248 THE HASSELBLAD MANUAL
straighten the lines in the camera while taking the picture is still a good and certainly much
faster solution. Slanted lines can often be avoided easily without any special equipment by
simply photographing the subject with a longer lens from a longer distance, if that is possible,
as discussed in Chapter 15.
Wide Angle Distortion
Another type of distortion occurs when three-dimensional subjects are photographed
with wide angle lenses. You see this distortion in many news pictures of people because
wide angle lenses are popular tools in news photography. The objects near the edge of
the picture appear wider than those in the center. A perfectly round chandelier, for exam-
ple, appears egg-shaped in the corner of the picture and a person’s face is elongated and/or
curved. This effect is called wide angle distortion as it becomes obvious and objectionable
only in pictures taken with wide angle lenses. In spite of its name, wide angle distortion is not
the fault of the lens or its design. It happens even in pictures taken with the best designed
wide angle lenses.
The fi rst reason for this effect is the fl at image plane in the camera. (see Figure 14-12).
A second reason can be found in the fact that the lens sees objects on the sides from a dif-
ferent angle than those in the center. In a group of people the lens sees those in the center
from the front, but looks at the side of the head of those at the sides. In group or product
pictures, the distortion can be reduced by turning the people or products so that they all face
toward the center of the lens (see Figures 14-12 and 14-13). In cases with immovable objects,
try to compose the shot so objects that easily look distorted do not appear on the edges or
corners of the frame.
LENS DESIGN AND LENS NAMES
Most modern lenses, like the HC types for the Hasselblad H cameras, do not have specifi c
names based on the type of lens or its design. The names on the Carl Zeiss lenses in the V sys-
tem differ depending on the lens design, which does not mean that one design is better than
another, but simply that a specifi c design was selected as the most suitable for that particular
focal length (see Figure 14-14).
Planar lenses are symmetrical with fi ve to seven elements grouped into similar front and
rear sections. The name is based on their ability to produce an exceptionally fl at fi eld. Makro-
Planars, originally called S-Planars, are corrected to produce the sharpest images at close dis-
tances, but they also produce good quality at longer distances.
Sonnar lenses, consisting of four or fi ve elements, are a compact design, with the main
components in the front section. The Tessar is a classic four-element lens design that produces
lightweight compact lenses. Tele-Tessar lenses are optically true telephoto types with a posi-
tive front section and a negative rear section separated by a large air space. Mutar is the name
for teleconverters made by Zeiss. When the name is combined with “Apo,” it indicates a Zeiss
teleconverter with apochromatic correction. The PC Mutar is a 1.4 teleconverter with shift
capability.
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