What is the Best Way To Learn About How Different Lenses Effect the Perspective and Apparent Depth of a Photo
Mar 2, 2017 13:59:40 #
A few days ago I saw a two photographs taken of the same scene with two different lenses. One prime and one telephoto. What got my attention was that even though the subject in the foreground looked very similar in size the background seemed to moved forward in the photograph taken with the telephoto. I've seen this effect before in Macro photography using different focal lengths but I have never noticed it in an otherwise ordinary photograph. So my question is is that effect a part of a lenses design or is there something else going on? Thanks for your help in advance.
Mar 2, 2017 14:09:39 #
bkellyusa wrote:
A few days ago I saw a two photographs taken of th... (show quote)
If you think about it for a while, it'll make sense even in a logical manner (common sense). A wide angle is called wide, because it seems to stretch things, you see everything from a wider perspective, while a tele is going the other way, it "kinda" compresses things, so when looked at, they seem closer together than usual. The same thing happens if you look through a magnifying glass, or think about using a pair of binoculars, it brings everything closer to you, while appearently compressing things together (that part of perspective - the distance - is lost at viewing point,but if you turn your binoculars around, it shows the reverse! Things stretching apart as they get wider. The same thing happens with every change in focal length (changing lenses on your camera) A different view on the perspective!
Mar 2, 2017 14:12:23 #
bkellyusa wrote:
A few days ago I saw a two photographs taken of th... (show quote)
A telephoto lens can also be a prime lens and vice-versa.
A telephoto lens will compress the image, and a wide angle lens will extend the I'mage.
Mar 2, 2017 14:14:58 #
bkellyusa wrote:
A few days ago I saw a two photographs taken of th... (show quote)
Lens focal length has zero direct effect on perspective (the size of objects in the foreground and background).
What does affect perspective is relative distance. The greater the camera to subject distance the smaller an object will appear. Placing two same sized objects at different distances from the camera is what determines the perspective that will be apparent in a photograph by making the far object appear smaller.
Mar 2, 2017 14:19:18 #
Mac wrote:
... A telephoto lens will compress the image, and a wide angle lens will extend the I'mage.
The camera location, which sets the relative distances, causes the change in perspective. Lens focal length has no direct effect and only changes the framing.
Mar 2, 2017 14:56:51 #
Well, I get that but another part of my question is whether or not different lens designs accent or diminish the compression feature. I don't know anything about lens design but I see from sales ads that some lenses have more and I think different types of glass components enclosed. So, from this, I think it is possible to have a 35mm lens with different designs and a different number of elements in the lens. If that is the case how much does that effect that compression of the image. In other words can two different telephoto lenses get different results as far as the compression of the image goes.
Mar 2, 2017 14:57:58 #
What is Lens Compression and How to Use It In Your Photos
https://www.google.com/amp/s/photographylife.com/what-is-lens-compression/amp/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/photographylife.com/what-is-lens-compression/amp/
Mar 2, 2017 15:06:09 #
Here is a camera simulator - you can visualize the different perspectives...
You can change the Focal Length (18mm to 55mm) and your distance to the subject (3.2ft to 10ft)...
http://camerasim.com/apps/original-camerasim/web/
You can change the Focal Length (18mm to 55mm) and your distance to the subject (3.2ft to 10ft)...
http://camerasim.com/apps/original-camerasim/web/
Mar 2, 2017 15:27:12 #
Mar 2, 2017 15:50:12 #
I you want the best textbook explanation with illustrations, try Ansel Adams book, The Camera (which includes lenses and perspective). It should be in your library, but they should have other books, too. It shows the operation of view camera parts, but you can skip that.
You can make Sun or the Moon very large compared to a person by moving back from the person (and leaving the heavens where they are), using a long tele lens. A 1000mm lens makes everything 20 times bigger than normal view, so the Sun is enlarged 20 times, while the person simply looks much closer than he or she really is.
You can make Sun or the Moon very large compared to a person by moving back from the person (and leaving the heavens where they are), using a long tele lens. A 1000mm lens makes everything 20 times bigger than normal view, so the Sun is enlarged 20 times, while the person simply looks much closer than he or she really is.
bkellyusa wrote:
A few days ago I saw a two photographs taken of th... (show quote)
Mar 2, 2017 16:00:41 #
No. lens design does not affect the relative sizes of objects in perspective, and it does not change the angles seen in perspective (tall buildings look like they are leaning away from the camera). These are purely the result of distance from the camera and the degree of maginification (focal length, in effect) of a lens. All 50mm lenses, regardless of design, have the same effects regarding perspective. So to get the effect we want, we choose the focal length we want (degree of magnification)--we choose a design for other reasons such as quality, cost, etc. A 4-element 28mm lens and a 16-element 28mm lens should see exactly the same thing, unless there is something wrong with one of them.
In a sense, there is one exception. Some very wide angle lenses ("fish eye lenses") capture 180 degrees or near to it, and to do this they distort everything as if you were looking through a crystal ball. You might get your own eyebrows and feet in the picture.
In a sense, there is one exception. Some very wide angle lenses ("fish eye lenses") capture 180 degrees or near to it, and to do this they distort everything as if you were looking through a crystal ball. You might get your own eyebrows and feet in the picture.
bkellyusa wrote:
Well, I get that but another part of my question i... (show quote)
Mar 2, 2017 16:22:08 #
bkellyusa wrote:
Well, I get that but another part of my question is whether or not different lens designs accent or diminish the compression feature.
Since the lens does not affect perspective, no design criteria for a lens can affect perspective.
Mar 2, 2017 16:33:48 #
dirtpusher wrote:
What is Lens Compression and How to Use It In Your Photos
https://www.google.com/amp/s/photographylife.com/what-is-lens-compression/amp/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/photographylife.com/what-is-lens-compression/amp/
Here is the major item to take away from that article:
If you take two photos from exactly the same place, one with a
wide angle lens and one with a telephoto lens, they will have
the same perceived distance from front to back -- that's because
the perspective has not changed!
The lens has nothing to do with perspective!
Mar 2, 2017 20:20:30 #
bkellyusa wrote:
A few days ago I saw a two photographs taken of th... (show quote)
To avoid getting confused with this, only the distance to the subject will determine perspective.
For the same framing/composition of a subject, a wider angle lens will require that you move in closer to the subject and a telephoto will require that you move away from it. This is what causes extension/compression distortion.
Without moving the camera, take two pictures using two lenses - one a telephoto and the other a wide angle - at the same aperture. Crop the area in the wide angle image to duplicate the area represented by the composition of the telephoto shot. You will see that, other than a loss of image quality in the cropped image, the images will be identical, with the same amount of compression that you are perceiving in the tele shot.
I think Floyd's links definitely illustrate this nicely, but if you have two lenses, or a zoom lens, you can test it for yourself.
There
Mar 2, 2017 21:04:07 #
Just to "+1" the conversation, perspective has everything to do with where you place the camera and zero to do with the lens.
It's all about camera position and distance to the subjects.
It's all about camera position and distance to the subjects.
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