Rolleiflex 6001 professional

CAMERA TYPE: Microcomputer-controlled, modular single-lens reflex camera with TTL autoflash control and motorized film advance.

NEGATIVE SIZES: 6x6cm and 4.5x6cm (2 1/4 x 2 1/4 and 1 3/4 x 2 1/4 in.).

FILM TYPES: Size 120 and 220 roll film for 12 or 24 6x6cm exposures, respectively, or 32 4.5x6 exposures. Polaroid film pack for 8 6x6cm exposures.

SHUTTER: Electronically controlled leaf shutter with speeds from 1/500 s or 1/1000 s to 30 s in 1/3 increments plus B, direct-drive controlled by two linear motors in each lens.

QUICK RELEASE: For approx. 3-4ms delay between depression of shutter release and opening of shutter with PQ lenses (approx. 2 ms with PQS lenses).

AUTOMATIC FLASH CONTROL: With all shutter speeds from 1/1000 s (PQS) or 1/500 s (PQ) to 30 s. Hot shoe with special contacts for dedicated flash units (SCA-300 system), Rollei SCA-356 flash adapter.

SHUTTER RELEASE: Electromagnetic, in lower right-hand corner of camera front. Additional cable-release and remote-control sockets.

DEPTH-OF-FIELD PREVIEW: By means of stop-down button.

MIRROR LOCKUP: Mirror lockup is followed by quick release.

LENS MOUNT: Rollei bayonet mount with 10 contacts for transmission of iris and shutter-drive pulses. Automatic diaphragm is retained even with bellows, extension tubes and reversing adapter.

LENSES: Interchangeable Zeiss and Schneider PQ and PQS lenses for use of all camera functions. Non-PQ Zeiss and Schneider lenses may also be used (without aperture bracketing).

MULTIPLE EXPOSURE: Film advance disengaged in ME position of camera switch; screen image permanently visible.

REFLEX MIRROR: Instant return mirror with multicoating and pneumatic mirror brake.

VIEWFINDER SYSTEM: Camera supplied with folding hood containing swing-out, interchangeable magnifier. Optional 45 deg. prism finder, rigid magnifying hood and 90 deg. eyelevel finder.

FILM ADVANCE: Built-in high-performance motor for single shots and continuous shooting with up to 1.5 fps. Automatic advance to first frame. Automatic wind-off after last frame.

POWER SUPPLY: Rechargeable sintered-plate nicad battery for about 500 exposures at room temperature. Rapid charger (110-240 V, 50/60 Hz) with automatic charge limiter and 12-volt connector for car battery.

INTERCHANGEABLE FILM MAGAZINES: for 6x6cm/120, 6x6/220, type 4560 magazine for 4.5x6/120 and 220-size film. With integral laminar drawslide, frame counter, film-speed input, film-type reminder and preloadable film inserts. Polaroid magazine for film packs (10 exposures 6x6cm). Rolleiflex 6006 interchangeable magazines are compatible. Automatic film-speed input ISO 100/21 deg.

CONNECTIONS: Universal 14-contact threaded socket for manual release and infrared remote control. Quick-release tripod coupling. 1/4 and 3/8 in. tripod sockets.

OPERATING TEMPERATURE: From -20 deg. C to +60 deg. C.

From the editor 0 comments Newest Most Voted Inline Feedbacks View all comments Contents:

· Photos (6)
· Specification
· Manufacturer description
· From the editor

Rolleiflex SLX/6000 system cameras:

· Rolleiflex 6001 professional
· Rolleiflex 6002
· Rolleiflex 6003 professional
· Rolleiflex 6003 SRC 1000
· Rolleiflex 6006
· Rolleiflex 6006 mod 2
· Rolleiflex 6008 AF
· Rolleiflex 6008 integral
· Rolleiflex 6008 integral 2
· Rolleiflex 6008 professional
· Rolleiflex 6008 professional SRC 1000
· Rolleiflex Hy6
· Rolleiflex SLX

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Chromatic aberration

There are two kinds of chromatic aberration: longitudinal and lateral. Longitudinal chromatic aberration is a variation in location of the image plane with changes in wave lengths. It produces the image point surrounded by different colors which result in a blurred image in black-and-white pictures. Lateral chromatic aberration is a variation in image size or magnification with wave length. This aberration does not appear at axial image points but toward the surrounding area, proportional to the distance from the center of the image field. Stopping down the lens has only a limited effect on these aberrations.

Spherical aberration

Spherical aberration is caused because the lens is round and the film or image sensor is flat. Light entering the edge of the lens is more severely refracted than light entering the center of the lens. This results in a blurred image, and also causes flare (non-image forming internal reflections). Stopping down the lens minimizes spherical aberration and flare, but introduces diffraction.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism in a lens causes a point in the subject to be reproduced as a line in the image. The effect becomes worse towards the corner of the image. Stopping down the lens has very little effect.

Coma

Coma in a lens causes a circular shape in the subject to be reproduced as an oval shape in the image. Stopping down the lens has almost no effect.

Curvature of field

Curvature of field is the inability of a lens to produce a flat image of a flat subject. The image is formed instead on a curved surface. If the center of the image is in focus, the edges are out of focus and vice versa. Stopping down the lens has a limited effect.

