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Thread: difference in lenses

  1. #1
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    difference in lenses

    Isn't it strange that there is virtually no objective comparison on any type of lenses?

    I went to my optician the other day for a new pair of glasses and i was asking about difference of lenses. Mainly because i had alot of trouble with chromatic aberration. The answer was that there was virtually no difference between brands and and types. They couldn't give me an answer on how to decrease the chromatic aberration, but they did say that choosing a thicker glass would reduce the deforment of the picture (that's a wrong translation, but i don't know the right word in english at the moment). Well i wasn't really satisfied with the answer, so i went to a other optician to ask his opinion about types of glasses, it was basicly the same answer.

    Since i'm a photographer i have a fairly good understanding about lenses and how they work and the design that goes into them. Now with photography there is a very real difference in quality between lenses. This can be contributed to lense design, but most of the time the lenses that are being used and how they are cut also makes a difference in the end result.

    For photography there is a vast amount of objective reviewing and testing avaiable, however for something that one uses daily and which is a major part of someones life, lenses are really not looked closely at.

    For me i just can't believe that for example nikon would introduce a lense with the same thickness as a lense they already are selling, without it having some advantage over the other lense.

    I'm still going to look a bit further, but it seems to me that the general consensus over here is that it doesn't really matter what kind of glass you pick. It's hard for me to accept especially without any basis for that, and without any objective testing done about it.

  2. #2
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    As a photographer you should know that lens thickness has little to do with camera lenses lenses. Now coatings and quality of "the grind" have a lot to do with camera and opthalmic lenses. And if you are concerned with the quality of what you see through the camera lens, you need either, CR-#9 or glass with an anti-reflective coating.
    Your chromatic abberration does vary with the material, polycarbonate being the least satifactory, glass being the best.
    In cameras and magnifiers, chromatic aberration can be counteracted by using two or more different types of glass either cemented or fused together. It is not feasable to do this in opthalmic lenses and would cost a fortune if done.

    Don't sound like da place you axed this question furst was too knowledgeable.

    Chip

  3. #3
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    basicly i'm not sure if there are any knowledgeable opticians and how to identify such a person, since i remember asking about carl zeiss lenses a year ago, and i distinctly remember that optician also saying that it was a matter of taste.

    basicly the only answer i get about the difference in lenses is that it's either the same, negligable or a matter of taste. (that's with 3 different opticians in 3 different places).

    and yes i know that with photography there is the option of using multiple lenses, but that's not what i wanted to point out with that example. What i wanted to point out is that those lenses get tested and review, and for spectacles i havn't seen any review. Yes certain things are very eye specific. But there is alot of things you can say objectively about lenses (colour for example)

    A for the lense thickness, that is something where you are mistaken, thickness of glass does play a major role in the design of a photography lense

  4. #4
    Bad address email on file k12311997's Avatar
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    the lens materials used by different manufactures are the same, Cr 39 is the same no matter the brand, poly is the same no matter the brand, there is some small difference in some of the higher index lens materials but given the same index the difference in monomer is minimal. and yes preference has a place there are Ford guys and there are Chevy guys that doesn't make one objectively better (they both suck in quality). Optician A has used lens X successfully for years, and optician B has used lens Y with equal success which one is better? The one that your optician has confidence in and experience with to back it up.

  5. #5
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Gold Supporter Judy Canty's Avatar
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    What area of the optical industry are you in? If you are a consumer, and I suspect you are, please re-read the posting guidelines and edit your profile to reflect your status.

    This forum is for Eyecare Professionals. Consumers are allowed to post in the Just Conversation forum and non-optical topics only. Please be aware that any questions involving optics or eyecare may be removed. These kinds of questions should be discussed with a qualified eyecare professional who has examined you and is familiar with your situation.
    Last edited by Judy Canty; 09-28-2006 at 10:27 PM.

  6. #6
    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Jstrike,

    You changed your Occupation to make it appear that you are in the eyecare field when in fact you are not (you original listed 'Consumer'.) This is an attempt to deceive and will not be tolerated. Please correct this immediately.

    And as a non-eyecare person this topic is not appropriate and an attempt to get around the forum rules which also will not be tolerated.


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