DPReview.com is closing April 10th - Find out more

Lenses on Crop Sensor Cameras and Distortions

Started May 19, 2015 | Questions thread
Lemming51
Lemming51 Forum Pro • Posts: 15,278
Re: Lenses on Crop Sensor Cameras and Distortions
2

hanhasgotqi wrote:

First of all, a big thanks to DPReview for helping newbies like me learn the basics of photography.

I need to take some close-up shots of villagers where I live, for a research on facial deformities and diets. I'd like to avoid distortion of any kind when taking these photos. Ideally the faces in these photos would look very much like how we see them in real life. I'm referring to both the widths of faces and facial features.

I understand that, on a FF camera, a 28mm lens will distort my subject a little (close-up shots), and a 135 mm lens will flatten my subject’s features. My question is: what determines this distorting or flattening effect? Is it angle of view or focal length?

It's perspective, the distance of the subject from the camera.

In other words, if I use a crop sensor camera like Canon 70D, and a 28mm EF lens, will faces in close-up shots look slightly distorted, like what we expect a 28mm lens on a FF camera would do, or will the faces look quite normal, like the ones taken with a (hypothetical) 44.8mm EF lens on a FF camera?

28mm on the 70D v. 45mm on full frame:   If the subject is the same distance from the camera, same composition/framing, then then the faces will look quite normal.  Just as shooting from the same distance with a 10mm lens on a compact digital, or 5mm lens on a phone will give normal looking faces.

-- hide signature --

Unapologetic Canon Apologist

 Lemming51's gear list:Lemming51's gear list
Canon EOS 40D Canon EF 50mm F1.8 II Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM +5 more
Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum PPrevious NNext WNext unread UUpvote SSubscribe RReply QQuote BBookmark MMy threads
Color scheme? Blue / Yellow