Customer Reviews

Optical System Design, Second Edition

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the acknowledgements the authors state they "wanted to create a book in the field of optical system design that was clear and easy to understand" - Mission accomplished!

This book is indeed easy to understand but nevertheless provides detailed explanations of how to design an optical system. While not deeply mathematical there are sufficent formulaes provided (with examples) so you can understand what to do and how to do it. If you were puzzled as to why achromatic lenses are used you won't be after you read this book. The book also explains how distortion occurs and how to get rid of it. Also there are sections on mechanical components such as lens mounting etc. The book also explains how to use typical optical design software.

My only (slight) dissapointment was the relatively few descriptions of typical systems - but using the book you could design these from first principles. Also to be fair there are so many designs out there that this is probabaly asking too much.

I bought this book because as an electronics engineer I did not know enough about optical systems to be able to design one. Reading this book and downloading some freeware optical design software (and using the book to help understand the outputs) has solved that problem

Having studied the comments on four other books before holding my breath and purchasing "Optical System Design," I was still worried that it would turn out to be a physics-oriented treatment of the subject despite the comments.

I was happily surprised.

Not only is this book well- and often humorously-written (to me at least), it has memorable explanations which make applying the knowledge easier.

In particular, the excellent treatment throughout the book on the six major third-order aberrations' causes has helped me use my optical design tools more correctly. I do not guess about specific changes, I know what to expect when making a change in the design.

I have found over the years that purchasing two texts on a topic is a good strategy. One must be a "thick book," like "Optical System Design," and the other a "thin book" which serves as a map. I'm still looking for the "thin" compliment to OD, but its layout and index are good enough that I will probably not follow my normal pattern.

This book provides an excellent starting point for most optical system designs, as well as a good set of foundational material. Being able to have this book on my phone as a quick reference has replaced most of the "Field Guide" books I once used.

The first time I read this book, I lose track of its contents.
You need to be patient and concentrated to get its points.
It covers most important points in optics design.

This is a must have book for anyone doing optical design or who want to use an optical design program. The book is great whether one is a novice or a professional at optical design.