Distortion

Distortion is the inability of a lens to capture lines as straight across the entire image area. Barrel distortion causes straight lines at the edges of the frame to bow toward the center of the image, producing a barrel shape. Pincushion distortion causes straight lines at the edges of the frame to curve in toward the lens axis. Distortion, whether barrel or pincushion type, is caused by differences in magnification; stopping down the lens has no effect at all.

The term "distortion" is also sometimes used instead of the term "aberration". In this case, other types of optical aberrations may also be meant, not necessarily geometric distortion.

Diffraction

Classically, light is thought of as always traveling in straight lines, but in reality, light waves tend to bend around nearby barriers, spreading out in the process. This phenomenon is known as diffraction and occurs when a light wave passes by a corner or through an opening. Diffraction plays a paramount role in limiting the resolving power of any lens.

Singlet

Singlet is a lens consisting of a single element. Singlets are prone to chromatic and spherical aberrations.

Doublet

Doublet is a lens design comprised of two elements grouped together. Sometimes the two elements are cemented together, and other times they are separated by an air gap. Doublets are primarily used to correct chromatic aberration, spherical aberration, and coma. An achromatic doublet consists of a positive low-index crown glass element cemented to a negative high-index flint glass element. The elements are chosen so as to cancel chromatic aberration at two well separated wavelengths; usually in the blue and red region of the spectrum. Focal length is constant at those two wavelengths and focal length shifts are virtually eliminated across the visible wavelengths. By minimizing optical aberrations, achromatic doublets produce sharper, clearer images with accurate color reproduction.

Cooke triplet

The Cooke triplet is a lens design patented in 1893 by H. Dennis Taylor, an optical manager of T. Cooke & Sons of York, and comprised of three air-spaced singlets: two biconvex (positive) elements surrounding a biconcave (negative) element in the middle. The aperture stop is just behind the central negative element. The negative element in the triplet is multifunctional: firstly, by correcting astigmatism, it flattens the image field; secondly, by correcting the chromatic aberrations of both positive elements, it also largely corrects the spherical aberration of the system, not only for points on the axis, but also for oblique beams (coma); and, finally, with the appropriate selection of surface radii, it helps to obtain an image with very minor geometric distortions.

The triplet is the simplest design that is capable of correcting all of the seven Seidel aberrations over a wide field of view. It is one of the most important lens designs in the history of photography.

Having a simple design, the triplet gives a fairly sharp image within an angle of up to 40° at a speed of F/4.5 or even F/3.5. At higher speeds, the image sharpness noticeably deteriorates.

Cooke triplet derivative

A modified Cooke triplet with cemented doublets used in place of some (or all) of the singlets.

Tessar

The Tessar is a lens design invented by Dr. Paul Rudolph in 1902 and patented by the Carl Zeiss company in Germany. To quote the patent document, it is "a spherical, chromatic and astigmatic corrected lens comprised of four lens elements divided into two groups by the diaphragm. One of these groups consists of two elements separated by air, the other of two cemented elements. The refractive power of the surfaces separated by air is negative, that of the cemented surface positive".

Sometimes in the literature one can find the opinion that this optical design is an improvement on the Cooke triplet, patented in 1893 by H. Dennis Taylor. Although there is a certain relationship between these two classic designs, this is not true, because Paul Rudolph took an entirely different approach. He had calculated two predecessors, the Protar and the Unar, which were completely different from the triplet. The Tessar contained parts of these two lenses, just like a child has genes from its mother and father.

The ingeniously simple design and the good performance in every aspect of lenses with moderate maximum aperture and with medium image angles made the Tessar one of the most successful camera lenses ever.

Double Gauss derivative

The classic double Gauss lens, patented by Alvan Graham Clark in 1888, consisted of two symmetrical achromatic doublets with a positive meniscus lens on the object side and a negative meniscus lens on the image side. Design symmetry ensured correction of coma, distortion, and lateral chromatic aberrations. However, field curvature and astigmatism limited the aperture to F/8. Derivatives of this design incorporated one or more additional elements and were the basis for many (ultra) fast standard and short telephoto lenses produced in the 20th century.

One of the first modified double Gauss lenses was developed in 1896 by Paul Rudolph. It was a symmetrical optical design with 6 elements in 4 groups and good correction of field curvature and astigmatism. Zeiss produced the Planar lens based on this optical formula, but its speed did not exceed F/4.5.

In 1920, Horace William Lee (Taylor-Hobson Company) managed to increase the speed to F/2, using an asymmetrical design and crown glasses with a higher index than that of the flints. This lens was known as the Opic or Series 0 lens in Taylor-Hobson catalogues. In 1931, Lee also developed the Speed Panchro F/2 lens, which became very popular.

Other designers soon realized the advantages of the new design: Albrecht Wilhelm Tronnier developed the Schneider Xenon F/2 in 1925, Willy Merté - the Zeiss Biotar in 1927, Max Berek - the Summar F/2 for Leica cameras in 1933.

For large-aperture standard lenses, the 6-element optical formula has long had poor correction, resulting in low contrast, so designers have had to add one or more additional elements or incorporate aspherical surfaces into the optical formula.

Xenotar

The Cooke triplet, even in its modified version consisting of 4 or 5 elements, reached the limit of its effectiveness and usefulness for apertures larger than F/2.8: the residual aberrations were too large to satisfy the strict requirements of high-speed lenses, and there was no way to radically reduce these aberrations. The problem could only be solved by abandoning this type and resorting to another one with smaller residual aberrations: the double Gauss lens.

