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 […]
Lens Design
The Ultimate Guide to Lens Design Forms: The types of optical systems in a lens designer’s toolbox
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, […]
The evolution of the landscape lens – from Wollaston to the Protar
The landscape lens is a fascinating look through the history of lens design. We go from a very primitive single lens design that made careful considerations of astigmatism to achieve maximum performance, with incremental improvements, finally to a lens that made strategic use of a new cemented lens configuration that was groundbreaking for its time. […]
Inside the thin lens design and colour correction of the achromatic doublet
Introduction to the importance of colour correction with an achromatic doublet Colour fills the world. When we image those colours with lenses, we want it to represent what we see. Even in the days of black-and-white photos, the scene is is colour, right? Without colour correction, we can get blurry photographs since each of the […]
How to use a specification “cheat sheet” for your lens design.
What is a Specification Sheet? What is a Specification Sheet? It is a list of parameters or specifications that define the performance of the lens. It’s usually the start of any lens design. (Click to enlarge) Two lens design stories Imagine this: You’ve got a big lens design project. Your design will be used in […]
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 […]