UPDATED RESULT: THERE IS NO EXCESSIVE DISTORTION OF THE RX1 AS SUGGESTED BY MY POST. VISUAL TEST SUGGESTS THAT THE FILTER EXAGGERATES THE INNATE LENS DISTORTION.
I am surprised this doesn't get much mention anywhere.
I got the RX1 as a gift to replace my wife's 5D-MkII. Her go to lens is the 35mm and 50mm prime. The RX1 was going to replace the 5DMII, but after using it during our vacation, she concluded that she can't compose with it as well as she could with the 5D and she doesn't like the image it produces when it comes to people and faces.
She didn't elaborate as she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, so I went through all the photos we produced and apparently the 35mm RX1 lens produces far more distortion than the 35mm canon prime. And this distortion seems to start much closer from the center of the lens in the RX1 than the 35mm canon prime. In fact we never noticed anything in the years we've had the canon, but as soon as we shot familiar people and familiar faces with the RX1, we weren't happy with the results.
With street or object photography this may not be apparent but when you are photographing familiar faces, it becomes apparent and the results are not pretty.
I haven't done further testing (or direct comparisons with the 35mm canon prime) which I may do as time allows, but I have attached 3 images here:
1. Person in the center
2. Person on the side, notice her body and the tree trunk becomes distorted and wide
3. #2 distortion corrected in photoshop CC. If anything it makes it worse!
Note: I made sure the setting for Lens distortion is on Auto in the camera options (there are no setting for ON, only OFF / AUTO, which is odd). I have not tested if setting this to OFF vs AUTO made any difference.
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I am at a loss as to how I can correct the distortion when photoshop's lens correction seems to be unable to do, even to the point of making it worse.
Has anyone experienced this? Would any RX1 owners be kind enough to test this for me.
Currently I am hoping that my camera is defective (as in the lens distortion correction in the menu doesn't work as it should), as this means I can get it serviced. But if this issue is native then I will consider selling the RX1.
I am surprised this doesn't get much mention anywhere.
I got the RX1 as a gift to replace my wife's 5D-MkII. Her go to lens is the 35mm and 50mm prime. The RX1 was going to replace the 5DMII, but after using it during our vacation, she concluded that she can't compose with it as well as she could with the 5D and she doesn't like the image it produces when it comes to people and faces.
She didn't elaborate as she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, so I went through all the photos we produced and apparently the 35mm RX1 lens produces far more distortion than the 35mm canon prime. And this distortion seems to start much closer from the center of the lens in the RX1 than the 35mm canon prime. In fact we never noticed anything in the years we've had the canon, but as soon as we shot familiar people and familiar faces with the RX1, we weren't happy with the results.
With street or object photography this may not be apparent but when you are photographing familiar faces, it becomes apparent and the results are not pretty.
I haven't done further testing (or direct comparisons with the 35mm canon prime) which I may do as time allows, but I have attached 3 images here:
1. Person in the center
2. Person on the side, notice her body and the tree trunk becomes distorted and wide
3. #2 distortion corrected in photoshop CC. If anything it makes it worse!
Note: I made sure the setting for Lens distortion is on Auto in the camera options (there are no setting for ON, only OFF / AUTO, which is odd). I have not tested if setting this to OFF vs AUTO made any difference.
------
I am at a loss as to how I can correct the distortion when photoshop's lens correction seems to be unable to do, even to the point of making it worse.
Has anyone experienced this? Would any RX1 owners be kind enough to test this for me.
Currently I am hoping that my camera is defective (as in the lens distortion correction in the menu doesn't work as it should), as this means I can get it serviced. But if this issue is native then I will consider selling the RX1.