The basic principle of the Gauss lens involves lenses with very little residual spherical aberrations and an almost inherent achromatism. This type of lens dominated the very high aperture lens design for many decades.

The Gauss lens consists of two components, each of two elements, and with synonymous curvatures, that is to say, they are meniscus lenses with alternating signs of refractive power. Two lenses of this type, when combined in such a way that their concave planes are grouped around a centre diaphragm, form a low-speed double Gauss lens. However, this type has several advantages which make it pre-eminent in the design of high-speed lenses. In order to achieve larger apertures the inner, diverging, meniscus lenses were cemented together, and thus the modern, modified double Gauss lens was created. The introduction of new, highly refractive, optical glasses and the "Red Triangle" coating of all surfaces made it possible to design a variation of this type of double Gauss lens, consisting of 4 groups and 5 elements. This variation of the Gauss type, designed by Schneider, was the Schneider XENOTAR. The front element is a deeply curved converging element in the characteristic shape of a meniscus followed by a cemented diverging element, also of meniscus shape. These two groups together form the front component of the Schneider XENOTAR and are in front of the diaphragm. Behind the diaphragm are arranged one diverging and one converging element, both likewise of meniscus shape. Considering the oblique rays, the general concavity of all surfaces towards the diaphragm is obviously of tremendous value in keeping angles of incidence and consequently the corresponding oblique aberrations of higher order down to a minimum.

With regard to the image centre, the change of type resulted in a reduction of the longitudinal spherical aberration to 1/4 of that found in the best designs of the modified Taylor type. The spherical-chromatic aberration was improved simultaneously to at least the same degree, so that a very definite focusing for the image centre was possible. In the extra-axial image field, the designer succeeded in achieving a reduction of the astigmatic difference by 1/5 at half of the angular field of 14° and by 1/3 at half the angular field of 21°, and its complete elimination at the corner of the image. In accordance with the reduction of the longitudinal spherical aberration, the spherical aberration of the oblique rays (coma) was also reduced. With the Schneider XENOTAR an optical system was now available which had - at the full aperture and even with longer focal lengths - an extremely high resolving power in both color and black and white photography.

Xenotar

The Biometar is a modification of the double Gauss lens developed by Harry Zöllner in 1948 for the Franke & Heidecke Rolleiflex 2.8 medium format TLR camera. Unlike the Schneider Xenotar type, the idea was not to create a large-aperture lens, but primarily to provide correction of spherochromatic aberration and transverse coma. To achieve this, the double Gauss lens was simplified: the cemented lens group behind the diaphragm was replaced by a single thin meniscus of negative optical power. In 1956, the Biometar was redesigned for SLR cameras: the diameter of the front element was increased, which improved peripheral illumination.

Ultron

The Ultron is an optical design derived from a modified double Gauss lens, developed by Albrecht Wilhelm Tronnier and patented in the United States in 1953. This optical design was first used in the Voigtländer Ultron 50/2 lens for the Voigtländer Prominent 35mm leaf shutter rangefinder camera.

According to the US Patent No. 2,627,205, the lens has high light-transmitting capacity, is corrected spherically, chromatically, astigmatically and for coma, and is distinguished by a substantial improvement of the lateral correction in comparison with other lenses of the modified double Gauss type. The Ultron differs from the classic modified double Gauss lens in that the second and third elements preceding the diaphragm are uncemented individual elements (of opposite power), separated by a meniscus-shaped air layer. The Ultron differs from the Schneider Xenon for miniature cameras (1935), which was also developed by Tronnier, in that the surface of the cemented fourth and fifth elements is not flat, but concave-convex.

In 1956, Carl Zeiss Foundation became a 100% shareholder in Voigtländer, which included the rights to the Ultron optical design. In the late 1960s - early 1970s, the Ultron was modified by Carl Zeiss designers by adding an extra element in front of the basic optical system, which consisted of 6 elements in 5 groups.

In the early and mid-1960s, Japanese manufacturers added an extra element behind the basic optical system to increase the lens speed to F/1.4.

Xenon 1935

The Xenon (1935) is an optical design derived from a modified double Gauss lens, developed by Albrecht Wilhelm Tronnier and patented in the United States in 1938. The Schneider Xenon (1935) was designed as a large-aperture lens with the highest possible resolving power for miniature cameras. It had both qualities of a universal lens as well as those of a specialized lens of practical speed.

The Schneider Xenon (1935) differs from the classic modified double Gauss lens in that the second and third elements preceding the diaphragm are uncemented individual elements (of opposite power), separated by a meniscus-shaped air layer. The Schneider Xenon (1935) differs from the Voigtländer Ultron (1950), which was also developed by Tronnier, in that the surface of the cemented fourth and fifth elements is flat, not concave-convex.

Ernostar

The Ernostar is a lens design developed by Ludwig Bertele, an employee of Ernemann-Werke, in 1923-1924. The basic Ernostar-Sonnar type is a Cooke triplet with a positive meniscus element inserted into the front airspace. The first Ernostar had a record-breaking F/2 speed for its time and was revolutionary because it allowed shooting in low light conditions at fast shutter speeds.

