FORENSIC

PHOTOGRAPHY
 PHOTOGRAPHIC LENS
A true “lens” is a single piece of glass (or other
transparent substance) having one or more curved
surfaces used in changing the convergence of light
rays. What we commonly call a photographic lens is
more accurately and technically called an “objective,”
an optical device containing a combination of lenses
that receive light rays from an object and form an
image on the focal plane. However, dictionaries have
come to accept the usage of the term “lens” to mean
the entire photographic objective itself. A photographic
lens will always be called a lens, even though it is not a
lens, but has a lot of lenses in it. A camera lens collects
and focuses rays of light to form an image on film.
 Types Of Lenses
1. A convex lens (Positive) is a converging lens
which works much like a concave mirror. This kind of
lens is thicker in the middle and thinner towards the
edges, like the lens in a magnifying glass.

2. A concave lens (Negative) is a diverging lens

which works similar to the convex mirror. This lens is
thicker towards the edges and thin in the middle and
are used in helping correction of nearsightedness. All
images produced by concave lenses are virtual, erect,
and reduced.
1. A convex lens (Positive

light

2. A concave lens (Negative)

light
 Diagram of a
Kodak Ektar
Lens with
several lens
components

The best method of image formation because

it is capable of forming a sharp image even
with a large opening so it is suited for a
camera
 Inherent Lens Defects or Aberration
1. Spherical Aberration(a defect in a lens or mirror, causing a distorted image or one with
colored edges)

When light passing through near the central

part of a converging lens are bended more sharply than
those rays falling in the age, thus the rays coming from
the edges are focused on a plane nearer the lens than
those coming from the central part.
Manufacturer of lenses tries to reduce those
defect to a negligible quantity by using lenses of different
curvatures.
Spherical Aberration
2. Coma
This is another form of spherical aberration but is
concerned with the light rays entering the lens
obliquely(not straight forward or direct). The defect is noticeable only
on the outer edges and not on the central part of the
lens. If a lens has coma, circular objects reproduced at
the corners of the negative are comet-like form. Just
like the spherical aberration, it is reduced by
combinations of lenses of different curvatures.
Coma
3. Curvature of Field the degree of curving in a line or surface)
(

This kind of defect where the image formed

by lens comes to a sharper focus in a curved surface than a
flat surface. The correction of this defect is similar to
spherical and coma.
Curvature of Field
4. Distortion
A lens with distortion is incapable of rendering
straight lines; either horizontal or vertical lines in an object.
This is caused by the placement of the diaphragm. If the
diaphragm is placed in front of the straight lines near the edges
of the object tends to bulge outside. This is known as the barrel
distortion. If the diaphragm is placed behind of the lens, straight
lines near the edges tends to bend inward. This is known as the
pin-cushion distortion. Distortion is remedied by placing the
diaphragm in between the lens component and the two opposite
distortions will neutralize each other.
Distortion
5. Chromatic Aberration( color defect )
This defect is the inability of the lens to
bring photographic rays of different wavelengths
to the same focus. Ultraviolet rays are bent the
most while infrared rays are bent the least when
they pass through the lens. Visible light come to a
focus at varying distances. This defect is reduced
by utilizing compound lenses made up of single
lens made up of glass of different curvatures. th
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Chromatic Aberration
6. Astigmatism
With this defect, a
single point from a subject
falling near the margin of
the negative will be imaged
not as a point but as a two
perpendicular sort lines, one
of which is always be out of
focus while the other is
sharp. This defects lessened
by combining lenses of
special kind of glass having
the correct combinations of
spherical surfaces.
(a defect in a lens or mirror that prevents light rays from meeting at a
single point, producing and imperfect image) blurred
Astigmatism
7. Chromatic Different of Magnification
This defect is present when the
size of image produced by photographic rays
of one wave length is different from the size
produced by another. Size of image
increases as the wavelength of the rays
decreases. In color photography it produce a
rainbow colored fringes around the edges of
objects while black and white photography it
appears as a slight blue.
Types of Lens According to Degree of
Correction
1. Simple meniscus lens – this lens is usually found
in simple or box camera. It is uncorrected lens and
therefore suffers from inherent defects of lenses.

