Language: English

Lens Distortion

A property of the lens itself that makes straight lines not passing through the center of the frame look bent. It happens because magnification differs slightly across the frame. Lines bowing outward is barrel distortion, common in wide lenses. Lines curving inward is pincushion distortion, common at the telephoto end of zoom lenses. A nose looking big when shot close with a wide lens is a different thing: perspective distortion, caused by distance rather than the lens.

Camera position seen from outside. The blue camera looks at the bunny on the street from eye level through a 24mm wide lens. The bending shows only in the camera view, not in this drawing.
Camera view. The image bulges out from the center, and the straight vertical edges of buildings bow outward. In the comparison it switches to pincushion, the edges pinch inward and lines bend toward the center.

How it feels

  • Bulging
  • Unease
  • Exaggeration
  • Awkwardness
  • Energy

When to use it

  • Deliberately showing a bulging, fisheye-like world
  • Something to avoid in wide shots of architecture, products or people near the edges
  • Explaining why faces at the edges of a wide group photo look stretched

In the movies

The Favourite (2018) · Source: SearchlightPictures (YouTube) · Original video
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

    Not to be confused with

    Fisheye
    A fisheye leaves barrel distortion uncorrected and pushes it on purpose. It is the extreme form of barrel distortion.
    Perspective Distortion
    Perspective distortion comes from distance. Change lenses but shoot from the same spot, and near things still look just as big.
    Dutch Angle
    A Dutch angle tilts the whole frame; straight lines do not bend.

    Prompt

    Keyword

    barrel distortion

    Descriptive

    Wide lens with visible barrel distortion, the straight edges of the buildings bow outward near the frame edges.

    Try these combinations

    • Eye level + barrel distortion: a bending street

      Eye-level wide shot of a city street, strong barrel distortion, buildings bowing outward at the frame edges

    • Architecture + no distortion: straight lines kept straight

      Architectural shot of a building facade, straight lines, no lens distortion

    Related terms