I get that sometimes... ; )

Re: "Is geometric distortion (purely optically) controllable through lens design? i.e. one 35mm or another; one 24mm or 21mm or another, can have more or less geometric and perspective distortion?"

The second question is straight forward... so I address that first. From a user perspective when comparing one lens to another there may be noticeable distortion differences and/or different levels/types of aberrations. In theory if one lens is "better" than another, one might conclude that one lens design is superior to another in a given system... i.e. lens design makes a difference.

Assuming that we are talking about (camera system) optical distortion without software manipulation, the quick answer to is it controllable is: yes. Will it be perfect: no it will not.

My understanding is that a certain segment of users were manipulating the results after the fact and so the camera mfgs. just automated the function... also as a way to sell 'inferior' lenses a top price. Another factor is that the gains in sensor quality demand "better" lenses to wit a quick fix is lens profiling. For what ever reason it's not going away, and if I was part of a group of users impacted by this I would prefer to have and use a original mfg. solution... as a starting point...

Casey

New lens test.

By: fernando : November 3rd, 2016-17:16

I aquired a new lens yesterday, a Fuji XF 18mm F2, which is by no means new as it was introduced in 2012 or thereabouts, however, it's new for me. Being more or less their entry level lens, what attracted me most was its compact size and lightness. Instal...

Aargh! the dreaded slanting building! (in the first pic) otherwise, shows promise... [nt]

By: ThomasM : November 3rd, 2016-18:26

Nothing escapes you! :) Is that caused by the wide angle BTW? [nt]

By: fernando : November 3rd, 2016-18:39

the slanting buildings in your first photo...

By: cshimokita : November 3rd, 2016-18:52

is most likely caused by a tilted camera... particularly with wide angle lenses any camera tilt will have this effect... they sell small three way levels for the hot-shoe and/or if you want to eliminate or reduce the effect you can also use grid lines dur...

Thanks for the tip Casey. I'll give it a try! [nt]

By: fernando : November 3rd, 2016-18:57

In any case it's a 1 minute adjustment in processing...

By: cshimokita : November 3rd, 2016-19:20

With boats or other subjects at a different eye level, there is a tendency to compose by pointing up or down at the subject... instead use the wide-ness of the lens to compose while keeping the camera vertical / horizontal... ...

Will keep that in mind. Thanks again.;) [nt]

By: fernando : November 3rd, 2016-19:24

Glad this discussion yielded some practical advice.

By: ThomasM : November 4th, 2016-07:52

That's one of the fundamental points of these forums...Bravo, Casey. Fernando, glad my comment was taken so well and yielded productive results. The segue was my recent thread about changing top pet peeves... Cheers, TM

The discussion and advice is what keeps me coming back for more! ;) [nt]

By: fernando : November 4th, 2016-16:42

Lens correction is now available on a lens by lens basis after the fact...

By: ThomasM : November 4th, 2016-08:05

Hi, Fernando, Casey, It's interesting (and makes me a bit uneasy, to be honest) that there are specific lens profiles available that can digitally correct for lens "idiosyncracies" after the fact...while cool, and useful for the pragmatic photographer, I'...

hahaha...

By: cshimokita : November 4th, 2016-15:56

Not sure if it's worth being uneasy about... There are probably only half a dozen currently active world class optical designers. It's a very challenging field... and there are always-always trade-offs in bringing a lens to the market. At the same time th...

Not following your points as segues from mine. [nt]

By: ThomasM : November 4th, 2016-18:17

I get that sometimes... ; )

By: cshimokita : November 5th, 2016-02:50

Re: "Is geometric distortion (purely optically) controllable through lens design? i.e. one 35mm or another; one 24mm or 21mm or another, can have more or less geometric and perspective distortion?" The second question is straight forward... so I address t...