A lens can only provide spatial cues—whether and how these translate into "three-dimensionality" depends on the individual viewer’s brain. A wide-angle lens may deliver stronger depth signals, but it is the combination of optical quality and the viewer’s perceptual expertise that creates the subjective experience of spatial depth. Differences in the ability to perceive three dimensions can be scientifically measured – both in laboratory studies and in clinical tests.
By the way, the ability to perceive three-dimensionality is said to decline with advancing age.
Here are two photos I took with a 40mm lens. Some claim they appear slightly three-dimensional with strong image depth, while others insist these photos have no more depth than other images. I believe both groups are right—it also depends on the viewer’s perceptual skills.
A lens can only provide spatial cues—whether and how these translate into "three-dimensionality" depends on the individual viewer’s brain. A wide-angle lens may deliver stronger depth signals, but it is the combination of optical quality and the viewer’s perceptual expertise that creates the subjective experience of spatial depth. Differences in the ability to perceive three dimensions can be scientifically measured – both in laboratory studies and in clinical tests.
By the way, the ability to perceive three-dimensionality is said to decline with advancing age.
Here are two photos I took with a 40mm lens. Some claim they appear slightly three-dimensional with strong image depth, while others insist these photos have no more depth than other images. I believe both groups are right—it also depends on the viewer’s perceptual skills.