The Ernostar design delivers good performance even with inexpensive, low-refractive index glass. This is why this design was often used in third-party lenses that competed with camera manufacturer lenses by being available at lower prices.

Sonnar

The Sonnar is a lens design based on the Ernostar type and patented by Ludwig Bertele, an employee of Zeiss Ikon, in 1931. The basic Ernostar-Sonnar type is a Cooke triplet with a positive meniscus element inserted into the front airspace. The main difference between Sonnar and Ernostar is not only the greater thickness of the components, but also the smaller number of air-to-glass surfaces, which improves image contrast, especially in cases where the lens does not have an anti-reflective coating.

The highly asymmetrical nature of the Sonnar often results in pincushion distortion, as well as difficulty compensating for lateral chromatic aberration. Another characteristic of the Sonnar is the fluctuation of aberrations depending on the focusing distance, which leads to undercorrection of spherical aberration and field curvature at short distances. The image is less sharp near the maximum aperture, but this is beneficial for shooting portraits and achieving a more attractive background blur.

Biogon

The Biogon is a double-ended reversed-telephoto lens, consisting of a compact central positive structure with one or more large negative menisci at each end, making a roughly symmetrical arrangement. The back focal distance is so short that the lens cannot be used on SLR cameras, but it has often been used on rangefinder cameras.

The image quality of the Biogon was sensational in the 1950s, and its combination of a large field angle, perfect definition up to the corners and perfect image geometry with almost no distortion led to a real boom in wide-angle photography.

Petzval

The Petzval lens is a lens design developed by Joseph Max Petzval, professor of higher mathematics, in 1840. Petzval succeeded in creating a lens free of spherical aberration, coma, astigmatism and longitudinal chromatic aberration, and its distortion and lateral chromatic aberration were insignificant. At the same time, the lens had a record speed for its time. This type of lens was proposed by Josef Petzval as a portrait lens and revolutionized the daguerreotype, which had been invented a year earlier: the Petzval lens was 16 times faster than the best lenses of the time, allowing shutter speeds to be reduced and portrait photography to be transformed from a chore into a relatively easy task.

Optically the lens consists of two achromatic doublets with an aperture stop in between; the front component is cemented, the rear one is air-spaced. The field curvature of the Petzval lens cannot be corrected, resulting in excellent sharpness only for the central part of the image and quickly decreasing towards the edges.

Unar

The Unar is the improvement of the Anastigmat and the precursor of the Tessar. This type was invented by Dr. Paul Rudolph in 1899 and consists of four single, non-cemented elements. The diaphragm is located between the first and second elements. In 1902, the Tessar inherited the first two elements of the Unar.

Heliar

The Heliar is a lens design developed by Dr. Hans Harting for Voigtländer in 1900. The first design was symmetric, but in 1902 Harting patented a much better corrected asymmetric one. It was a derivative of the Cooke triplet with cemented doublets replacing the first and third elements. These consisted of an outer negative meniscus made from flint glass and an inner biconvex element made from crown glass. The Heliar's optical signature was of very high resolution with relatively low micro-contrast. This combination of characteristics made it ideal for portraits.

In 1904 Harting designed a related lens that turned the outer doublets around. This lens was called the Dynar. In performance terms, the Dynar was superior to the Heliar in all aspects but astigmatism.

After WWI, Voigtländer continued mostly with the Dynar design, but renamed it Heliar from then on. Therefore the term "Heliar-type" often refers to Harting’s third design.

Orthoscope

The Orthoscope is a landscape lens developed by Joseph Petzval at the same time as his famous portrait lens. It differs in that it provides a wider angle of view but has a smaller aperture. The front components of the lenses were the same, but the rear component of the Orthoscope was negative in power. Petzval submitted both designs to the optician P. W. F. Voigtländer, with all technical details but no binding agreement. The portrait lens was immediately put into production, while the landscape lens was put on hold. After the need for a landscape lens with corrected distortion became urgent, Petzval commissioned the optician Dietzler to manufacture the Orthoscope. However, advertising for the lens began in 1856 under the new name Photographic Dialyte. It immediately became popular with photographers, who valued it as the best distortion-free landscape lens available. After this new lens was released, Voigtländer remembered that it was the very second design that Petzval had given him in 1840, and which he had forgotten about. So he quickly found the data and brought the lens to market under the name Orthoskop. This lens sold very well and became so famous that Dietzler had to change the name of his lens from Dialyte to Orthoskop to compete with Voigtländer. At first, photographers were delighted with the Orthoskop, but soon dissatisfaction arose. Careful tests showed that the new lens was not absolutely free from distortion and the field was noticeably backward-curving, so the lens was forgotten as quickly as it had appeared.

Dialyte

The dialyte is an airspaced achromatic doublet. When the elements in a cemented doublet are separated by a small finite distance, the powers of the lenses have to be increased to restore achromatism, the power of the negative element having to be increased more than the power of the positive element. This is exactly what is needed to reduce the Petzval sum of the lens. The shapes of the elements can be used to correct the spherical aberration and give a flat field.

The aberrations of a dialyte remain surprisingly constant over a wide range of object distances, and this type is often used for enlarging lenses.

