Wide Angle Distortion? Or something wrong with my lens?

[white5tar]

Hi all, would like to ask if this is due to wide angle distortion or there's something wrong with my lens? The horizon is rather straight, but the buildings on the left is slanted. Image taken with D40 kit lens at 18mm. Or is it juz purely a case of my camera tilted when the image is taken?

 

[catchlights]

this is call perspective distortion, this is happen when you using a wide angle lens without keep the vertical plane parallel with the film or sensor plane.

anyway, your horizon is tilted too, so the left side is slanted more.

 

[night86mare]

..the mountain like structures cannot be considered to be horizon. if not when you take mount everest pictures die already. horizon will never be straight

there seems to be all forms of problems here - firstly lens distortion is present, at least i think so, some parts are more tilted than the rest, there is tilt problem, and there is perspective problem. correct them in that order, and everything will be fine. the first and the third can be corrected using lens distortion filter in ps cs2.. and second using rotation.

 

[catchlights]

btw, if you do landscape and architectural alot, it is good to have a hotshoe spirit level. cost about $35.00

but you also can buy a 6" or 8" spirit level (ruler type) from hardware stores, it only cost a few dollars, cheap cheap only, I use it when I shooting outdoor with 4x5 wide angle camera.

 

[David Chin]

Putting aside the distortion that has been explained above, I note the aperture was f10 and with the focal length at 18mm, the depth of field should be quite great since the point of focus was at a distance. However, the picture lacks sharpness, especially the bottom right hand corner. I have never used this lens before and I don't know if the problem is inherent in all the same lenses or only your one.

 

[LittleWolf]

However, the picture lacks sharpness, especially the bottom right hand corner.

The picture is a composite/superposition. Most likely the exposures are not in registry (i.e. camera moved between exposures).

 

[night86mare]

Putting aside the distortion that has been explained above, I note the aperture was f10 and with the focal length at 18mm, the depth of field should be quite great since the point of focus was at a distance. However, the picture lacks sharpness, especially the bottom right hand corner. I have never used this lens before and I don't know if the problem is inherent in all the same lenses or only your one.

looks like a hdr image to me

the software layers the images so that it is "evenly exposed" that's why sharpness will never be optimised, especially if the camera was moved during the different exposure taken to be merged

 

[white5tar]

Putting aside the distortion that has been explained above, I note the aperture was f10 and with the focal length at 18mm, the depth of field should be quite great since the point of focus was at a distance. However, the picture lacks sharpness, especially the bottom right hand corner. I have never used this lens before and I don't know if the problem is inherent in all the same lenses or only your one.

Yea night86mare is right. Its a hdr image taken hand held... and i cant put it back to the same point while turning the dial. tats why it isnt v sharp. I'm juz curious abt the tilted buildings coz the orignal images the buildings are tilted too. Thanks all for the clarification.

 

[white5tar]

btw, if you do landscape and architectural alot, it is good to have a hotshoe spirit level. cost about $35.00

but you also can buy a 6" or 8" spirit level (ruler type) from hardware stores, it only cost a few dollars, cheap cheap only, I use it when I shooting outdoor with 4x5 wide angle camera.

Okie thx I'll keep the spirit level thing in mind. My tripod has one too but it doesnt seems to be of much use when I rotate the tripod head up and down, the bubble moves together with it as well.

 

[night86mare]

Okie thx I'll keep the spirit level thing in mind. My tripod has one too but it doesnt seems to be of much use when I rotate the tripod head up and down, the bubble moves together with it as well.

er, the bubble should move with it

you should have a red/black circle in the middle, try to make it such that the bubble is in the centre of the circle.. then it will be relatively level.

 

[catchlights]

I think he meant the spirit level on the tripod head is unless when shooting vertical.

in this case, use a hotshoe spirit level like this one.

 

[white5tar]

I think he meant the spirit level on the tripod head is unless when shooting vertical.

in this case, use a hotshoe spirit level like this one.

OOhhh I see its mounted on the hot shoe.... ok thx! Alan photo got sell?

 

[night86mare]

every photographic supplies shop should sell. you can even order it online from ppcp, and they will deliver it to you via mail.

 

[Kit]

Hi all, would like to ask if this is due to wide angle distortion or there's something wrong with my lens? The horizon is rather straight, but the buildings on the left is slanted. Image taken with D40 kit lens at 18mm. Or is it juz purely a case of my camera tilted when the image is taken?

Horizons and verticals are relative to each other. In this case where uneven tilt is present, that means your horizon is not straight too.