DISTORTION

How distortion compares for the prime and zoom lenses

You can expect some barrel distortion with ultra-wideangle lenses, but it tends to become less with zoom lenses, as you extend through the zoom range. For direct comparison, this chart shows the relative amounts of distortion for prime lenses and zooms at their shortest focal length. In the APS-C camp, the Canon 10-18mm and pricier Tokina lead the way for minimizing distortion, although the Tokina has a less generous viewing angle. For full-frames, the Irix is good but for real-world shooting (rather than close-range test charts) we found the Sigma 14-24mm gave almost distortion-free results.

Negative results show barrel distortion at the short end of the zoom, positive indicates pincushion distortion at long end of the zoom range