Makro-Plasmat

The Makro-Plasmat is a rapid anastigmat (sphero-achromate) with a relative wide angle, increased depth and perfect definition. Five components separated by air spaces are the basis of the construction of the Makro-Plasmat. The concentrating element and the dispersing element are placed on either side of the diaphragm, then follows to the front a dispersing element and a concentrating element, and towards the back of the diaphragm a dispersing and concentrating element.

Before the invention of Meyer Plasmat lenses, the Anastigmats claimed to be the closest to perfection. They were comparatively high aperture lenses with good definition from the center to the edges of the image, but they still did not perfectly correct chromatic aberrations. They were spherically corrected for the colors of the spectrum at various diaphragm stops. For the blue rays the diaphragm opening is smaller than for the yellow rays. Anastigmats of symmetrical construction, where the single components form Anastigmat lenses in themselves, had color correction for the yellow rays only up to F/6.3. The correction to counteract this failing was provide for in the Dr. Paul Rudolph Meyer Plasmat lenses. Meyer Plasmats were spherically corrected equally well for all the colors of the spectrum. The result was an improved depth of focus and a better delineation of space combined with greater uniformity.

The Anastigmat attains an absolutely perfect definition of an object on a plane surface. For instance, when taking a copy of a painting or a map etc., but it leaves much to be desired when taking a photograph of a room with objects at various distances. Meyer Plasmat depicts not only the plane surface but as near as possible the entire space with a good and certain definition, and this was attained by the spherical correction of the colors being carried out equally well, so that the yellow and blue rays portray objects at the same distance with good definition.

Meyer-Optik advertised the Makro-Plasmat line of lenses for interiors, architecture, panoramas and general scenery, incorporating a wide angle and greatly improved perspective. Today, noting the ability of Macro-Plasmat to provide a smooth transition from the in-focus zone to the out-of-focus zone, practically "three-dimensional" capture of the subject, and a pleasing background blur, we can safely add portrait photography to these genres. A Plasmat photograph can be picked out from any number of pictures because of its enhanced plasticity, perfect perspective and correction, and true rendering of the light values. The space formation is convincingly transmitted to the photograph and at the same time greater pictorial atmosphere is obtained independent from definition.

Kino-Plasmat

The Kino-Plasmat lens was developed back in 1922 and had a speed of F/2. In 1925 it was improved to a sensational F/1.5. With this lens, Dr. Paul Rudolph created for the first time an ultra-fast universal lens that is sharp already wide open and can be used in both photography and cinematography.

According to Meyer-Optik literature, the Kino-Plasmat provides critical definition and complete correction for colour aberration. It is the ideal instrument for cine cameras professional and amateur. Atmospheric perspective imparts that quality to a picture which, with objects placed one behind the other, gives the eye a convincing impression of space between them.

Dynamic range

Dynamic range is the maximum range of tones, from darkest shadows to brightest highlights, that can be produced by a device or perceived in an image. Also called tonal range.

Resolving power

Resolving power is the ability of a lens, photographic emulsion or imaging sensor to distinguish fine detail. Resolving power is expressed in terms of lines per millimeter that are distinctly recorded in the final image.

Vignetting

Vignetting is the darkening of the corners of an image relative to the center of the image. There are three types of vignetting: optical, mechanical, and natural vignetting.

Optical vignetting is caused by the physical dimensions of a multi-element lens. Rear elements are shaded by elements in front of them, which reduces the effective lens opening for off-axis incident light. The result is a gradual decrease of the light intensity towards the image periphery. Optical vignetting is sensitive to the aperture and can be completely cured by stopping down the lens. Two or three stops are usually sufficient.

Mechanical vignetting occurs when light beams are partially blocked by external objects such as thick or stacked filters, secondary lenses, and improper lens hoods.

Natural vignetting (also known as natural illumination falloff) is not due to the blocking of light rays. The falloff is approximated by the "cosine fourth" law of illumination falloff. Wide-angle rangefinder designs are particularly prone to natural vignetting. Stopping down the lens cannot cure it.

Flare

Bright shapes or lack of contrast caused when light is scattered by the surface of the lens or reflected off the interior surfaces of the lens barrel. This is most often seen when the lens is pointed toward the sun or another bright light source. Flare can be minimized by using anti-reflection coatings, light baffles, or a lens hood.

Ghosting

Glowing patches of light that appear in a photograph due to lens flare.

Retrofocus design

Design with negative lens group(s) positioned in front of the diaphragm and positive lens group(s) positioned at the rear of the diaphragm. This provides a short focal length with a long back focus or lens-to-film distance, allowing for movement of the reflex mirror in SLR cameras. Sometimes called an inverted telephoto lens.

Anastigmat

A photographic lens completely corrected for the three main optical aberrations: astigmatism, spherical aberration and coma.

The first anastigmat was the Concentric lens, developed by H. L. H. Schroeder, then working for Ross (England). The astigmatism and field curvature of this lens were corrected by the barium crown glasses that became available at that time. However, spherical aberration was not corrected, which imposed a very large limitation on the speed of the lens.

In 1890, Paul Rudolph (Zeiss) succeeded in correcting spherical aberration and called the resulting lens the Anastigmat. The production of the Anastigmat was licensed by Zeiss to several foreign companies, including such famous names as Bausch & Lomb and Ross. In 1900, the name of the lens was changed to Protar, since by that time other companies had also begun to call their lenses anastigmats.

