Wide-angle prime lenses such as a 20mm lens or zoom lenses like my Nikon 24-70mm shot at its wide end typically produce images with barrel distortion because they have a wide field of view. The two most common types of lens distortion are barrel distortion and pincushion distortion.īarrel distortion is where straight lines bend outward from the center of the image. In a nutshell, it’s when a lens produces curved lines where straight lines should be. Thank you for supporting Click it Up a Notch. Today I’ll explain what distortion is, why it’s good or bad, and how to correct it in post processing if needed. It can make or break our images as artists, depending on the look and feel we are trying to achieve.
Lens distortion is an important factor to be aware of in the photography world. The good news is it’s usually fixable in post processing and can even be desirable!
And no matter how expensive your lens, all have some distortion. Ever wondered why your subjects look disproportioned in certain images compared to real life? Or why buildings look like they are tipping? Chances are it’s due to lens distortion.
