How to focus a lens
To achieve focus you normally need to change something about the positions of one or more elements within a lens...
Author: Jon Tarrant
Nikon technology
Lens manufacturers use their optical expertise for much more than camera lenses alone. As an example, here’s a quick tour...
Prime Lens or Zoom?
After a short summer break, the lenses 'blog is back to answer the persistent "prime lens versus zoom" question that...
Fresnel lenses
Augustin-Jean Fresnel coined the word “ether” as the name of the medium through which light was expected to travel in...
Lost pictures
When we talk about lost pictures in digital photography we usually mean pictures that have been accidentally deleted or are...
Using blur
Blur isn’t always the enemy in photographs: creative use of motion blur is a useful tool, especially if you have...
Dispersion
Lenses are often said to incorporate “low dispersion” glass but what exactly is dispersion and why must it be minimised?
F-numbers
The F-numbers that define aperture settings are so common that they are frequently taken for granted. But what do they...
Waterhouse Stops
Having just defined the F-stop it is worth highlighting the use of Waterhouse Stops, which were both an early attempt...