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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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The process of making a camera lens
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 12:25 pm
Post subject: The process of making a camera lens
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 12:25 pm
Post subject: The process of making a camera lens
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I don't know if people here already know this relatively recent video that shows the manufacturing of lenses at Sigma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5HFLkNrbIU


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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 1:10 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 1:10 pm
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Interesting and kind of mind-blowing if we think about all the ingenuity not only going into the construction of the optics & barrel, but also the into the machines used for production!

Another interesting film - probably from the 1950s - about Kodak manufacturing optical glass and lenses:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHOHbUKWBZs

S


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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 3:56 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 3:56 pm
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Gerald wrote:
I don't know if people here already know this relatively recent video that shows the manufacturing of lenses at Sigma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5HFLkNrbIU


It's very impressive - thanks for the link! Robert OToole has always been full of praise and appreciation for Sigma, because he mentioned they were one of only a handful of lens manufacturers who were still able to make the whole lens in-house (including making and grinding the glass), while all of the big names (including Sony, Canon and Nikon if I remember correctly) had to outsource quite a bit of it, in parts even let others (like Tamron or Cosina) make the whole lenses for them. It's incredible how much technology and know-how goes into the development of such a lens...

I still find historical lenses even more impressive given the lack of complex automated processes, computer calculation and simulations and complex inspection techniques. But of course the lenses were also simpler at that time.


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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 3:57 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 3:57 pm
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Very interesting guys! Did I share this one before of the Cosina Voigtlander factory?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Voo3pCvYODI


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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 5:23 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 5:23 pm
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This should be stickied somewhere near here...

Like 1 Like 1

-D.S.


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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 6:29 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 6:29 pm
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Doc Sharptail wrote:
This should be stickied somewhere near here...

Like 1 Like 1

-D.S.


done


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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 6:44 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 6:44 pm
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visualopsins wrote:


done


Thank you!

There was a video circulating around of lens polishing in the nikon factory that I can't find now..

-D.S.


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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 8:58 pm
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Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2024 8:58 pm
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Gerald wrote:
I don't know if people here already know this relatively recent video that shows the manufacturing of lenses at Sigma:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5HFLkNrbIU


Like 1

Three points of interest showing the use of long-established lens manufacturing techniques & tools:

4:03 in the video shows use of a spherometer. A spherometer is a mechanical device to determine the radius of a sphere. In this example it has been calibrated to show deviation from a predetermined diameter, i.e. if the dial shows a zero reading = perfect:

https://youtu.be/r5HFLkNrbIU?si=_iLZr1rGNgBj39ss&t=243

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherometer

5:37 shows use of an optical reference; light shone through a sandwich of two optical surfaces in very close contact shows rings of interference (Newton rings). Each additional band corresponds to approx. 0.25 microns or 2500 Angstrom away from the reference surface (or approx 0.35 microns when using red light). This also shows elliptical (astigmatic) errors which a spherometer cannot identify:

https://youtu.be/r5HFLkNrbIU?si=-wNSjY2wZ5RHbXG6&t=337

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_rings

6:27 I think shows an example of bell centering; the curvature of the lens is used when clamped between two metal centering bells allowing it to self-centre prior to being edge-ground to have the optical and mechanical centres aligned:

https://youtu.be/r5HFLkNrbIU?si=b3Xx5tvOp2vFzs0r&t=387

https://www.edmundoptics.com/knowledge-center/application-notes/optics/tips-for-designing-manufacturable-lenses-and-assemblies/


EDIT: in addition to the various videos mentioned above by the other members, there is also this CANON trio on YouTube:

Canon Lens Production 1: https://youtu.be/MKNFW0YwDYw
Canon Lens Production 2: https://youtu.be/qzpt49qq6v4
Canon Lens Production 3: https://youtu.be/6bQ3-DWh-rA


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Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2024 10:39 pm
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Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2024 10:39 pm
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Smartphone Camera Lens Design: A Patent Study https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aCXMBP8_3I
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