Elmarit 28 ASPH and distortion

[skuromis]

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Hello,

one question, since I'm not used to 28 mm focal length, is the distortion as in enclosed picture normal?

Shot in raw and developed in Aperture.

Cheers,

Marc.

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[jankap]

Yes. This is perspective "distortion". The camera lens sees this and you could have seen the scene in the same perspective in the finder of the camera too.

The more wide angle the stronger the effect.

You have tilted the camera. The sides of the frame of the finder of the camera should have been in line (parallel) to the building.

Of course you can use this "distortion" to achieve a special effect, an interesting picture.

Jan

[skuromis]

Thanks Jan, I understand. Just surprised that it is that strong. And I'm also wondering if there are differences between each 28mm.

[jankap]

That should not: 28mm is 28mm.

We transpose a 3-dimensional scene on flat surface. Sometimes the results are remarkable then.

 

You can find a calculation of the real distortion of the Elmarit on the Leica homepage.

The failure of the Elmarit in this respect is minimal. It is a pity, that other lens manufacturers (exception Zeiss) don't publish these data.

Jan

 

PS

Here is a comparison of some wide angle lenses.

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Skip to Verzeichnung (=distortion)

[01af]

You can find a calculation of the real distortion of the Elmarit on the Leica homepage. The failure of the Elmarit in this respect is minimal.

That's an entirely different thing, even if it is also called 'distortion.'

[tobey bilek]

Shown here is not distortion which is defined as curvature of straight lines not going through the center of the image.

 

The tipped building is called keystoning and is the result of not having the camera back parallel with the subject, vertical in this case. It is not a lens defect.

 

The solutions are to stand back further or use a shift lens with rise.

[flyalf]

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As other have pointed out this is not distortion. This is called "perspective" and is because you render a 3-D reality in 2-D.

 

The perspective is NOT dependent of lens focal length, but only of position of camera.. Lets say that you instead used a 12mm and placed the camera identical. You could then make a crop from the photo that would be identical with the photo of the 28mm (except for resolution).

 

The edges of the 12mm photo outside the crop would be conceived as more "distorted" than the 28mm photo, but thats because the angle of view is larger, i.e. you render more of the 3-D at the available 2-D (sensor).

 

You sometimes hear people speaking about the "big nose" effect of wides, and that you shouldn't use wides for portraits because of the perspective. Strictly speaking this is not true. The change in perspective is because photographers move closer with a wide, and by changing position you change perspective.

 

If you use LR you can change the perspective, for example correct falling lines of buildings as in the photo above.

[skuromis]

Sorry, I think I should re-phrase my question a bit. I did not expect the distortion/ keystoning/ perspective to be as strong as in this picture. Of course I know this effect to a certain extent from my 35 mm lenses and just thought there might be something wrong with my new 28 mm lens, as the skew of the tower is surprisingly strong.

But, taking a ruler and measure, the lines seem to meet in the middle above the picture. So I guess it is normal.

 

Thanks again, Marc.

[wda]

Think of this as part of the learning process of shooting with a challenging focal length. It is not a characteristic of manufacture. I like the 28 but never underestimate the care I need to take in composing my pictures when using it. For example, avoid human faces or anything circular near the edges of the frames. Try and find some foreground interest in a wide-angle landscape. Expect the kind of effect you show when trying to squeeze in too many tall objects. Think of it as a new challenge and learn from your results.