RX100 - Lens curve on Landscape shots

[A65Woodley]

Hi folks

I've been incredibly pleased with my RX100 and it makes a great alternative to my A65 when I'm travelling for work and don't have much space.

I have however noticed that I'm getting some lens curve on the side of landscape shots.  This is particularly noticeable when they include buildings.  Please see the attached image - the blue glass building appears to be at a slightly odd angle.  

Does anyone know how to correct this?  Is there a software update that I should be applying to the camera?

Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

Thanks

Stuart

[Blencogo]

Hi Stuart.

The problem appears to be that the camera is not horizontal when the picture was taken.

This effect is most evident at a wide angle setting and is more pronounced the more you tilt the camera upwards.  As you say, it is more pronounced when you have verical objects at the edge of your picture.

The extreme would be if you photograph a pair of pillars from a short distance away and point the camera upwards near to vertical.  The vertical pillars would appear to lean steeply together.  You can also try this indoors with the door openings - sit low and slowly pan your camera upwards and you should be able to see this effect..

You can correct this in software - something like Photoshop - but the only way to avoid it completely is to hold your camera horizontally.

If you still think it is a lens problem, please post back and we wil look at it further.

[A65Woodley]

Hi Blencogo

Firstly, thanks for the response and my apologies for my slow reply but I've been travelling.

I read your response with interest but am not sure that it's the problem that I'm experiencing.  I always use the 'spirit-level' setting on the camera and make sure the markers are green before taking the shot.

I decided to go out again today (in Brisbane) and repeat the process.   Please see the attached shot, where the problem is most pronounced on the left but also evident on the right.   I made sure that the camera was on the Intelligent Auto mode and that the picture was taken with the spirit-level markers showing as green.

I agree that the camera was pointed (very slightly) upwards but even so, this distortion is really frustrating.

If you have any other ideas, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks

Stuart

PS.  I don't use Photoshop but will see if I can correct in Aperture.

[Blencogo]

Hi Stuart.

I still think it is because the camera is pointed upwards and you would get exactly the same result with any wide-angled compact camera.

Looking at your picture, the centre of the image is above the buildings on the right.  The centre is close to the top of the lamp-post in the centre.

Try taking this picture again with the camera level - the heads of the people in front of you should be in the centre of the picture.

See if that removes the problem.

[A65Woodley]

Hi Blencogo

I still seem to be having the problem with the RX100, which is getting really frustrating.

I've taken a series of photos today and have attached a couple of examples.

In this example, the problem appears more apparent on the left hand side, with both the sign and the cabinet showing a noticeable bend.

In the second example, the lamp post is definitely bending, yet for some strange reason the buildings behind it in the distance, don't seem to be affected.

Thanks again for your help

Stuart

[A65Woodley · Accepted solution]

Hi Blencogo

I've been doing quite a lot of research over the last couple of days and I've found the answer to my problem!

I'm sharing this information incase any other Sony camera users have the same issue.   The problem is not with the camera it's with Apple Aperture.   Apparently, Apple released a new raw handler update a short while ago to add support for other cameras including the Alpha A58.   There is a problem with this update for certain other Sony cameras, including the RX100, whereby it causes a barrelling affect for photos shot in raw mode.   The solution is to remove the 4.08 raw update and download (then reinstall) the 4.07 version.   I've tried this this morning and it works   I've attached an updated version of yesterday's photo as a comparison.

Also, here's the link to the Apple discussion forum, which includes the details of how to switch back to the 4.07 raw handler.   https://discussions.apple.com/message/22919726?ac_cid=op123456#22919726

Thanks again for your help.  Hopefully this is useful for other Aperture/Sony users.

Thanks

Stuart