How do you make a camera lens?

A lens is a high-tech piece of equipment

We don’t see what goes into their production and we also see straight through them. So it is easy to see why lenses are not appreciated as high-tech components. So when I saw these three videos I was suddenly intrigued. They are produced by Canon to show what goes into making lenses. Considering how much work and manufacturing technology is involved we should not be surprised by the cost.

The first video in the series especially fascinated me. I had no idea that creating the glass in lenses was such an involved process. It is not just glass, it is high-quality, high-technology, high production work all in one.

More after the jump…

The grinding of the lenses is also a very precise and time-intensive process. The coatings applied to lenses are high-tech processes too.

In the final video we see how a lens is actually constructed. There is a lot of very detailed and skilled work done by hand. The use use of a whole range of special tools and adhesives makes it inadvisable to take lenes apart!

A personal recommendation…
This little lens cloth is a very handy item. It hangs on any ring or strap right next to your camera. It’s completely out of the way until you need it and then it is right on hand. It is a quality cloth and because if is always near at hand reminds you to keep your lenses clean. Clean lenses have a longer life and your images will be free of dirt smudges.
Lenses are expensive. Protect them for the long-run. Buy now while you remember!

 

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