Normal and Expected? or Problem Lens

[canoli]

Oh, okay, I see what you're saying - I've got a bad lens here, that's all there is to it. I should go to B&H and demand my money back, or send it off to Canon for recalibration. Like you said, if I'd bought the 10-22 I wouldn't have to deal with this problem.


(!)


No. But seriously wick - thanks for the explanation. I thought I "knew" about the effect you describe, but I haven't seen it so pronounced until yesterday. Everything I've shot with the 17-40 up till now has been true landscapes, focused at infinity and without any buildings nearby. I'm guessing that's why I haven't noticed much of this "distortion" before.


So perspective distortion will appear stronger the more you raise the lens (shoot upward). To minimize the effect (besides using a tilt/shift) you can keep the camera level. Is there anything else?


Thanks again wicker - and thanks everybody for the comments, I really appreciate it.

[peety3]

So perspective distortion will appear stronger the more you raise the lens (shoot upward). To minimize the effect (besides using a tilt/shift) you can keep the camera level. Is there anything else?

Keep the camera level. I was in Philly two months ago, and my girlfriend was shooting City Hall. I told her to aim at a point about 4'9" above the ground (rough estimate of her eye level). "But we'll have lots of street, and that's not what I want!" "I know dear, but we can crop that out." We ended up walking back a block or two so the top half of the frame could capture the entire building.


And don't forget to LOOK at what you're shooting, from your shooting position. A tilt/shift lens can correct the perspective distortion, but you'll still have the view from that point. If there's a balcony and a cool door leading to the balcony, you won't see the door at all shooting from too close to the building.

[Chuck Lee]

canoli,


Not only hold the camera level to the horizon but purchase PTLens. It's a fantastic little program or PS plugin.


Wait till you see the perspective distortion with that lens on a full frame. Or when you shoot with a 10-22 @10mm on APS-C, thoughthat lensappears to bevery rectilinear based on one of the examples Sean S. was showing. Yeah, photozone.deillustrates very wellthe barrel and pincushion distortion for most commom wide angle lenses.