Warren J. Smith, chief scientist at Kaiser Electro-Optics and an independent consultant, is one of the most widely known writers and educators in the field of optical design. He is the author of Modern Optical Engineering, Modern Lens Design, and Practical Optical System Layout.

In this new edition of Smith's book, the focus has changed with the times. There are about half as many lens designs in the new edition, and the new material is directed toward design projects. Smith shows what he did, including blunders, to design a lens from first concept to final design. The designs include a cemented doublet, a triplet anastigmat, a Heliar, a Schmidt-Cassegrain, a landscape lens, and many more. The computer program OSLO was used to design the work, but the write-ups are program-neutral. Therefore, this book can be used with any lens design software. This book is a working person's text; there are very few derivations of techniques or derivations from first principles, Maxwell's equations, or Fermat's principle. The assumption is that the reader understands the basic optical principles and may have a command of the fundamentals of classical optical design methods. In short, a compendium of design techniques available today and a prescriptive resource for a variety of already designed lens types that can be starting points for a lens designer's efforts. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. -- D.B. Mason, Albright College Choice 20050601

• Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Automatic Lens Design: Managing the Lens Design ProgramChapter 3: Improving a DesignChapter 4: Evaluation: How Good Is This Design?Chapter 5: Lens Design DataChapter 6: Telescope ObjectivesChapter 7: Eyepieces and MagnifiersChapter 8: Cooke Triplet AnastigmatsChapter 9: Split TripletsChapter 10: The Tessar, Hellar, and Other Compounded TripletsChapter 11: Double-Meniscus AnastigmatsChapter 12: The Biotar or Double-Gauss LensChapter 13: Telephoto LensesChapter 14: Reversed Telephoto (Retrofocus and Fish-Eye) LensesChapter 15: Wide-Angle Lenses With Negative Outer ElementsChapter 16: The Petzval Lens: Head-up Display LensesChapter 17: Microscope ObjectivesChapter 18: Mirror and Catadioptric SystemsChapter 19: Infrared and Ultraviolet SystemsChapter 20: Zoom LensesChapter 21: Projection TV Lenses and Macro LensesChapter 22: Scanner/f-o, Laser Disk and Collimator LensesChapter 23: Tolerance BudgetingChapter 24: FormularyGLOSSARYREFERENCESINDEX