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Re: [OM] Re: everybody loves a shift lens...

Subject: Re: [OM] Re: everybody loves a shift lens...
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2003 14:33:25 -0700
I agree with both of you. It's a matter of linguistic perspective  ;-)

To add further words to the pot, I would say that perspective is entirely a matter of the spatial relationship betweeen the viewer and the objects viewed. I am speaking here in the geometric sense, not the perceptual sense Andrew addresses.

In the geometric sense, Jeff and Walt are correct, a crop from a shot taken with an 18mm lens and film with infinite resolution cannot be distinguished from a shot from the same location taken with a 1000mm lens. The same background areas are obscured in exactly the same way by foreground objects. The relative sizes of the model's toes on the legs sticking out in front of her and her eyes are the same. If I move forward or back, both of these things change. If I move forward or back to change these things and still want the same background area in my picture or the size of the subject on film to remain the same, I must change the focal length of my lens. Thus, if I am talking about a full length shot of a couple of people, it is true that changing focal length will change perspective, but that will be because I move toward or away from the subjects to retain their size in the image.

Moose



Jan Steinman wrote:

From: "Jeff Keller" <jrk_om@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Focal length just changes the size of the image. There is no change in
the relative size and placement of objects (perspective)...

But that's the taker's point-of-view. I try to teach students to think in terms 
of the subject.

Probably the difference in what you're saying is semantics rather than a
difference in understanding (which I'm pretty good at confusing).

I'd call it more a difference in attitude.

You are, of course, correct in saying that perspective doesn't change if the 
camera-subject distance is unchanged. But (IMHO) that's a rather trivial use of focal 
length, in most cases. (Yea, the "getting closer" part of focal length is handy 
for shooting birds and large carnivores... :-)

I devote a whole unit in my class to having students get used to using focal 
length to alter perspective. They already know how to stand in one place and 
twist the zoom ring! :-)





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