Lens Compression in Portrait Focal Lengths

[@katelynn1818]

Finally someone that explained it in a way that’s easy to understand!!

[@jway395]

Great video Hyun...I didn't realize the perspective change by lens was so dramatic! Well done...

[@feedmeimei]

Ahh so informative! I always learn something new when watching your vids hehe

[@yazid222]

There are two phenomena that are closely tied to each other: compression of the scene, and perspective distortion of the subject. This is all related to the absolute distance from the subject. Distortion of the facial features doesn't happen because a 15mm lens is used but it happens because of the close distance. In this kind of experiences (like in this video)/we want the subject to occupy the same portion of the frame. If you like how the 35mm width of field include some of the background but you don't like how the face of your subject is distorted, remember that you can always step back, make the face look smaller in the frame, include more of the body (like a person sitting for example) and that will be a great environmental portrait. This is just a reminder for beginners.

[@EddySawaya8637]

When using longer lenses, distortion is greatly reduced somewhere between 85 and 135mm. Anything wider than that will cause barrel distortion, leading to elements in a 3D perspective to appear further from each other (ex: at 15mm). Anything tighter than that will result in pincushion distortion, leading to objects in a 3D perspective to appear closer to each other than they are. ex: if you shoot a portrait at 400m, and if your subject has legs extended towards the camera, they will subsequently look a lot shorter than they really are. That is why 100-105mm focal length is popular among lens manufacturers for macro shots as perspective distortion is minimal even when closing at very close distances.

[@MattsMegabites]

whoa. I'm never taking portraits with a 15mm lens. Noted! But the fish eye look is kind of cool

[@dzllz]

Best and simplest explanation ive seen so far! Great job

[@TwoHungryDiners]

Woaaa..we never tried the 70-200mm lens, the compression is amazing! Can be a great lens that. Lovely photos of your wife Ralph!

[@jabezhane]

I was going to get the 35mm F2 IS for my 6D a few weeks ago then I saw a video on using a 70-200mm zoom for portraits. I'd never thought of that. I only used it for sports events slapped on my old 40D (crop reach and 6.5fps). So I dug out my ancient 70-210mm F3.5 USM (a great bargain, trust me) put it on the 6D and tried it out on my Gf. I always associate bokeh/blurry backgrounds with primes but this blows them out of the water for outdoor work. I was so enthused I won a Tamron 70-200mm F2.8 VC on Ebay this weekend to sharpen things up on the long end with the stabilisation (plus I want to try gig photography). This video was timely too. It really shows what a big zoom can do. It's not all 'about the primes'.

[@zhengyangfeng2274]

The explanation is great! It definitely deserves more views and likes

[@tolaniidowu8991]

One of the best explanations I've seen. Excellent video.

[@PeterandYen]

O this is super interesting never even thought of this phenomenon "Compression" now that I understand the effect distortion can have depending on the lens used I'll need to be a bit more careful with our shots. Also its useful to see the different background/shots for the different lenses. Great video!

[@ayushkanitkar808]

You explain every concept so beautifully well. Simple & precise. Lovely stuff man. Thanks a lot :)

[@Chinesista]

You are such an excellent teacher, thank you for these videos!

[@FoodandFootprints]

Really cool to see the big differences between each lens

[@AlliandWill]

Great explanations Ralph! Which is your favorite focal length to shoot Portraits? I love my 85mm f1.4 for that size of shot in videos.

[@HyunRalphJeong]

Alli and Will I love the 85 1.2 :) nothing else like it

[@bfs5113]

​@@HyunRalphJeong Try a 200 f/2 prime. While the 85 f/1.2 has a smooth and creamy blur, but the 200 f/2 can knock your socks off if use properly. 😊

[@AlliandWill]

@@HyunRalphJeong I bet!

[@AlliandWill]

@@bfs5113 for a cool $8k

[@HyunRalphJeong]

@@bfs5113 Haha yeah that's a beast of a lens

[@amedina_life]

Excellent explanation with great examples 👍🏽

[@HyunRalphJeong]

Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@Mookie819]

Just bought a Sony a7ii & I'm new to photography but your vids have been extremely helpful very thorough

[@HyunRalphJeong]

MOOKGAMING glad I could help :)

[@catalinjuncan]

You have a great channel !! you make sense in what you state, you make it simple. Cheers!

[@ApertureAlchemy]

Excellent explanation, and examples of compression. Well done!

[@nickandhelmi]

Didnt even know you were married haha

[@JurajHatina]

Yup, just a small correction that it’s the perspective compression not the lens compression. The lens can’t compress anything. You get the same pic with wide angle lens standing the same distace as with the tele if you crop the wide shot!

