لكل سؤال جواب .. مجلة فن التصوير اللبنانية _ ع١٨

Every question has an answer

Wide-angle lens distortions

In Issue No. 12, you talked about the wide-angle lens, its advantages, scope, and caveats.. But I hope that you will inform me clearly about the distortions and aberrations that result from the use of this lens, and is there any lens that can be used without distorting the image.
Thank you for your cooperation and interest.
Abdullah Zamil Abu Dhabi


The importance of wide-angle lenses lies in capturing scenes within a very narrow atmosphere. Inside a room, for example.. or to be used in photographing selected subjects in nature, where, for example, the foreground must be combined with the background without the appearance of sharp differences in the subject. Altaboor. However, more accuracy and care must be taken with the use of these lenses, as it may happen that you need them often, despite the caveats.
Sometimes what you call distortion is used by others to highlight features or close scenes, for example. Three types of . Distortions caused by this lens, bearing in mind that, according to the technical concept, there is one type that can be called distortion, which is what is known as cylindrical distortion, and it pushes straight lines close to the edges of the image to bend from its center to the outside, which leads to clear distortion that appears more with a fish-eye lens . . Where the straight extension of the lines is sacrificed, to achieve a viewing angle of 180 degrees.

As for the aberrations with a 24-flag lens, the curvature will not appear clear except with the presence of completely straight lines close to the edge of the image. Thus, with a lens of 28 mm or more, the size of the aberration diminishes, or it can form an aesthetic aspect of the image.

close verticals
It is another type of shooting results with a wide-angle lens, and it has been previously discussed in detail, emphasizing that tilting the camera upward to photograph a building will lead to the appearance of verticals that are sharply close to each other, and in this case, it is preferable to use the standard lens - 50 mm - that will appear We have these verticals as we see them in the naked eye, and in photographing faces within this context, we find that parts of the face will double in size at the expense of other parts, such as the nose and chin, which will appear much larger than their reality relative to the ear, for example! Other distortions may occur as a result of the flash using a wide-angle lens, where the light can cover the wide field covered by the lens, and the edges are not illuminated, and this is the solution. Either by dispensing with the flash or by using one with great power and spread.
Among the widespread distortions are some industrial types, where the edges come out of proportion. This often happens when using a wide-angle lens on a camera from another company, and from here it is always advisable that the lens and all the accessories for the camera are from the manufacturer of the camera itself. Finally, to avoid many distortions, it is advisable to use a mm lens that can meet the need, while other lenses are not. Without that, it remains necessary for professionals, especially in the fields of journalism.

* resin paper

What are the advantages of resin-coated paper - plastic? I am interested in it despite the interest of others in ordinary bromide. I also like to inquire about (Multigrade) paper, and finally, can I increase this grain on the print without having to affect the development of the film.
Please inform me about that because I am seeking advanced methods in the field of working within the dark room.

Dawood Al-Hajlat
Al Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

One of the advantages of resin paper is the speed of its preparation and drying, hence its hardness, and its non-perishability in relation to bromide, as it requires wasting more time for the aforementioned operations, in addition to the possibility of wrinkling and thus being easily damaged.

About multigrid paper, with this issue there is a detailed topic about it and its uses.

As for the grain, if the negative is not characterized by a certain amount of dripping, it will not appear on the picture, and if you want to conduct some experiments on cloth screens, you have to put these screens with the negative like a sandwich inside the magnifier.
- And you can get these screens from Patterson stores or make them yourself using soft and thin paper or cut from the appropriate cloth.


M X V locations at Minolta.

I have a Minolta camera... ( 5 Minolta - A )
I want to know the year in which this camera was produced, with an explanation of what the (M), (X) and (V) locations mean.

Elie Moghaizel Lebanon


This camera was produced in 1960

(M) is the location designated for shooting with flash bulds and should be used with a shutter speed of 1/30 or less.

(X) It is used when photographing with an electronic flash with a specific shutter speed, depending on the type of camera
You have 1/60th

(V) is the location indicative of delayed release
Shutter for a few seconds after pressing the light block button.

Canon selection

I have a Canon (1-AE) camera with a 50mm lens, and because I am more than photographing faces, I am excited to buy a zoom lens that does not underestimate the importance of the color image. Hence I want to move towards the wide angle, and fight 28mm or 35mm that is more acceptable, and I also want facilities Close focus, in addition to a stop at an aperture wider than f / 3.5. Do you recommend a Canon lens (M.M 70 x 35), or is there another lens that gives me the advantages of this lens with other facilities that I want?!

Ibrahim Shaker Lebanon

The appropriate choice is Canon 35-70 f/4 zoom.
Forget about getting a wider aperture or closer focus. The optical hassle involved in producing a wide-angle zoom lens is enormous, and the designers have managed to reproduce the quality available today without the added hassle of macro focus or wider apertures.
As another option, you can get the Canon 35-70mm f / 8.2 zoom, which is more expensive compared to the first one, but it gives you the closest focus you want.