By the mid-20th century, the vast majority of lenses were close to being anastigmatic, so most manufacturers stopped including this characteristic in lens names and/or descriptions and focused on advertising other features (anti-reflection coating, for example).

Color correction

Correction for chromatic aberrations, i.e. the varying refraction of individual spectrum colors during the passage of white light through the lens. Color correction became especially important with the advent of color photography, but it also improved the definition of black-and-white pictures.

Rectilinear design

Design that does not introduce significant distortion, especially ultra-wide angle lenses that preserve straight lines and do not curve them (unlike a fisheye lens, for instance).

Focus shift

A change in the position of the plane of optimal focus, generally due to a change in focal length when using a zoom lens, and in some lenses, with a change in aperture.

Light transmission

The amount of light that passes through a lens without being either absorbed by the glass or being reflected by glass/air surfaces.

Modulation Transfer Function (MTF)

When optical designers attempt to compare the performance of optical systems, a commonly used measure is the modulation transfer function (MTF).

The components of MTF are:

RESOLUTION - an imaging system's ability to distinguish object detail. It is often expressed in terms of line-pairs per millimeter (where a line-pair is a sequence of one black line and one white line);
CONTRAST/MODULATION - how faithfully the minimum and maximum intensity values are transferred from object plane to image plane. The lens contrast is typically defined in terms of the percentage of the object contrast that is reproduced. The sensor's ability to reproduce contrast is usually specified in terms of decibels (dB) in analog cameras and bits in digital cameras.

The MTF of a lens is a measurement of its ability to transfer contrast at a particular resolution from the object to the image. In other words, MTF is a way to incorporate resolution and contrast into a single specification.

Knowing the MTF curves of each photographic lens and camera sensor within a system allows a designer to make the appropriate selection when optimizing for a particular resolution.

Veiling glare

Lens flare that causes loss of contrast over part or all of the image.

Anti-reflection coating

When light enters or exits an uncoated lens approximately 5% of the light is reflected back at each lens-air boundary due to the difference in refractive index. This reflected light causes flare and ghosting, which results in deterioration of image quality. To counter this, a vapor-deposited coating that reduces light reflection is applied to the lens surface. Early coatings consisted of a single thin film with the correct refractive index differences to cancel out reflections. Multi-layer coatings, introduced in the early 1970s, are made up of several such films.

Benefits of anti-reflection coating:

Increases light transmission;
Eliminates flare and ghosting;
Maintains color consistence among all lens models.

Rare-earth glass

Rare-earth glasses are optical glasses that contain oxides of rare earth metals (thorium or lanthanum). Both thoriated and borate glasses have a high refractive index and low dispersion, making them suitable for apochromatic designs. They are also indispensable in the development of large-aperture lenses, wide-angle and telephoto lenses. The disadvantage of these glasses is their radioactivity, with thoriated glass being much more radioactive than borate glass.

Rare-earth glasses were first used before World War II, but due to safety concerns for the health of factory workers, their use in lens development and manufacturing gradually declined, and they virtually disappeared from consumer lenses by the early 1980s.

Circular fisheye

Produces a 180° angle of view in all directions (horizontal, vertical and diagonal).

The image circle of the lens is inscribed in the image frame.

Diagonal (full-frame) fisheye

Covers the entire image frame. For this reason diagonal fisheye lenses are often called full-frame fisheyes.

Extension ring

Extension rings can be used singly or in combination to vary the reproduction ratio of lenses. They are mounted between the camera body and the lens. As a rule, the effect becomes stronger the shorter the focal length of the lens in use, and the longer the focal length of the extension ring.

View camera

A large-format camera with a ground-glass viewfinder at the image plane for viewing and focusing. The photographer must stick his head under a cloth hood in order to see the image projected on the ground glass. Because of their 4x5-inch (or larger) negatives, these cameras can produce extremely high-quality results. View cameras also usually support movements.

You can learn about the basic features of a typical view camera by reading the dedicated article.

Hyperfocal distance

The hyperfocal distance is that distance from the lens to the nearest object that can be considered in sharp focus, when the lens is focused on infinity. The smaller the stop the closer this distance. When the focusing mark is set at the hyperfocal distance for a particular f/stop, then everything from 1/2 the hyperfocal distance to infinity will be rendered sharply.

There’s a fast way of utilizing hyperfocal distance on the job if your lens has a depth-of-field scale. First, set your lens at infinity. Next place the infinity mark on the distance scale opposite the f/stop you are going to use on the depth-of-field scale. Now look at the same f/mark at the opposite end of the depth-of-field scale. This distance is approximately 1/2 the hyperfocal distance for that f/stop.

