Wide Angle Lens (In device not add on)

sinnerjohn

IOTM WInner - April 2022
Real Name
John
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Pixel
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Any advice on wide angle settings/way to use?

I rather naively thought a wide angled lens was just there to get more into the shot. So recently I started taking a few shots with the built in lens and got varied results.
On quite a few the distortion was pretty bad, but reading last night that this is typical of a wide angle lens. Not that happy if I have to edit most of the shots to make them look right.

I did read that when using a wide angle lens its best to have something really close to the lens, which helps with how the shot looks.
Example below totally unedited, maybe the Pixel has a bad example of a wide angle lens, I dunno.

PXL_20210604_100554345.jpg
 
Any advice on wide angle settings/way to use?

I rather naively thought a wide angled lens was just there to get more into the shot. So recently I started taking a few shots with the built in lens and got varied results.
On quite a few the distortion was pretty bad, but reading last night that this is typical of a wide angle lens. Not that happy if I have to edit most of the shots to make them look right.

I did read that when using a wide angle lens its best to have something really close to the lens, which helps with how the shot looks.
Example below totally unedited, maybe the Pixel has a bad example of a wide angle lens, I dunno.

View attachment 167773
This is the perfect example of why I have shied away from the superwide. Maybe I should do a little reading, too. Though, it would be a cool addition to a weird fantasy based composite. :D
 
I don't have answers as such but a an observation.
Anything with straight lines needs the horizon line in the middle of the shot or you will get distortion.
So here the horizon is below and the lines distorted.
IMG_20210522_143324.jpg

For comparison, you can't see the horizon here but I had my phone vertical to the floor and flat to the window. You can still see distortion, the straight lines are bowed out a bit, but the distortion is symetrical in the image and not so jarring.

IMG_20210606_142257.jpg
 
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Any advice on wide angle settings/way to use?

I rather naively thought a wide angled lens was just there to get more into the shot. So recently I started taking a few shots with the built in lens and got varied results.
On quite a few the distortion was pretty bad, but reading last night that this is typical of a wide angle lens. Not that happy if I have to edit most of the shots to make them look right.

I did read that when using a wide angle lens its best to have something really close to the lens, which helps with how the shot looks.
Example below totally unedited, maybe the Pixel has a bad example of a wide angle lens, I dunno.

View attachment 167773
What rizole just said. And the perspective distortion will appear less severe if you're shooting with the camera level rather than pointing up or down. But those things limit your options for framing the shot, so you might not be able to get the view you want.

An alternative is to use the more normal lens but shoot a panorama to get the same coverage you would with the ultrawide lens. You still get distortion, depending on what you're shooting, but I've found it's usually not as severe.

I don't have an ultrawide on my iPhone XS, but when I combine the Moment wideangle with the phone's wideangle, I get the same coverage and same distortion problems. So far, I've just treated that combo as a special effect lens, for the most part (i.e., using it when I want the distortion).
 
This interested me...starts off by telling us how to avoid distortion and then how to use it. Some other stuff in there too.
Some very good tips. I'd expand "Keep people out of the corners" to "people and other important stuff." And in addition to the more extreme distortion, the corners are also likely to be noticeably less sharp, even a bit smeared (depending on the specific lens).

In situations where I'm not just snapping but taking time to think about a shot, I'll often use the camera function in Lightroom Mobile because it has a good 2-axis level indicator (pitch and roll) with haptic feedback (on iOS anyway). (Other camera apps offer level indicators, too. The one in LRM just happens to suit me.)

While that covers pitch and roll, it doesn't help with yaw, so you have to deal with that as best you can on your own. (Here's a brief explanation of those terms.) Especially if you're shooting something like architecture straight on, it can really help to square up all three axes -- it can save you a lot of editing time later.
 
While that covers pitch and roll, it doesn't help with yaw
I didn't get that at all, I thought you were giving me flying lessons. Then I went out at lunch and realised you were just saying I can't hold the camera straight !! :lol:

Next time just say 'John try holding the damn camera straight' ;)
 
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