distortion on 14-42 lens?

[m0n_D]

hi guys,

i was playing around with the kit lens last night and came up with what i think is my best photo so far. got lucky considering it was low light and with the dogs constantly moving. i just have a question about what i believe to be barrel distortion. is this pretty significant? and is this expected of this lens?

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[Streetshooter]

How do you process your images?
What software? Do you do raw or jpeg?

 

[m0n_D]

this is just jpeg, straight out of the camera. i haven't attempted to do any processing yet.

 

[twalker294]

I don't really see any barrel distortion here. If you are referring to the vertical lines on the bookshelves being slanted, that's because you are at a lower level shooting upward. This is the same effect you get when shooting skyscrapers from street level.

BTW, your dog looks a LOT like one of mine:

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What kind of mutt is yours? Ours is a Shih Tzu mix.

 

[Ned]

I agree with twalker. There is a far more perspective distortion here than barrel distortion, which has nothing to do with the lens. I do see some very minor barrel distortion, but nothing unnatural.

 

[Charles2]

Comparison that shows software corrections

The E-P series make considerable changes in images from the kit lens and the 17mm f/2.8 lens. The lenses were designed that way, presumably to cut cost by passing off distortion and chromatic aberration corrections to firmware/software.

Open a raw ORF file in a lens-unaware program, perhaps Raw Therapee. Compare it with the camera JPG (or even the raw file as presented to you by Olympus Viewer2). You will see the distortion corrections in the JPG, which are more or less important depending on the particular composition, as well as cropping down as a byproduct.

 

[kevinparis]

if you are just starting.. dont get caught up in things like barrel distortion or any of the stupid metrics gearheads use as excuses... they are not important... take pictures.. lots of pictures... they are free now you bought the camera...learn composition first then exposure, learn to realise that there are times when the best photographer in the world with the very best equipment will not be able to take the shot.

remember... you take the picture not the camera

have fun

K

 

[Jonkobeck]

I think the first thing you need to do is adjust the white balance

 

[Rudi]

I think the first thing you need to do is adjust the white balance

True, but unfortunately not what the OP was asking about.

There is a little bit of barrel distortion in the original image, but not enough to worry me. If it bugs you, it's easily corrected in post-processing. I find that if the image is good enough, no one is going to notice a little distortion around the edges. Sometimes you can even use that distortion to your advantage. That's my $0.02. :smile:

Regards,

Rudi

 

[m0n_D]

thanks for the replies, everyone! much appreciated.

Kevin, yes i will try and do as you say, practice technique, and just learn more about the camera and perhaps myself. i was just worried that it may be something with the equipment, as it seems to me that i don't get as bad distortion with my old point and shoots.

Todd, believe it or not my dogs are Yorkies. they are the regular, 10 lb ones though and not the teacups. they've just been groomed and we prefer their hair short.