2. Rapid Rectilinear Lens – It is a combination of

two achromatic lens with almost the same focal
length. This is corrected from some kinds of lens
defects but not on astigmatism.
A rectilinear lens is a photographic lens that
yields images where straight features, such as the
walls of buildings, appear with straight lines, as
opposed to being curved. In other words, it is a lens
with little barrel or pincushion distortion.
Types of Lens According to Degree of
Correction
3. Anastigmatic lens (a.k.a. Anastigmat)– a
lens designed to correct astigmatism. A lens
which is free from astigmatism and other
types of lens defects. It has the ability to
focus a vertical and horizontal lines at the
same time.
4. Achromatic Lens – a lens which is partly
corrected for chromatic aberration.
An achromatic lens or achromat is a lens
that is designed to limit the effects of
chromatic and spherical aberration.
Achromatic lenses are corrected to bring two
Types of Lens According to Degree of
Correction
5. Process lens – a super-corrected lens for
astigmatism. It has a better color correction
and has the ability to produce the best
definition of image in the photographs.

6. Fixed Focus Lens – a lens use in all fixed

focus camera. Basically, it has a short focal
length and greater depth of field.
Classification of lens according to its focal
length

Focal lengths are usually specified in millimetres

(mm), but older lenses marked in centimetres (cm)
and inches are still to be found. For a given film or
sensor size, specified by the length of the diagonal, a
lens may be classified as:

1.Normal Lens - Lens with a focal length

approximately equal to the diagonal of the film format.
A scene viewed through a normal lens appears to
have the same perspective as if it was being viewed
“normally” without a lens, just the way your eye sees
it. They work without reduction or magnification and
create images the way we see the scene with our
naked eyes. Most 35 mm cameras' normal lenses have
a focal length of approximately 50 mm.
2. Wide-angle Lens - A lens with an angle of view that is
wider than that of a normal lens, or that of the human
eye. A wide-angle lens has a focal length which is less
than the diagonal of the film format. angle of view wider
than 60° and focal length shorter than normal.

The 24mm lens is a WIDE-ANGLE

LENS.
 3. Ultra-wide Angle Lens - An extra-wide angle lens.
Generally refers to 35mm camera lenses with focal
lengths shorter than 24 mm.

A 17 mm lens is considered to be an ULTRA-WIDE ANGLE LENS.

4. Telephoto Lens - or long-focus lens: A lens with a
narrow angle of view, a longer-than-normal focal length,
the ability to magnify images, and exhibiting relatively
shallow depth of field.

Examples of 35 mm camera telephoto lenses include 85

mm, 400 mm and 600 mm lenses, to name a few.

A distinction is sometimes made between a long-focus

lens and a true telephoto lens: the telephoto lens uses a
telephoto group to be physically shorter than its focal
length.
A TELEPHOTO LENS of this super size
magnifies the scene like a telescope.
5. Macro Lens - A lens with the ability to focus from
infinity to extremely closely, allowing it to capture
images of tiny objects in frame-filling, larger-than-life
sizes. Sometimes called a "Close-up lens," although a
close-up lens is usually a lens attachment for close-
ups and does not generally have the ability to focus
on infinity.

It has an angle of view narrower than 25° and focal

length longer than normal. These lenses are used for
close-ups, e.g., for images of the same size as the
object. They usually feature a flat field as well, which
means that the subject plane is exactly parallel with
the film plane.
A MACROGRAPH shows the subject at actual size or larger.
9. Variable Focus Lens - A zoom lens - one in
which focal length is variable. Elements inside a
variable focus lens shift their positions, enabling the
lens to change its focal length - in effect, providing
one lens that has many focal lengths.

Typical focal lengths and their 35mm format

designations:

< 20mm - Super Wide Angle

24mm - 35mm - Wide Angle
50mm - Normal Lens
80mm - 300mm – Tele
> 300mm - Super Tele
28 mm lens 50 mm lens

70 mm lens 210 mm lens