Awesome Lenses

Have you ever wondered how they make prescription eyeglass lenses fit the frame you picked out? Colin Birkman from Precision Optics Eyewear shows how a special machine traces and scans the inside shape of the frames, then sends that data to another machine precisely cuts lenses to the right size to pop into the holes.

This fingertip-sized lens turns any smartphone into a microscope. It offers 280x to 1200x magnification and works with an included stand to ensure images are focused and have enough light. The lens also has integrated polarizing optics, which helps bring out details, contrast, and color. Attaches to phones using nano-suction tech that won’t leave a residue.

Those Laowa probe lenses capture unique macro perspectives, but they only work with standalone cameras. Sandmarc’s version is made for iPhones. The 12-inch-long lens can squeeze into tight spaces, offers a much wider depth of field than ordinary macro lenses, and has built-in LED lighting. For smooth shots, pair it with their Cinema Slider.

The newest member of Leica’s Q series has the same 60MP full-frame CMOS sensor as its predecessor, paired with a new APO-Summicron 43mm f/2 lens. Its focal length is about the same as that of the human eye, making it perfect for portraits and street photography. Meanwhile, the lens’ apochromatic design also means incredibly accurate colors.

You’re looking at the pocket magnifier to end all pocket magnifiers. Maratac’s Titan Zoom features a machined titanium frame fitted with a 1.2″ 25x bi-convex lens made from durable, scratch-resistant sapphire glass. The lens is held in place with a glow-in-the-dark silicone ring and comes with silicone covers in UGM glow and orange.

Beaverlab’s digital telephoto camera has a 400mm lens and can shoot distant objects at 36x optical/200x digital magnification. Its 48mp sensor can capture craters on the moon and animals in motion. It works with a smartphone app for monitoring and tweaking your shots. It can also capture 4K video and HDR. There’s also a 40mm version for closer subjects.

Japan’s Sigma Corporation makes all kinds of camera lenses. Process X takes us on a factory tour for a look at how their interchangeable lenses come together, from polishing glass to assembling tiny components and even hand-painting the dial markings. Production requires precision and cleanliness from start to finish. No wonder lenses are so expensive.

With the right lens curvature, it’s possible to project an image that’s not visible until light shines through it. Science educator Steve Mould explains the optical and mathematical properties of these uniquely engineered lenses. A similar effect can be created with mirrors and reflected light. Rayform specializes in the technique.

DIY Perks takes a break from building awesome computer and video game systems to focus on a photography project. At the core of his custom large-format camera is a lens from a vintage opaque projector. When used to capture images, it gulps in a huge amount of light, resulting in a dreamy depth-of-field bokeh effect.

Camera technology has come a very long way since World War I, though a lens is generally still just a lens. Photographerr Mathieu Stern decided to see what kind of video he could capture with a lens he snatched from a 100-year-old Eastman Kodak camera. The footage is quite good, with a dreamy and warm quality to it.

This professional-grade lens lets you shoot bloomy and soft vintage-style images using modern interchangeable lens cameras. It offers six different aperture settings from f/36 to f/233 and an 18-36mm variable focal length for fine-tuning your shots. It will be offered with EF,RF,F,Z,A,E,PK,M43, and X mounts.

Smartphone cameras are pretty amazing, except for capturing long-distance shots. The cast-aluminum Nocs Provisions Photo Rig Adapter is a handy pocket pal that clamps on to align a phone lens to a Zoom Tube Monocular Telescope or standard binoculars for true analog zoom photos and videos.

This tiny accessory turns your phone’s camera into a powerful microscope. It offers magnification from 100x to 800x with a 1-micron resolution. It’s designed for use with flat transparent objects and sample slides and comes with a stand and reflective box with a polarizer that helps ensure subjects are in focus and well lit.

Canon’s strange-looking lens turns EOS R mirrorless cameras into virtual reality shooting machines. It has a pair of 5.2mm f/2.8 fisheye lenses and can shoot stereoscopic 3D 180° VR imagery with a single image sensor. Combined with the EOS R5, it can capture incredibly crisp VR thanks to the camera’s 8K capabilities.

This set of modular blocks snaps onto your smartphone or tablet camera and turns it into a microscope. The kit includes a backlight, 60X, 150X, and 300X magnifiers, and a slide holder that can also hold liquid specimens. In addition, pre-packaged slides display information about the specimens using augmented reality tech.

If you’re like us, you like to use your Apple Watch in Nightstand mode so you can check the time while in bed. The NightWatch charging dock improves upon this idea by magnifying the watch’s display through a spherical lens. A gentle tap wakes the watch, and integrated sound channels amplify its alarm.