[@fernandocastillo3670]

Exactly

[@fernandocastillo3670]

But great video nonetheless

[@EddySawaya8637]

This is actually a myth that is spreading in a same way that the flat earth theory is lol. When using longer lenses, distortion is minimized somewhere between 85 and 135mm. Anything wider than that will cause barrel distortion, leading to elements in a 3D perspective to appear further from each other (ex: at 15mm). Anything tighter than that will result in pincushion distortion, leading to objects in a 3D perspective to appear closer to each other than they are. ex: if you shoot a portrait at 400m, and if your subject has legs extended towards the camera, they will subsequently look a lot shorter than they really are. That is why 100-105mm focal length is popular among lens manufacturers for macro shots as perspective distortion is minimal even when closing at very close distances. That's just the nature of physics.

[@nelsonbrub4406]

,,, you explained every topic very clearly I'm learning...

[@MrRensan404]

Great explanation and examples to share!

[@LifetimeTravelmates]

very well explained! helpful informative video! Thanks!

[@ramgakar16]

Hi This video is stirringly educating, thank you so very much ! Q : which focal length should one employ, In the ‘studio headshot-portraits’ in order to make the subject’s face look slimmer & not fatter as it usually appears ? Pl advise

[@mariaandbryan]

Pretty cool! 50mm is líeles fave but I just got the 85mm and I’m really loving it We just did some awesome photos with both lenses for a watch company But these comparisons are freaking awesome! Especially with the wide lens and its distortion

[@loboblanco99]

Thank you for explanation... Well said.

[@nickandhelmi]

Im a fan on 50mm lense for bokeh , but at times 35mm also can do the job

[@WhoIsSerafin]

My wife never wants anything but the 50mm when we go out for portraits. And it happens to be my favorite lens to use.

[@KimchiAndBeansVideos]

Whoa... looks so different! We also like to see some of the context, but having the option to blur the back completely is a cool option too. You gave her a good tip. We have wondered about the same thing. It's nice when you get more of the background, even when far away.

[@Asmrshorts990]

Your videos are so helpful, thank you!

[@TheHungryBlackPanda]

I dont think I've ever seen or use a 15mm ever!!! 24mn has been max on my end..so interesting to see the background feels longer..I like the 50 85mm the most tho for portraits

[@michaeloeser]

At the end lens compression is an optical illusion. The background looks compressed because of the narrower viewing angle on longer focal lenghts 😉

[@HyunRalphJeong]

Yep that's correct :)

[@Identitymediatv]

You just taught something major here 👏👏👏

[@78Wedin]

Hey hun, do you do any one on one training? I'm going to be in the market for a bit of tutoring and I like the way you explain things. Please direct me to where I can sign up if you do!

[@abhishekvsmalyala]

I'd like to see you compare a full frame 50mm and a crop sensor 35mm , both supposedly normal focal lengths but differ in lens compression. Also maybe a 24mm on crop sensor and 35mm on full frame.

[@HyunRalphJeong]

I did talk about that in my full frame vs crop sensor videos if you want to check them out

[@abhishekvsmalyala]

@@HyunRalphJeong I did, and there I commented on the compression factor. All the classic photographers used to use a 35mm film camera with a 35mm or 50mm lens. I wanted to know, from a photographers point of view, if there's a noticeable difference between a FF with 50mm and a crop sensor with 35mm, if you only carry one camera and one lens

[@HyunRalphJeong]

​@@abhishekvsmalyala I'd say the difference is definitely there, but I guess the more important question is, would anybody else see it? I doubt it.

[@greenlifts]

Really good explanation! Thanks!

[@dimevans9543]

Hyun! Excellent presentation, well understood. Once again BZ👍!

[@siddhantkhanal4043]

Due to the distortion happening on wider lens and compression on telephoto lens face is flattering on 85 mm than 50mm. If we use APSC camera, will the look of face be same on 56mm lens(85/1.5 using crop factor) compared to 85mm on full frame??

[@ltpa152]

Brilliantly well done video.

[@mariaandbryan]

Would that be a telephoto? A 600mm?

[@HyunRalphJeong]

The Mamuchos yeah I don’t really know where “telephoto” starts haha

[@mariaandbryan]

Hyun Ralph Jeong hahahah

[@zachlucas]

Love your videos. Thank you!

[@fiv5acesstudio]

New subscriber here. I like the way you explain things. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@paololevy]

I usually use the 70-200 for portraits but the 35 looks awesome too because u can have the background. Great explanation, lol the distortion on 15mm made me cringe lol.😂🤣😂

[@lojj999]

Great video! I have been following you and I notice you have really good sound. Do you do any sound post production? Would you share how you record your sound?

[@HyunRalphJeong]

Thanks, I don't do much post processing on the audio, but this is what I use: amzn.to/2NTamkj

[@ronaldconiglio9942]

Thank you. Simply informative and interesting.

[@TheCanadianBubba]

Would more distance with the smaller lenses give the subject a more correct representation ?

[@denyxrunner]

TheCanadianBubba with smaller you mean wider? The distortion yes will be less and less noticeable in the center portion of the photo but the compression is always the same. For example if you shot a full body with a 35mm the distortion will be normal but the compression will always be different from a 200mm shooting the same frame. Usually you want more compression for people photography because there will be less distractions in the background but for example if you want incorporate something in the background in that case you need a wider lens with less compression. Distortion is just ugly but compression depends on what type of shot you want. Rewatch the video and look how the background change and how much of that background is in the frame

[@jiajianhou426]

Excellent! Never gonna take portraits with 50mm or wider lenses. Must be 85+. The look with 50mm and lower is just so distorted.

