of breathing.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

GF 110mm F5.6 T/S: In the Lab

I used the GFX100 II and Imatest software to check the GF 110mm's performance. The lens is quite sharp, notching excellent marks wide-open (6.300 lines) and its best score at f/8 (6,800 lines). Contrast drops starting at f/11 (5,800 lines), with results falling to the very good range at f/16 (4,800 lines). Images look soft at f/22 (3,600 lines) and f/32 (2,400 lines). Fuji's other macro lens, the GF 120mm F4, resolves more detail (7,600 lines at f/4) so you're trading sharpness for tilt and shift movements.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

You might not associate an F5.6 lens with blurred backgrounds, but the 110mm T/S gets plenty of bokeh at close distances. Adding tilt to a shot can also isolate a distant subject in a way a traditional lens can't.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Defocused highlights are generally round with soft edges, so backgrounds tend to be free of distractions. I couldn't spot any false color (LoCA) in focal transitions or specular highlights. Lateral chromatic aberration, which often appears as purple fringing, is absent as well.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Contrast holds up in the presence of a strong backlight. I made some images with the sun prominently in frame and saw plenty of detail along the plane of focus, with just a hint of magenta cast in the flare and no signs of ghosting.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

A Technical Tool With Artistic Applications

The ability of tilt-shift lenses like the Fujinon GF 110mm F5.6 T/S Macro to bend the focal plane at different angles makes it possible for photographers to create images that simply aren't achievable with more traditional optics in the GFX lineup. Its image quality is generally pleasing, with soft bokeh, well-controlled flare, and a 1:2 macro ratio. Manual focus and the lack of weather protection limit your use of the lens to specific technical and artistic pursuits, but those drawbacks are ultimately worth the trouble for photographers who need its level of control.