Wide-angle: the Achilles' heel of SLRs?

[benjiboy]

I let lens designers worry about problems like this, I've never had any problem with unacceptable distortion on the images provided by my wide angle lenses on my SLR s even my widest Tamron S.P. 17 mm f3.5.

[Steve Smith]

I've never had any problem with unacceptable distortion on the images provided by my wide angle lenses on my SLR s

You're doing it all wrong. You're not supposed to look at actual pictures, just test charts and pictures of graph paper and parrallel lines!


Steve.

[markbarendt]

You're doing it all wrong. You're not supposed to look at actual pictures, just test charts and pictures of graph paper and parrallel lines!


Steve.

Steve, Steve, Steve (insert head shaking smiley here)

[Michael R 1974]

OP asked a technical question. I responded with a technical answer. Distortion is a practical difference between most RF and SLR wide angle lenses. Distortion is not typically a problem in landscapes but for those of us who often shoot subjects with straight lines parallel to the the edges of the frame distortion is visible and distracting. It has nothing to do with test charts and graph paper. Sorry.

[E. von Hoegh]

Very interesting how retro-focus can actually be an advantage.

Perhaps there will be others with relevant comments on this topic. All I have ever heard is how 'compromised' the SLR wide-angles are but I see nothing but sensational results from such 'inferiority'.

Mark Crabtree: you are very correct to state that focusing them is a problem with SLRs but some are better than others. - David Lyga

Don't pay attention to everything you hear. My Nikon SLR WA lenses are superb - both of them.

[benjiboy]

You're doing it all wrong. You're not supposed to look at actual pictures, just test charts and pictures of graph paper and parrallel lines!


Steve.

Sorry Steve, I apologise for not being a gadget wanker, I often wonder if these test bench jockeys after all their tests ever actually ever take any worthwhile pictures

[Michael R 1974]

Being aware of and/or interested in how things work does not make someone any less a photographer, nor does it make someone a "wanker" of any kind. The wankers post to technical threads to remind everyone photography is about pictures. Brilliant.

[mopar_guy]

I occasionally use wide angle lenses on my SLRs and I am not troubled by distortion. Then there are exceptions to any rule. For example there is the 18mm f3.5 Zuiko for the Olympus OM cameras. The following is taken from The OM System Lens Handbook from 1983.

A super wide angle, "orthogonal projection" lens
This Zuiko 18mm lens features both a super wide angle of view and, on the other hand, it is completely corrected for distortion aberrations so that it can be used for normal pictures just like other ordinary lenses. This means that straight lines in the scene are shown as straight lines no matter where they are located. This feature makes this an "orthogonal projection" lens that gives a correct image of the subject according to the lens perspective.

For more on this lens you can look here:
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography...htmls/18mm.htm

[georg16nik]

Being aware of and/or interested in how things work does not make someone any less a photographer, nor does it make someone a "wanker" of any kind. The wankers post to technical threads to remind everyone photography is about pictures. Brilliant.

1+
...and just talked about optical variety.

[markbarendt]

Being aware of and/or interested in how things work does not make someone any less a photographer, nor does it make someone a "wanker" of any kind. The wankers post to technical threads to remind everyone photography is about pictures. Brilliant.

The big problem with technical discussion is agreeing on the criteria to use as "the" standard.

A technical best can only be determined when the output requirements are defined.

If "pictures" means "artistic fun stuff for my walls" is the defined output there is one standard.

If "pictures" means essentially "technically accurate representations of a scene" the standard is quite different.

Us wankers can pick our own standards.