Olympus E-100 ZOOM RS - Manual (Page 10)

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More than 200 years ago, Newton showed that white light
was composed of multiple wavelengths, (RGB) which are
now called photons. These waves of light pass through a
lens on a camera and are supposed to be “imaged” at the
same point, onto film emulsion for example. When the pho-
tons are not imaged properly onto the film plane, chromatic
aberration occurs and is most commonly caused by using
single lens construction. Incorporating two lenses made of
different materials can solve chromatic aberration with film
camera lenses. The net effect of chromatic aberration is un-
intended color artifacts such as halos and wild colors.
The marriage between lens and CCD is critical to delivering
the best possible images. Post imaging processing can only
do so much to help a poor image. Remember the old axiom,
garbage in - garbage out.
The same holds true for uncorrected lenses made for digital
cameras and the net effect it causes are unwanted artifacts,
noise and a degraded image. Unbeknownst to many in the
industry, digital camera lenses require different construction
than film camera lenses. If a manufacturer, (and some do)
tries to place a lens designed for a film camera onto a digital
camera, the net effect is chromatic aberration and only a small
portion of the lens will actually throw light onto the CCD. This
gross under-utilization also causes a loss in edge-to-edge
sharpness that could be delivered to the CCD.
The digital camera lens construction of the CAMEDIA E-100
ZOOM RS contains a concave element that forces photons
coming through the lens into a straight-ahead alignment to
the 28 MHz high-speed progressive scan CCD. All CCD sen-
sors are very picky about how light is delivered to them and
they don’t like oblique angles of light hitting them, which
The Importance of Match- The Importance of Match- The Importance of Match- The Importance of Match- The Importance of Match-
ing Lens to CCD
ing Lens to CCD ing Lens to CCD ing Lens to CCD ing Lens to CCD
causes a digital form of chromatic aberration. Film emulsion
layers are designed to read light from an oblique angle and
the fall-off from the lens. Olympus found that in order to get
the best possible images from a digital camera, the light
coming into a CCD must be straight on.
The CAMEDIA E-100 ZOOM RS Lens
Elements and Interaction with the CCD
Light - Photons
CCD¤
Sensor
Lens Elements
Film
Emulsion
Layers
Lens Elements