Barrel distortion

MikeTheTog says

RE: Barrel distortion

I would suggest that barrel distortion can occur with any type of lens which has a varible focal length - not just wide angle lenses. Even the £1,200 Canon 70-200mm 2.8 L IS USM has an element of barrel distortion at 70mm and that can hardly be described as a wide angle. It does tend to occur at the widest angle of any given lens and tends to disappear as you zoom in until you hit a sweet-spot with virtually no distortion. Beyond this point the distortion tends to go the other way and creates a pin-cushion effect. The cheaper the lens the more pronounced these effects tend to be, with some obviously worse than others.

12 November 2008 15:03