There are so many optical systems that are out there. Why is one lens type used over the other? What lens design for do I need for this system? What lens design alternatives should I consider? Can I use this lens somewhere else? What if we don’t know where to start with the lens design, […]
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The Ultimate Guide to Lens Design Using the Classic Spreadsheet Method
Conceptual lens design by the masters, without using expensive software, but a spreadsheet Introduction to the General Theme About this guide (and how we can use a spreadsheet in lens design) This guide will tackle how lens design was done before optical design software on computers were invented, which I will call the “classic” method […]
The Eras of Optics: A Tour Through the People Who Built the Field
I like “eras.” These are named chunks of time. I live in Japan, and we use the Common Era (CE) notation alongside the Japanese calendar — 令和 (Reiwa) 2019–present, 平成 (Heisei) 1989–2019, 昭和 (Showa) 1926–1989, 大正 (Taisho)1912–1926, and 明治 (Meiji) 1868–1912 for modern Japan. Each had its distinct flavor — we still sometimes refer to […]
Remembering John Greivenkamp
I wanted to take a moment to share some personal reflections about Dr. John E. Greivenkamp, whose passing we mourned in 2022, but whose impact on optics education continues to resonate in ways both profound and deeply personal. It has been a few years after his passing, and I felt compelled to write this now. […]
Aachen Polymer Optics Days 2022 conference report. This time I presented!
I participated in an overseas conference and gave a presentation. This was the first time I went overseas since the pandemic. The whole experience was a mix of excitement, concern, restlessness, and happiness. Let me explain. This was my first overseas trip of any kind since the pandemic As it was for everybody, 2020 and […]
Academic institutes that specialize in Optics: Utsunomiya University.
There are very few academic institutes that specialize in optics. The Center for Optical Research and Education in Utsunomiya University is one such institute. There are universities that have an engineering department. Many universities have a mathematics department. Other colleges specialize in music. I’m from the Physics department myself. 1. Introduction I live in Japan, […]
How to apply logic to your optical lens design process.
What is the “logic” inside lens design? There has to be a process, an approach, a method to which this all works, right? I took a deep look into my own lens design process and methods to craft what I think is a guideline of sorts when doing the nitty gritty of lens design. The […]
12 steps to learn lens design (so you become awesome at work).
Although I like to nerd out on lens design a lot on this website, it’s not only the math and techniques of lens design that interests me. I’ve found that to learn lens design, there are many more aspects than just being able to learn the software, or just being able to calculate the ray […]