Metal film coatings, including AR coatings and metallic films, enhance mirror reflection and reduce light interference.
Metal film coatings, including AR coatings and metallic films, enhance mirror reflection and reduce light interference.
Discover the difference between parabolic and spherical mirrors for optimal light collection, and collimation.
Optical coatings, including reflective and dielectric variants, enhance the performance of optical components.
Cylindrical lenses, also called cylinder lenses, manipulate light directionally, playing vital roles in various optical systems.
Optical surface accuracy is crucial for performance, measured using techniques like test plates, laser interferometers, and CGHs
The Difference Between a Mirror and a Lens lies in their use of a reflective surface, with various types of mirrors available.
High precision optical tolerances are essential for ensuring the precise dimensions and quality of optical components.
Telecentric lenses, differing from conventional ones, maintain a fixed working distance, ensuring consistent magnification.
Key Takeaways The fisheye lens, with variations such as full-frame and circular fisheye lenses, is explored in terms of lens features and applications in the content. Wide-angle lenses capture panoramic views with straight lines, suitable for diverse scenarios. Fisheye lenses offer a unique spherical perspective with barrel distortion, serving surveillance and creative purposes. Both lenses enhance images with wider views and detail, proving valuable in daily situations. Selecting Between Fisheye Lens and Wide-Angle Lens Both fisheye and wide-angle lenses are used in situations that need a wide field of vision. Either one provides an extensive visual angle. So, what distinguishes one from the other? And what is the best situation for each type of lens? If you need lenses that can provide you with a wider vision, then you’re on the right webpage. Read on to know more about the differences between wide-angle and fisheye lenses. Also, learn the various practical applications of the two lenses. Wide-Angle Lens What Is a Wide-Angle Lens? Also known as short lenses, wide-angle lenses have a smaller focal length. With a focal length of about 24 mm to 35 mm, it shows a larger angle of view than standard lenses. This is perfect for capturing wide panoramic views of the scenery. The view through a wide-angle lens gives you a wide background with sharp images of objects in the foreground. Some distortion may occur, giving a sense of distance between objects in the foreground and the background. Lens Features of Wide-Angle Lenses Straight lines – Wide-angle lenses frame panoramic scenes while keeping lines straight. With little to no distortion, the sweeping view of the landscape appears vast and majestic. Deep depth of field – Using wide-angle lenses emphasizes the distance or size of an object in the foreground in relation to the wide background. The objects nearby look large and clear, while objects further away appear smaller and a bit blurry. Less chromatic aberration – Wide-angle lenses experience little color distortion compared to fisheye lenses. It means clearer images without unwanted colors. Fisheye Lens What Is a Fisheye Lens? It falls under the special category of ultra-wide-angle lenses. It has a parabolic lens that protrudes in front with a focal length of about 6 mm to 16 mm. It gives a wide view with 180 degrees of vision, sometimes reaching up to 230 degrees. It also creates a barrel distortion in the frame, giving the image curved edges. This is because the lens mimics the curved eye of a fish, giving us a fisheye view of our surroundings. This type of lens provides us with a refreshing spherical perspective of the world. Now, there are two types of fisheye lenses: the full-frame fisheye lens and the circular fisheye lens. Full-frame Fisheye Lens: A full-frame fisheye lens produces images that fill the rectangular frame. It sports the signature distortion of a fisheye, bending the lines from the center to taper toward the edges. Circular Fisheye Lens: As the name suggests, a circular fisheye lens produces a circular image. The image inside the circle is often surrounded by a black square or slightly rectangular frame. Lens Features of Fisheye Lenses Closer focus – Fisheye lenses are great for capturing subjects that are very close. The curve of the lenses puts more focus on objects in front. The forefront object is sharp and colorful, with the sides curving to taper slightly. Small and lightweight – Fisheye lenses are smaller than standard lenses and weigh less, as well. It also comes with a smaller sensor size. This makes it more portable and easier to install in hidden cameras, body cams, and surveillance systems. Deep depth of field – Ultra wide-angle lenses, paired with a small aperture, produce sharp and clear images from the foreground to the background. This puts everything into focus, making it perfect for observing every object in the frame. Barrel distortion – The images show some optical distortion, having curved lines at the edges of the frame. While this type of distortion is a problem in cheap lenses, it is the main feature of fisheye lenses, highlighting their unique lens feature. It provides a dynamic view of the surroundings. When Are Wide-Angle Lenses Used? Wide-angle lenses are used to capture wide and sweeping views in a frame. The following are some applications of wide-angle lenses. Poor lighting conditions – The wide angle reduces the camera shake, making it perform well even in low-light scenarios. Surveillance – The ability to view large expanses is preferable for surveillance work. Clear images are captured by these lenses, getting much-needed details like faces and car registration numbers. Capturing large crowds – Large events with a lot of attendees are best seen through a wide-angle lens. It frames a large number of the crowd without distorting the image much. Landscape photography – These wide-angle lenses can encompass the vastness of landscapes and buildings in a single frame. It gives a larger-than-life feel to the viewer. Smartphones – The smartphones we use have built-in wide-angle lenses for the rear-facing camera. This lets us put more in the frame, even at close range. Quality lenses, like on the iPhone, produce clearer and better images. When Are Fisheye Lenses Used? Though fisheye lenses are considered specialty lenses, they have a lot of practical applications in real life. Here are some of the common uses of fisheye lenses. Door viewer – A door viewer, more commonly known as a peephole, employs fisheye lenses to give the person a larger field of vision even through a small hole. The ultra-wide lens lets the person inside the door look at who is in front and also inspect the surroundings outside for possible danger. Surveillance cameras – Security cameras often use fisheye lenses to get a wider view of the frame. This lets one camera cover larger areas reducing the number of cameras needed to watch every space. Sporting activities – Extreme sports such as downhill mountain biking, parasailing, and skateboarding are some sporting events that benefit from a fisheye camera lens. Action cameras use fisheye
