Digital cameras 101

[riley]

I just purchased a Canon S60 with wide angle capability.  I'm encountering barrel distortion when photographing people.  It's less noticeable when the people are further away.

Does anyone know how far away from a subject (in feet) I need to be to avoid this distortion?

Thanks.

[admin]

First, let me apologize for the long delay in responding. As I mentioned in an email I sent you, I've been having computer problems which have not yet been resolved. As a result, I'm not able to publish the tutorials which were created to show you how to correct barrel distortion with photo editing software. I have made copies of the tutorials and will email them to you, and anyone who requests them, until the publishing problems are fixed.

But to answer your main question, barrel distortion occurs when using a the widest end of a zoom lens (35 mm equivalent or wider). This lens position causes the edges of an image to look outwardly curved or at a skewed angle. Lines that you expect to be perpendicular are not. Barrel distortion is very noticeable when you have a straight edge near the side of the frame, such as when you shoot a building.

Barrel distortion is usually noticeable when you look through yourviewfinder. When you notice it, zoom out your lens a little bit at a time until the distortion is not visable.

Generally speaking, to take a photo free from barrel distortion, set your zoom at a focal length of 50 mm or more. If you use a telephoto lens, move back and away from the subject to get the entire subject within the frame.

[ShutterbugGail]

As promised, here are links to more information about the cause, prevention and correction of barrel distortion:

Prevention of barrel distortion when taking photos:
http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-barrel-distortion/index.htm


How to fix barrel distortion using image editing software:
http://www.digicamhelp.com/using-the-perspective-tool-to-correct-barrel-distortion/index.htm