Lidar Optics

Published January 22, 2024 104 Views

The Scheimpflug principle is a fundamental concept used in various optical imaging systems, including lidar (Light Detection and Ranging) applications. Lidar is a remote sensing technology that measures distances and creates detailed three-dimensional maps by emitting laser pulses and measuring the...

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PSF vs MTF

Published December 5, 2023 152 Views

The Point Spread Function (PSF) and Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) are two concepts used in imaging and optics to describe the performance of imaging systems. While they are related, they provide different perspectives on the characteristics of an imaging system. Point Spread Function (PSF...

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Passive Athermalization In Lens Assemblies

Published August 22, 2023 284 Views

Passive athermalization is the process of designing an optical system, such as a lens assembly, to minimize its sensitivity to temperature changes without the need for active temperature control. This is particularly important in applications (like Drones) where the optical performance needs to rema...

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Selecting a Lens for Hyperspectral Imaging

Published June 27, 2023 357 Views

When selecting a lens for hyperspectral imaging, there are several factors to consider. Hyperspectral imaging involves capturing and analyzing data from a wide range of spectral bands, which requires a lens capable of providing high optical performance across the desired spectral range. Here are som...

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The Scheimpflug Principle

The Scheimpflug Principle

Published December 16, 2015 15616 Views

Every photographer is likely, at some point, to encounter issues with depth of field control. The image they want may require sharp focus across its entire field, but stopping down the lens may be impractical for reasons of exposure, or undesirable for the change that diffraction exerts upon sharpne...

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Paul Rudolph

Paul Rudolph

Published December 16, 2015 5166 Views

One of the most influential lens designers in history, Paul Rudolph was born in 1858, and raised in Thuringia, in central Germany. He attended universities at Munich, Leipzig, and Jena, graduating from that last in 1884 with a degree in mathematics.  Although his original intent had been to teach, R...

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Carl Zeiss

Carl Zeiss

Published December 16, 2015 4690 Views

When he was just thirty years old, Carl Zeiss opened a small workshop in his native Jena, where he repaired a variety of scientific instruments and even made some to order. His talent for optics was undeniable, and before the year was out he produced the first loupe microscope, in 1847. The produ...

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Three Lenses in One

Three Lenses in One

Published May 1, 2014 3251 Views

Before zoom lenses had been developed (the forerunners of which were being developed early in the 20th century) photographers had use of the triple convertible lens.  The first iterations of these were unsymmetrical rapid rectilinear designs:  when used singly, the front and rear groups would be of...

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The Macro

The Macro

Published May 1, 2014 3186 Views

Macrophotography—the art of the extreme close-up—is a popular and important part of all phases and interest in the field. The marketplace is full of macro lenses, and while there are many excellent ones available, one good alternative to using a macro lens is mounting an enlarging lens on a focusing...

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What's In A Name?

What's In A Name?

Published May 1, 2014 3490 Views

Optics comes with its own etymology, traceable name words that usually signify something of the development of a lens, a camera, even, sometimes, a company itself. In the 1890’s the eponymous C.P. Goerz Optical Company (founded in Berlin in the previous decade) developed a lens that was, in actualit...

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The History of a Photographic Lens

The History of a Photographic Lens

Published May 1, 2014 4240 Views

No discussion of the history of optics in Rochester would be complete without noting the considerable contributions made by Rudolf Kingslake to the field.  Although he was born and educated in England, he came to America while still in his mid-20’s, invited here for the express purpose of helping to...

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The Classics

The Classics

Published April 8, 2014 3493 Views

Here at Westech Optical, we’re passionate about engineering, innovation… and about history. We can’t get enough of that, and luckily for us, located as we are near Rochester, NY, we’re surrounded by artifacts of the history of the optics industry, both home-grown and foreign.The conference room at o...

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Vintage Bausch and Lomb

Vintage Bausch and Lomb

Published April 8, 2014 3858 Views

Here in Rochester, the two German immigrants whose partnership started the Bausch and Lomb company were interested in the manufacture of monocles; over the years, of course, the range of products they developed changed as the world and its needs changed. Materials became scarce, alliances shifted, m...

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