135 cartridge-loaded film

Introduced: 1934
Frame size: 36 × 24mm
Aspect ratio: 3:2
Diagonal: 43.27mm
Area: 864mm 2
Double perforated
8 perforations per frame

120 roll film

Introduced: 1901
Frame size: 56 × 44mm
Aspect ratio: 11:14
Diagonal: 71.22mm
Area: 2464mm 2
Unperforated

120 roll film

Introduced: 1901
Frame size: 56 × 56mm
Aspect ratio: 1:1
Diagonal: 79.2mm
Area: 3136mm 2
Unperforated

120 roll film

Introduced: 1901
Frame size: 70 × 56mm
Aspect ratio: 5:4
Diagonal: 89.64mm
Area: 3920mm 2
Unperforated

220 roll film

Introduced: 1965
Frame size: 56 × 44mm
Aspect ratio: 11:14
Diagonal: 71.22mm
Area: 2464mm 2
Unperforated
Double the length of 120 roll film

220 roll film

Introduced: 1965
Frame size: 56 × 56mm
Aspect ratio: 1:1
Diagonal: 79.2mm
Area: 3136mm 2
Unperforated
Double the length of 120 roll film

220 roll film

Introduced: 1965
Frame size: 70 × 56mm
Aspect ratio: 5:4
Diagonal: 89.64mm
Area: 3920mm 2
Unperforated
Double the length of 120 roll film

Rangefinder

Optical instrument for measuring the correct subject distance, and thus a valuable aid to focusing. There are accessory rangefinders (which clip into the accessory shoe of the camera); built-in but uncoupled rangefinders (which require separate measurement of the distance and setting of the lens); coupled rangefinders (where measurement of the distance automatically sets the lens); and combined view and rangefinders (with a common eyepiece for the viewfinder and the rangefinder).

Parallax compensation

Means of compensating for the difference of viewpoint (parallax) between the finder and the camera lens at close subject distances.

Shutter speed ring with "F" setting

The "F" setting disengages the leaf shutter and is set when using only the focal plane shutter in the camera body.

Catch for disengaging cross-coupling

The shutter and diaphragm settings are cross-coupled so that the diaphragm opens to a corresponding degree when faster shutter speeds are selected. The cross-coupling can be disengaged at the press of a catch.

Cross-coupling button

With the cross-coupling button depressed speed/aperture combinations can be altered without changing the Exposure Value setting.

M & X sync

The shutter is fully synchronized for M- and X-settings so that you can work with flash at all shutter speeds.

In M-sync, the shutter closes the flash-firing circuit slightly before it is fully open to catch the flash at maximum intensity. The M-setting is used for Class M flash bulbs.

In X-sync, the flash takes place when the shutter is fully opened. The X-setting is used for electronic flash.

X sync

The shutter is fully synchronized for X-setting so that you can work with flash at all shutter speeds.

In X-sync, the flash takes place when the shutter is fully opened. The X-setting is used for electronic flash.

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Image stabilizer

A technology used for reducing or even eliminating the effects of camera shake. Gyro sensors inside the lens detect camera shake and pass the data to a microcomputer. Then an image stabilization group of elements controlled by the microcomputer moves inside the lens and compensates camera shake in order to keep the image static on the imaging sensor or film.

The technology allows to increase the shutter speed by several stops and shoot handheld in such lighting conditions and at such focal lengths where without image stabilizer you have to use tripod, decrease the shutter speed and/or increase the ISO setting which can lead to blurry and noisy images.

Original name

Lens name as indicated on the lens barrel (usually on the front ring). With lenses from film era, may vary slightly from batch to batch.

Format

Format refers to the shape and size of film or image sensor.

35mm is the common name of the 36x24mm film format or image sensor format. It has an aspect ratio of 3:2, and a diagonal measurement of approximately 43mm. The name originates with the total width of the 135 film which was the primary medium of the format prior to the invention of the full frame digital SLR. Historically the 35mm format was sometimes called small format to distinguish it from the medium and large formats.

APS-C is an image sensor format approximately equivalent in size to the film negatives of 25.1x16.7mm with an aspect ratio of 3:2.

Medium format is a film format or image sensor format larger than 36x24mm (35mm) but smaller than 4x5in (large format).

Angle of view

Angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view.

As the focal length changes, the angle of view also changes. The shorter the focal length (eg 18mm), the wider the angle of view. Conversely, the longer the focal length (eg 55mm), the smaller the angle of view.

A camera's angle of view depends not only on the lens, but also on the sensor. Imaging sensors are sometimes smaller than 35mm film frame, and this causes the lens to have a narrower angle of view than with 35mm film, by a certain factor for each sensor (called the crop factor).

This website does not use the angles of view provided by lens manufacturers, but calculates them automatically by the following formula: 114.6 * arctan (21.622 / CF * FL),

CF – crop-factor of a sensor,FL – focal length of a lens.

Mount

A lens mount is an interface — mechanical and often also electrical — between a camera body and a lens.

A lens mount may be a screw-threaded type, a bayonet-type, or a breech-lock type. Modern camera lens mounts are of the bayonet type, because the bayonet mechanism precisely aligns mechanical and electrical features between lens and body, unlike screw-threaded mounts.

Lens mounts of competing manufacturers (Canon, Leica, Nikon, Pentax, Sony etc.) are always incompatible. In addition to the mechanical and electrical interface variations, the flange focal distance (distance from the mechanical rear end surface of the lens mount to the focal plane) is also different.

Lens construction

Lens construction – a specific arrangement of elements and groups that make up the optical design, including type and size of elements, type of used materials etc.

Element - an individual piece of glass which makes up one component of a photographic lens. Photographic lenses are nearly always built up of multiple such elements.

Group – a cemented together pieces of glass which form a single unit or an individual piece of glass. The advantage is that there is no glass-air surfaces between cemented together pieces of glass, which reduces reflections.

Positive (or convex) element - an element, with the center thicker than the edges, which collects light rays and focuses them.

