High resolution lenses for machine vision — standard and custom lens design
Understanding the Differences in Focal Lengths
High Resolution Lenses for machine vision, instrumentation, inspection and vibration-sensitive applications. Standard and custom hi-res lens assemblies.
Focal Length
The focal length in the optical world is a very important feature. Industrial lens manufacturer Universe Kogaku has over 1600 different lenses with numerous different focal lengths. Understanding what focal lengths mean and how they work is very important when trying to find the perfect lens for the job.
The focal length of an optical lens is basically the measurement of how strongly the lens can converge or focus and diverge or defocus light. The focal length is determined by how quickly the lens can take collimated rays and bring them into focus. Lenses with a shorter focal point have more optical power than those with longer focal lengths because they have the power to bend the collimated rays more strongly and in turn are able to bring an object into focus from a shorter distance.
In microscopy a shorter optical lens focal length is associated with a higher magnification. In photography and telescopy on the other hand a longer focal length or lower optical power means a higher degree of magnification and a shorter focal length or higher optical power means a lower degree of magnification which makes it much easier to bring into focus.
Still not sure what kind of focal length your optical system will require? Universe Kogaku provides a great focal length calculator on their website that will give you a really good idea for what focal length you will need for any specific job. Just enter imager size, object size, and object to imager distance into the required fields on their focal length calculator and a focal length estimate will appear on your screen. Now these focal lengths aren’t always exact so after you get your estimate call one of Universe Kogaku’s representatives and they will talk you through the process and help you find the perfect lens assembly for your job.