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Panasonic has developed an innovative new way to correct distortion and tilt from single photos

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Fixing distortion and tilt is a tricky problem. It was solved back in the large format days by having lens boards and film backs that could tilt, shift and move around in all kinds of directions. And while tilt-shift lenses are available for modern cameras, the one thing they can’t fix is lens distortion – particularly from things like fisheye lenses. Of course, such distortion can be fixed in software using manual tweaks or custom lens profiles. But figuring it out automatically?

For software to figure out how to correct such distortion usually takes multiple images so the software can “learn” the characteristics of a lens. But according to Nikkei, Panasonic has developed a new technology that seems to be able to do it from just a single image. Right now, it’s still in the testing stages while they determine if the method can be practically implemented.

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This photo of Bidens and Carters shows what can go wrong with a wide-angle lens

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Sometimes you absolutely must use a wide-angle lens to get the entire scene in the shot. But there’s a downside to it that can turn out quite hilarious. This is exactly what happened in this photo. The US president Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with former president Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter last week. Thanks to a wide-angle lens, the Carters look like giants in a tiny house and the longer you look, the funnier it gets.

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Ever wondered what an Aspherical lens element actually is? Here you go

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Every time a new lens is announced, the optical makeup is always listed. This many elements in that many groups and a certain amount of them are “aspherical”. But what exactly does that mean? Is it just nonsensical jargon that doesn’t actually mean anything? Well, in this video from Michael the Maven, you’ll find out exactly what they are, how they do what they do and why they’re a big deal.

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How to remove action camera fisheye distortion in under 20 seconds

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Action cameras have become part of many a filmmaker and photographer arsenal. Even if they’re not our primary camera, they’re great for grabbing behind the scenes clips or putting in higher risk situations. And then, sometimes, they are the primary camera, capturing the action. But most of them come with a pretty severe fisheye effect.

Some can deal with this natively in-camera, but often you get the best results in post. But how can you deal with it effectively? In this super short 20 second video from YouTuber Aidin Robbins, we see just how easy it is to fix. Aidin uses Hitfilm Express for this video, but the principle is the same in other editing applications.

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This video explains linear perspective and geometry when shooting portraits

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Remember the animation showing how focal length impacts the portrait? When you shoot with different focal lengths and your subject takes the same space in the frame, you’ll get a certain amount of distortion. As a matter of fact, this is one of the reasons why camera “adds ten pounds”. In this video, Koldunov Brothers demonstrate how geometry of the face and body depends on the distance from the camera. So, what is it that looks so strange when shooting up close with a wide angle lens?

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Understanding Lens Distortion At Different Focal Lengths And How To Work With It

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Wide angle lenses let you pack a lot of action into the frame, but they also present a problem: distortion. Fortunately, if you know what to expect and some of the different ways you can work with it, distortion isn’t a deal breaker. In the quick video clip below, John Greengo shares some examples of the way distortion affects photographs at different focal lengths. He also shares some advice on how to you can work with distortion and use it to your advantage.

Check it out:

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