Do lenses warp images?

[Phot]

I'm trying to learn and getting frustrated. I keep hearing that lenses like 35mm warp images in portrait photography, but when I post pictures of myself no one says "Hey your head looks warped"...... So is this an illusion, something that science says should happen but in action doesn't happen? I have seen side by side comparisons and I still can't tell the difference. Is this something the camera industry has spread that is not true?

 

[Ido]

No reason to spread a conspiracy theory about it.

No, lenses do not “warp” images. Some lenses have more severe distortion than others, and that can go both ways — both barrel (looks as if the image is stretching towards you) and pincushion (away from you). Barrel distortion is more common among very wide-angle lenses.

What you are referring to, though, is a different kind of distortion — perspective distortion. That has nothing to do with the lens or its focal length, only your distance from the subject. That in turn means wide-angle lenses create more perspective distortion, because you’re most likely to get closer and fill the frame with a wider lens.

You can do a little experiment. Take your 18–55 mm lens (you have one, right?) and shoot a certain subject, preferably a person. Set it to 18mm, fill the frame with your subject and take a shot. Then zoom in to 55mm and move back until the subject is roughly the same size in the frame as it was before. Take that shot too. From the same spot and in the same angle, zoom back out to 18mm.

You should find the 18mm shot from close-in looks more “distorted.” If indeed you took those test images of an actual person, you should see the nose a little larger, stuff like that.

The two shots from further back should look identical to each other. The 18mm shot will have more content around, but if you crop it to a similar frame they will look identical, only the 18mm shot will be of lower resolution after the crop.

Sometimes this distortion is hard to notice in untrained eyes, and it also depends on the angle you shoot at. If you’re satisfied with the results you’re getting, be calm and keep shooting.

 

[astroNikon]

^^ as above states
here's a short but good article with picture examples of Perspective Distortion ==> This Image Shows How Camera Lenses Beautify or Uglify Your Pretty Face


Most (if not all) people will give positive feedback on Facebook, Instagram, etc on any image that you post. Post an example here and let the experts give tips and real feedback.

 

[Phot]

So what is the least expensive AutoFocus lens I can get that is 105mm(prime I think is the word) for a Nikon d3200?

Would it be the worst thing in the world to use a teleconverter on a 35mm?

 

[astroNikon]

So what is the least expensive AutoFocus lens I can get that is 105mm(prime I think is the word) for a Nikon d3200?

Would it be the worst thing in the world to use a teleconverter on a 35mm?

Those NEW are about $982 ==> Nikon 105mm F/2.8

Why do you want to jump from a 35 to a 105?
50mm would be fine as long as you don't get too close (35mm too) - just learn more about perspective distortion.

 

[Phot]

Mostly because I try to focus on the eyes. When I get further back I don't see the same detail on the eyes

 

[DB_Cro]

50mm si better suited for this then a 35mm, and thankfully the 50mm lenses are cheapest so you can get the F/1.4 version.
Look at the Sigma 50 F/1.4 ART too and/or a 85mm option, whatever the current Nikon version is.

100-105 Macro lenses are well.. for macro.. not needed.. and more expensive.

 

[Braineack]

Mostly because I try to focus on the eyes. When I get further back I don't see the same detail on the eyes

shoot stopped down.

 

[astroNikon]

This would be good to read too as it reviews pincushion, barrel etc distortion ==> What is Distortion?

 

[KmH]

Mostly because I try to focus on the eyes. When I get further back I don't see the same detail on the eyes

Many portrait photographers use long focal length lenses.
My favorite was my 200 mm f/2 prime lens.

I still got the detail in the eyes.

Using 200 mm, or some other telephoto focal length, you stay out of the subjects space, have no problems with perspective distortion and can often have a nice blurred background that makes the subject really 'pop'.