Negative (or concave) element - an element, with the center thinner than the edges, which collects light rays and spreads them out.

Focal length

The focal length is the factor that determines the size of the image reproduced on the focal plane, picture angle which covers the area of the subject to be photographed, depth of field, etc.

Speed

The largest opening or stop at which a lens can be used is referred to as the speed of the lens. The larger the maximum aperture is, the faster the lens is considered to be. Lenses that offer a large maximum aperture are commonly referred to as fast lenses, and lenses with smaller maximum aperture are regarded as slow.

In low-light situations, having a wider maximum aperture means that you can shoot at a faster shutter speed or work at a lower ISO, or both.

Closest focusing distance

The minimum distance from the focal plane (film or sensor) to the subject where the lens is still able to focus.

Closest working distance

The distance from the front edge of the lens to the subject at the maximum magnification.

Magnification ratio

Determines how large the subject will appear in the final image. Magnification is expressed as a ratio. For example, a magnification ratio of 1:1 means that the image of the subject formed on the film or sensor will be the same size as the subject in real life. For this reason, a 1:1 ratio is often called "life-size".

Manual focus override in autofocus mode

Allows to perform final focusing manually after the camera has locked the focus automatically. Note that you don't have to switch camera and/or lens to manual focus mode.

Manual focus override in autofocus mode

Allows to perform final focusing manually after the camera has locked the focus automatically. Note that you don't have to switch camera and/or lens to manual focus mode.

Electronic manual focus override is performed in the following way: half-press the shutter button, wait until the camera has finished the autofocusing and then focus manually without releasing the shutter button using the focusing ring.

Manual diaphragm

The diaphragm must be stopped down manually by rotating the detent aperture ring.

Preset diaphragm

The lens has two rings, one is for pre-setting, while the other is for normal diaphragm adjustment. The first ring must be set at the desired aperture, the second ring then should be fully opened for focusing, and turned back for stop down to the pre-set value.

Semi-automatic diaphragm

The lens features spring mechanism in the diaphragm, triggered by the shutter release, which stops down the diaphragm to the pre-set value. The spring needs to be reset manually after each exposure to re-open diaphragm to its maximum value.

Automatic diaphragm

The camera automatically closes the diaphragm down during the shutter operation. On completion of the exposure, the diaphragm re-opens to its maximum value.

Fixed diaphragm

The aperture setting is fixed at F/ on this lens, and cannot be adjusted.

Number of blades

As a general rule, the more blades that are used to create the aperture opening in the lens, the rounder the out-of-focus highlights will be.

Some lenses are designed with curved diaphragm blades, so the roundness of the aperture comes not from the number of blades, but from their shape. However, the fewer blades the diaphragm has, the more difficult it is to form a circle, regardless of rounded edges.

At maximum aperture, the opening will be circular regardless of the number of blades.

Weight

Excluding case or pouch, caps and other detachable accessories (lens hood, close-up adapter, tripod adapter etc.).

Maximum diameter x Length

Excluding case or pouch, caps and other detachable accessories (lens hood, close-up adapter, tripod adapter etc.).

For lenses with collapsible design, the length is indicated for the working (retracted) state.

Weather sealing

A rubber material which is inserted in between each externally exposed part (manual focus and zoom rings, buttons, switch panels etc.) to ensure it is properly sealed against dust and moisture.

Lenses that accept front mounted filters typically do not have gaskets behind the filter mount. It is recommended to use a filter for complete weather resistance when desired.

Fluorine coating

Helps keep lenses clean by reducing the possibility of dust and dirt adhering to the lens and by facilitating cleaning should the need arise. Applied to the outer surface of the front lens element over multi-coatings.

Filters

Lens filters are accessories that can protect lenses from dirt and damage, enhance colors, minimize glare and reflections, and add creative effects to images.

Lens hood

A lens hood or lens shade is a device used on the end of a lens to block the sun or other light source in order to prevent glare and lens flare. Flare occurs when stray light strikes the front element of a lens and then bounces around within the lens. This stray light often comes from very bright light sources, such as the sun, bright studio lights, or a bright white background.

The geometry of the lens hood can vary from a plain cylindrical or conical section to a more complex shape, sometimes called a petal, tulip, or flower hood. This allows the lens hood to block stray light with the higher portions of the lens hood, while allowing more light into the corners of the image through the lowered portions of the hood.

Lens hoods are more prominent in long focus lenses because they have a smaller viewing angle than that of wide-angle lenses. For wide angle lenses, the length of the hood cannot be as long as those for telephoto lenses, as a longer hood would enter the wider field of view of the lens.

Lens hoods are often designed to fit onto the matching lens facing either forward, for normal use, or backwards, so that the hood may be stored with the lens without occupying much additional space. In addition, lens hoods can offer some degree of physical protection for the lens due to the hood extending farther than the lens itself.

Teleconverters

Teleconverters increase the effective focal length of lenses. They also usually maintain the closest focusing distance of lenses, thus increasing the magnification significantly. A lens combined with a teleconverter is normally smaller, lighter and cheaper than a "direct" telephoto lens of the same focal length and speed.

Teleconverters are a convenient way of enhancing telephoto capability, but it comes at a cost − reduced maximum aperture. Also, since teleconverters magnify every detail in the image, they logically also magnify residual aberrations of the lens.

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