>>4027566>sensor size doesn't change the lens distortion, just the field of view>>4027862> the distortion effect is inherent to the focal lengthYou are incorrect in all of the ways that matter
The perspective distortion of a 30mm lens on a 1.5x crop sensor like the DP2 Merrill is exactly what you'd get with a 45mm lens on full frame, so close enough to your 50mm that you're unlikely to be able to tell the difference.
The perspective distortion is a function of camera to subject distance, not the focal length per se. So if you're framing your shot from the same spot with a 45mm on full frame or a 30mm on 1.5x crop, you'll get the same field of view and therefore the same perspective distortion.
If the perspective distortion were a function of the focal length irrespective of camera-to-subject distance, point & shoot digital cameras (which frequently have focal lengths measured in single digits, even for telephoto ranges) would only be capable of *insanely* stretched wide-angle distortion. Also, it means it would be impossible to pre-visualize the shot you're taking on a rangefinder with interchangeable lenses.
You can test this premise yourself if you have a zoom lens. Take a picture, zoom in, take a picture of the same scene, compare the perspective of the zoomed-in version to a matching crop of the zoomed-out version.
