Is this amount of distortion normal?
- Thread starter ElectroWNED
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ElectroWNED
Well-known
This was taken on a S95 at its widest focal length, RAW and exposed for the highlights (as you do with digital) with no lens correction in PS.
looks good. I'm sure your software did some kind of automatic distortion correction, though.
I guess I'm re-learning how to shoot digital... the Sigma DP2 doesn't really act like this, but the sensor is obviously unique.
bugmenot
Well-known
The distortion is common of any zoom compact these days. It is just that with the case of the RAW shooting compacts, we actually get to SEE the distortion, while with JPEG only compacts, it is already corrected in-camera. I have the S100, and the distortion at the wide end is quite extreme. Even the front element of the lens is Aspherical (and you can actually see the ripple under the light angle of light hitting it) and accounts for some of the optical problems that are uncorrectable in its predecessor (S95). If you shoot RAW, be ready to play around with the file until you achieve the right look. I always set it to RAW+JPEG, whether it is my S100, my 5DII or my NEX-5N. Sometimes, the JPEG is a good reference to see what the RAW should look like according to the manufacturer.
River Dog
Always looking
Nope, I checked with the original RAW and the EXIF. I didn't correct the lens.
This was also at 28mm equivalent with no lens correction in PS CS5 and the original out-of-the-camera RAW looks just the same in Preview on the Mac I haven't seen as much distortion as in your examples.
semilog
curmudgeonly optimist
The OP used CR2. You may infer from this that CS5 is correcting the distortion and not telling you about it.
Adobe does that with the 18mm lens for the X-Pro1. If you RAW develop in LR you won't see the distortion; if you develop in Raw Photo Processor 64, you will.
River Dog
Always looking
Perhaps, but as I said, the RAW files look the same in Preview.
I found this kitchen shot, similar to the OP's. This is the CR2 RAW straight out of the camera at 28mm, into Preview and then saved as a JPEG:
ElectroWNED's shot:
Something else is going on.
ElectroWNED
Well-known
So now I don't know whether the camera I have is defective, or normal...
ElectroWNED
Well-known
Okay, last time I update this thread; I'm quite happy with this camera now:
Just have to process in Lightroom and then save as a jpeg. If you process then save as a .dng, the image once again becomes distorted. All I do is post online, so the quality difference doesn't make a... difference. I'm not sure how this camera compares to the GRDIII, but it is close enough that the ability to do 1080p time-lapses w/ CHDK and record 720p video are only bonuses. Not sure it can compare in terms of black and white quality, but I haven't shot that yet, so we'll see...
Just have to process in Lightroom and then save as a jpeg. If you process then save as a .dng, the image once again becomes distorted. All I do is post online, so the quality difference doesn't make a... difference. I'm not sure how this camera compares to the GRDIII, but it is close enough that the ability to do 1080p time-lapses w/ CHDK and record 720p video are only bonuses. Not sure it can compare in terms of black and white quality, but I haven't shot that yet, so we'll see...
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