[@phrasalsyntax]

Nice video Hyun but the concept 'lens compression' is misleading because it make you think compression is a property of lenses and focal lengths and that's not the case. You can get the exactly the same results in terms of compression by using wide angle or telephoto lenses, the later have not more intrinsic compression than wide angle lenses because compression is not a property of the lens but of the distance to the subject. That's why people shouldn't use the term 'lens compression' but 'perspective compression' instead. Now, of course we typically use telephoto lenses to take portraits because if we use wide angle lenses and we want to get the same compression effect we would have to crop the image on the wide angle lens and that's not ideal. So there is a sense why people say that telephoto lenses are good if you want to compress the background but that is not because of any intrinsic property of the telephoto but because you don't need to crop the image as you would have to do with a wide angle lens to obtain the same compression. This video by Fstoppers explains very clearly the real concept of 'perspective compression' and why the notion of 'lens compression' is technically wrong: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYW3iYxniMpjm8k

[@xkal636]

Since you also use the EOS R, some preset packs I purchased a while back worked fine on cr2 files but on cr3 files it never seems to work. Do you know any type of work arounds?

[@HyunRalphJeong]

imxkal Hmm I actually don’t use any presets haha Sorry I can’t be any more help

[@xkal636]

@@HyunRalphJeong Heh no problem. Another question than, you mentioned your EF lenses are sharper on the EOS R than on native EF bodies. Do you plan on switching to RF glass in the future?

[@HyunRalphJeong]

imxkal hmm I don’t remember saying that lol do you remember where I said that? But I do like the new RF lenses. Just bought the 15-35 2.8

[@xkal636]

Hyun Ralph Jeong maybe it was that the ef lenses focus somewhat faster on the eos r lol. Sorry bad memories. I also noticed my sigma 35 art is tack sharp on the eos r and dont need any adjustments.

[@HyunRalphJeong]

imxkal maybe that’s what it was. I heard the focusing can be more precise

[@chirag.photos]

Great 👍🏼

[@zacharyf.9936]

great video! thank you!

[@lisouetoxito1127]

very good video

[@PualTree]

the word my wife shocked me haha

[@BenchR267]

Using a crop sensor for that moon shot wouldn’t increase the compression, it would just crop the image.

[@HyunRalphJeong]

Benjamin Herzog Yep that’s correct. It will only help retaining more resolution. Unless you have a 50+ mp camera

[@BenchR267]

Hyun Ralph Jeong having more resolution on the other hand is quite useful since taking those kind of photos almost always require cropping 👍 Thanks for the video btw, very educational!

[@Ranblv]

Good guide.

[@maiabuljeta5749]

Excellent!

[@Ale-hf5mu]

No se inglés que dice ahí

[@ahavens2463]

You're awesome!

[@Ahollywoodjoevideodiaryseries]

Good Stuff!

[@lorenzofortunati]

I'm sorry but there may be a misconception here. It's been proved that there's no such thing as a lens compression, per se, applied on your subject. What matters is the distance between the photographer and its subject. Keeping subjects away will make them look very similarly between all of these focal lenghts. Sure, what you are getting with longer lenghts, is a magnification of the background elements

[@wibbley1]

Lens compression does not exist. It is one of the great myths of photography. Even Ansel Adams disproved it in his books. If one take a portrait with a 100mm lens & fills the frame, the natural tendency with a 35mm lens, is to move closer to the subject to fill the frame. It is this which causes the different image, nothing to do with a lens magically compressing the image. A lens magnifies and focuses light, that is all. A lens does not magically magnify the background more than the foreground. Take a photo with a 100mm lens and without moving, another using a 35mm (or whatever) lens. Sure the subject will be much smaller with the 35mm lens, but the proportions will be the same.

[@HyunRalphJeong]

Of course it wouldn't "exist" if everyone took photos from same distance with every lens. I believe your argument has more to do with how to define lens compression rather than whether it exists or not. If it means if lenses can somehow manipulate the subject and background, sure, that's impossible. But if it simply describes an effect that appears when different focal lengths are used from different distances, I don't think it's appropriate to say "it does not exist."

[@joansmith7649]

It is inaccurate and confusing and misrepresentative to use the term "lens compression". When this term is used, invariably your average person is going to believe that a given lens with a given focal length is going to create or provide a specific degree of compression when this is completely inaccurate. The only factor that will provide different perspectives in photography is the subject-lens distance and the relationship or relative proportion between the subject-lens DISTANCE and the background-lens DISTANCE. That's it. So there is no lens compression per se, and there is no "lens perspective distortion" per se. The lens simply records what it sees before it at various distances. The human eye will also pick up these different looks from various distances as well in real life. @@HyunRalphJeong