Lens breathing is a common problem (particularly in video work), and understanding it can help you to take better control of your work. This excellent video tutorial will show you what lens breathing is and why you should be aware of it, particularly if you shoot video.
Coming to you from DP Review TV, this excellent video discusses the concept of lens breathing and how it can affect your work. Lens (or focus) breathing refers to the changing angle of view when the lens' focal distance changes. When looking through the viewfinder or watching the image on the rear screen, it will look as if the image is expanding or contracting, which will be particularly noticeable as you make large focal distance changes. It is generally not that big of a deal for stills work usually, but when it comes to video work, it can be a real issue, as the changing magnification can be distracting and undesirable. This is also one of the reasons cinema lenses tend to be so expensive, as they are designed to mitigate this issue, allowing for focus pulls without changing compositions. Check out the video above to see how lens breathing can affect your work.
