Questions tagged “optics”

Ask the Unique Photo creator community — gear, technique, post-processing and more.

votes

answers

217

How do you measure the true f-number of a lens when the aperture is behind lens elements?

f-stop leaf-shutter lenses aperture optics

Peter M

1mo ago

votes

answers

251

How were early CinemaScope anamorphic lenses designed, and how did later anamorphic systems differ?

anamorphic lenses cinematography cinemascope optics

uhoh

11mo ago

votes

answers

1273

What is the thin-lens equation, and how is it useful in photography?

lenses optics photography-basics focus focal-length

Tom Axford

1y ago

votes

answers

201

Could a wide-angle lens plus magnifier create a telephoto image with wide-angle depth of field?

depth-of-field lens-design optics telephoto teleconverter

Flux

1y ago

votes

answers

441

What is the centre of perspective in a photograph, and why does it matter?

theory perspective composition lenses optics

Tom Axford

1y ago

votes

answers

385

What does “18x” mean on a clip-on smartphone telephoto lens?

magnification lenses optics telephoto smartphone-photography

Orion's Belt

1y ago

votes

answers

214

Why does a fisheye lens keep a rainbow circular instead of distorting it?

lens-distortion rainbow fisheye wide-angle optics

summerrain

1y ago

votes

answers

1113

How are object distance, image distance, and focal length related in a lens?

lenses image-formation optics focus focal-length

Bram

1y ago

votes

answers

193

What’s the difference between working distance, minimum focus distance, and infinity focus on a machine-vision lens?

lenses machine-vision optics focus-distance infinity-focus

Aravind D. Chakravarti

2y ago

votes

answers

1399

Does focal length change perspective, or only camera position?

macro perspective optics thin-lens focal-length

cosaty

2y ago

votes

answers

174

Does sensor or format size affect depth of field, or only the image formed by the lens?

depth-of-field circle-of-confusion optics depth-of-focus sensor-size

Oldhouse

2y ago

votes

answers

270

Why is viewing the Sun through a telescope dangerous if a telescope can't increase surface brightness?

solar-photography eye-safety telescopes optics physics

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

2y ago

votes

answers

176

How do you choose circle of confusion for depth of field on a 16K line-scan camera?

depth-of-field industrial-imaging line-scan-camera circle-of-confusion optics

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

2y ago

votes

answers

558

What is optical vignetting, and why does stopping down reduce it?

lens-design aperture bokeh vignetting optics

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

2y ago

votes

answers

266

Why are telephoto lens designs usually used for long focal lengths, not short ones?

lens-design wide-angle optics telephoto focal-length

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

2y ago

votes

answers

165

Can a 50mm lens image a 3mm object full-frame on a 5.2×3.9mm sensor, and are my distance calculations correct?

magnification macro lenses machine-vision optics

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

2y ago

votes

answers

141

Is depth of focus symmetrical, and is my depth-of-field diagram correct?

depth-of-field optics depth-of-focus focus thin-lens

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

3y ago

votes

answers

185

Why don’t 25mm at f/4 and 100mm at f/16 give the same depth of field at the same subject distance?

depth-of-field aperture circle-of-confusion optics focal-length

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

3y ago

votes

answers

204

Does the inverse square law apply to light passing through a lens?

lenses optics inverse-square-law light-loss exposure

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

3y ago

votes

answers

203

How does changing image distance affect resolution when adapting a scanner lens to a Raspberry Pi camera?

raspberry-pi-camera image-distance resolution lens-adaptation optics

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

3y ago

Page 1 of 24