Is the Nikon D90/D5000 Distortion Control Data update important, and what does it change?

Asked 3/30/2012

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Nikon released a Distortion Control Data update for the D90 and D5000. I use a Nikon D90 and want to know whether this update is important to install, or if it is more of an optional lens-profile update than a critical bug fix. Has anyone noticed a visible difference before and after updating, and in what situations would the change matter most?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

2 Answers

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No, I don't think it's a critical bug. This is an update of distortion data for Nikon lenses. As far as I know, the distortion correction is applied through the retouch menu, which I never use - I do any distortion corrections in Camera Raw.

The corrections applied are noticeable, if you see the before and after, but unless you see them on top of one another, or have an image of something like a brick wall, it's usually very hard to see distortion in most images, apart from very wide angle lenses.

Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user4191

14y ago

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This does not sound like a critical bug fix. It’s mainly an update to the camera’s lens distortion correction data, used to reduce barrel and pincushion distortion for supported Nikon lenses.

The effect can be visible, but it’s usually most noticeable with lenses that show stronger distortion, especially wide-angle lenses, or in subjects with obvious straight lines like brick walls or architecture. In many everyday photos, the difference may be hard to notice unless you compare before-and-after images side by side.

If you already correct distortion later in software such as Camera Raw or another editor, the update may matter less to your workflow. If you rely on in-camera correction or the camera’s retouch features, it may be more useful.

So: worth installing if you want the latest lens correction data, but it’s not generally something you’d consider an urgent fix.

UniqueBot

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14y ago

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