Key Takeaways Beam splitters, essential for applications such as teleprompters and holograms, have different types that play a vital role in splitting light beams, while beam splitter coatings enhance optical surface properties, minimizing power loss and prolonging equipment lifespan. Common types include cube and plate beam splitters, polarized and non-polarized variants, and dichroic beam splitters. Their diverse applications underscore their significance in advancing technology. Exploring the Significance, Function, and Types of Beam Splitters A beam splitter is applied in various fields, from teleprompters to robotics. Without it, a lot of technology you know would not function. So, how does a beam splitter work? What are its types and applications? This article will cover what a beam splitter is, where it is applied, and the various types that exist. Beam splitter What is Beam Splitter? A beam splitter is any device that can guide light in two separate directions. The majority of these devices are constructed using glass cubes. Half of the light beam, when shone at the cube, passes through the glass, while the other half is reflected. They have been used in physics investigations to measure things like the speed of light. In real-world applications, they can be found in fiber optic telecommunications. This means that your high-speed internet connection might not function efficiently without them. They are also utilized in optical devices such as microscopes, telescopes, cameras, and binoculars. Major Examples of the Usefulness of Beam Splitters Teleprompters Beam splitters are used in teleprompters, and these devices are an essential part of media. They help performers, politicians, YouTubers, and others read out scripts without losing eye contact. This is especially important for those who struggle to remember their lines. With a teleprompter in play, the individual can focus on body language and delivery, which allows them to appear more confident and calm. The most vital part of a teleprompter is a piece of beam splitter glass. Putting a black shroud behind the glass makes it easier to read the writing. Also, you can show the writing on a tablet, phone, or laptop. Holograms Holograms and similar illusions are done using beam splitters. The light beam from the object bounces off the beam splitter, and the reference beam goes through it. To make a hologram, you must first use a beam splitter to separate the light from an object. For the picture in the mirror to stand out, you need a black background. Interferometry One of the most crucial applications of beam splitters is interferometry. A single beam is split in half, and one of the halves bounces off a surface. You may determine how far away something is by adding the light that returned to the initial beam, which helps to determine distance by generating interference patterns. Other Uses You can use beam splitters in several other fields, such as engineering, robotics, science, security cameras, smart mirrors, fiber optic, filmmaking, laser systems, and more. Beam Splitter Coatings Beam splitter coatings are applied to optical surfaces to enhance light reflection, transmission, and polarization. Without coatings, some of the light that enters through the glass is lost, making the system less efficient. Metals and oxides are frequently employed to create thin films. You can find various beam splitter coatings composed of numerous materials and thicknesses used to provide the ideal balance of reflection and refraction. A good coating produces superior results and hides stains and scratches. If the beam splitters have a metallic coating, some of the light’s power will be lost during the reflecting process. On the other hand, If the beam splitters have a dielectric coating, the output power would be nearly equal to the input power. These films not only improve the performance of beam splitters but also safeguard the optical equipment’s surfaces. This will extend the lifespan of your beam splitter and all of its components. Common Types of Beam Splitters A Cube Beam Splitter A cube beam splitter is made by putting two triangle-shaped glass prisms on top of each other and gluing or resining them together. In the 1800s, natural Canada balsam resin was the most popular glue. Today, epoxies and urethane resins made from chemicals are used more often. The prisms can also be put together with a technique called optical contact bonding. This is a precise method that requires both surfaces to be clean. The manufacturer can change the resin layer thickness to change the ratio of power splitting for a certain wavelength. You can also add thin metal or dielectric coatings to split the beam based on its polarization or wavelength. A Plate Beam Splitter Plate beam splitters (dielectric mirrors) are thin pieces of optical glass with different coatings on each side. Most plates have an AR coating on the side that doesn’t face the light source to reduce Fresnel reflections. On the other hand, the side that faces the light source has an aluminum coating to act as a mirror. At a 45° angle of incidence, the mirror coating is put on plate beam splitters so that half of the light is reflected and the other half is let through. This is the classic 50/50 beam splitter and is the most common type of beam splitter. Plate beam splitters can also be made from IR materials like Calcium Fluoride (CaF2) and Potassium Bromide (KBr). KBr with a Germanium coating can be used for wavelengths up to 25μm, and CaF2 can be used for wavelengths up to 8μm. The IR beam splitter is usually made as a plate and is meant to work as a device that transmits and reflects light in equal amounts. Most of the time, beam splitter coatings are put on the front, and AR coatings, like many other common plate designs, are put on the back. Non-Polarized Beam Splitters and How They Work Non-polarizing beam splitters divide light into an R/T ratio without changing its polarization. In a 50/50 non-polarizing beam splitter, the P and S polarization states that are sent out and the P and