A concise introduction to lens design, including the fundamental theory, concepts, methods and tools used in the field. Covering all the essential concepts and providing suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter, this book is an essential resource for graduate students working in optics and photonics.

There is no shortage of lens optimization software on the market to deal with today's complex optical systems for all sorts of custom and standardized applications. But all of these software packages share one critical flaw: you still have to design a starting solution. Continuing the bestselling tradition of the author's previous books, Lens Design, Fourth Edition is still the most complete and reliable guide for detailed design information and procedures for a wide range of optical systems. Milton Laikin draws on his varied and extensive experience, ranging from innovative cinematographic and special-effects optical systems to infrared and underwater lens systems, to cover a vast range of special-purpose optical systems and their detailed design and analysis. This edition has been updated to replace obsolete glass types and now includes several new designs and sections on stabilized systems, the human eye, spectrographic systems, and diffractive systems. A new CD-ROM accompanies this edition, offering extensive lens prescription data and executable ZEMAX files corresponding to figures in the text. Filled with sage advice and completely illustrated, Lens Design, Fourth Edition supplies hands-on guidance for the initial design and final optimization for a plethora of commercial, consumer, and specialized optical systems.

- 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 Rudolf Kingslake is 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. Naturally, the area has developed considerably since the book was published, the most obvious changes being the availability of powerful lens design software packages, theoretical advances, and new surface fabrication technologies. 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 of a classic 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. 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 course in lens design principles and as a self-learning tutorial and reference for the practitioner. 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. Concurrently, in 1937 he became head of the lens design department at Eastman Kodak until his retirement in 1969. Dr. Kingslake published numerous papers, books, and was awarded many patents. He was a Fellow of SPIE and OSA, and an OSA President (1947-48). He was awarded the Progress Medal from SMPTE (1978), the Frederic Ives Medal (1973), and the Gold Medal of SPIE (1980). R. Barry Johnson has been involved for over 40 years in lens design, optical systems design, and electro-optical systems engineering. He has been a faculty member at three academic institutions engaged in optics education and research, co-founder of the Center for Applied Optics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, employed by a number of companies, and provided consulting services. Dr. Johnson is an SPIE Fellow and Life Member, OSA Fellow, and an SPIE President (1987). He published numerous papers and has been awarded many patents. Dr. Johnson was founder and Chairman of the SPIE Lens Design Working Group (1988-2002), is an active Program Committee member of the International Optical Design Conference, and perennial co-chair of the annual SPIE Current Developments in Lens Design and Optical Engineering Conference. - 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

The process of designing lenses is both an art and a science. While advances in the field over the past two centuries have done much to transform it from the former category to the latter, much of the lens design process remains encapsulated in the experience and knowledge of industry veterans. This SPIE Field Guide provides a working reference for practicing physicists, engineers, and scientists for deciphering the nuances of basic lens design.

A Practical Guide to Lens Design focuses on the very detailed practical process of lens design. Every step from setup specifications to finalizing the design for production is discussed in a straight forward, tangible way. Design examples of several widely used modern lenses are provided. Optics basics are introduced and basic functions of Zemax are described. Zemax will be used throughout the book.

Unlike the first edition, which was more a collection of lens designs for use in larger projects, the 2nd edition of Modern Lens Design is an optical “how-to.” Delving deep into the mechanics of lens design, optics legend Warren J. Smith reveals time-tested methods for designing top-quality lenses. He deals with lens design software, primarily OSLO, by far the current market leaders, and provides 7 comprehensive worked examples, all new to this edition. With this book in hand, there’s no lens an optical engineer can’t design.