Lens Design Fundamentals

Overview

Thoroughly revised and expanded to reflect the substantial changes in the field since its publication in 1978. Strong emphasis on how to effectively use software design packages, indispensable to today's lens designer. Many new lens design problems and examples – ranging from simple lenses to complex zoom lenses and mirror systems – give insight for both the newcomer and specialist in the field.

Author: Rudolf Kingslake

Regarded as the American father of lens design; his book, not revised since its publication in 1978, is viewed as a classic in the field. The area has developed considerably since then, with changes such as the availability of powerful lens design software packages, theoretical advances, and new surface fabrication technologies.

Purpose of the Book

This book provides the skills and knowledge to move into the exciting world of contemporary lens design and develop practical lenses needed for the great variety of 21st-century applications. Continuing to focus on fundamental methods and procedures of lens design, this revision by R. Barry Johnson modernizes symbology and nomenclature, improves conceptual clarity, broadens the study of aberrations, enhances discussion of multi-mirror systems, adds tilted and decentered systems with eccentric pupils, explores use of aberrations in the optimization process, enlarges field flattener concepts, expands discussion of image analysis, includes many new exemplary examples to illustrate concepts, and much more.

Intended Audience

Optical engineers working in lens design will find this book an invaluable guide to lens design in traditional and emerging areas of application. It is also suited to advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in lens design principles, as a self-learning tutorial, and as a reference for practitioners.

About Rudolf Kingslake

Rudolf Kingslake (1903-2003) was a founding faculty member of the Institute of Optics at The University of Rochester (1929) and remained teaching until 1983. In 1937, he became head of the lens design department at Eastman Kodak until his retirement in 1969. He published numerous papers and books, was awarded many patents, and was a Fellow of SPIE and OSA. He served as OSA President (1947-48) and received awards including the Progress Medal from SMPTE (1978), the Frederic Ives Medal (1973), and the Gold Medal of SPIE (1980).

About R. Barry Johnson

R. Barry Johnson has over 40 years of experience in lens design, optical systems, and electro-optical systems engineering. He has been a faculty member at three academic institutions, co-founded the Center for Applied Optics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and has worked with various companies providing consulting services. He is an SPIE Fellow and Life Member, OSA Fellow, and served as SPIE President (1987). He has published numerous papers, holds many patents, and was founder and Chairman of the SPIE Lens Design Working Group (1988-2002). He is an active Program Committee member of the International Optical Design Conference and co-chair of the SPIE Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering Conference.