Originally posted by GeneV Originally posted by sewebster Quote I don't really understand this flattening effect for long telephotos. I don't see it in the linked shots there either....
It's very easy to demonstrate this for yourself. Take your camera and a lens of any focal length (but easiest to use a rather wide one) hold it at arms length and photograph yourself. Then put the camera on a tripod 20 feet away, with the same lens and snap yourself again. Crop the second pic until your face is filling the frame to roughly the same amount as in the first pic. Compare the pics -- you'll see how much flatter (in this case obviously flatteringly so, since the arms length shot is far too close for anything but a deliberately distorted portrait) the second pic is.
Alternatively, take both shots at arms length, but change focal lengths. Simply using the kit zoom would be convenient. Then crop the wider of the two shots. They should show the same distorted effect on your features. You can infer from that, that had you put the longer focal length lens on the distant tripod shot, it would be giving you the flatter perspective.
That's a lovely shot with the 100. Personally, I prefer both eyes to be in focus though. 77 mm at 2.8 is about as long as I can get at f 2.8 and have a prayer of keeping both eyes in acceptable focus, if the head and shoulders are filling the frame and the person isn't staring straight ahead like a mugshot. For me 100 really is too long for portraits; if I had the money I'd get the 43mm ltd and simply crop as needed.