Lens Distortion in Identical Lenses

In this series of tests, we will answer the most popular questions about camera tracking that arise among CG artists.

TEST 1
TEST 2
The goal of the experiment #3 is to determine can we use the same lens with a different serial number to get a reliable lens distortion preset?

METHODOLOGY

01
For testing we selected 9 pairs of the lenses with different serial numbers:

Atlas Orion 50mm

Atlas Orion 65mm

Sigma 50mm

Ultra prime 20mm – 3х

Ultra prime 32mm – 3х

Arri SP 125mm

Cooke S4 18mm

Cooke S4 25mm

Cooke S7i 100mm

02
First, we captured distortion grids for each lens and created their profiles using 3DEqualizer.
03
Then we shoot three additional test shots for every lens pair:
A straightforward shot
A smooth rotation
A static camera shot with a focus pull
04
After that we solved shots taken with Lens A using the distortion profile from Lens B and compared their solve to original distortion profile:
A straightforward shot
A smooth rotation
A static camera shot with a focus pull

COMPARISON

05
Arri SP 125mm
<
>
06
Atlas Orion 50mm
<
>
07
Cooke S4 18mm
<
>

CONCLUSIONS

As you can see the lenses turned out to be largely interchangeable. While the distortion curves showed some minor differences, their overall behavior was remarkably consistent. The solve errors practically identical.

That means we can reliably use a distortion profile from any lens within the same model range and focal length.

Curious to dive deeper or run your own analysis?

All detailed data and test materials are available for download

DOWNLOAD


← Return