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Thread: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

  1. #21

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    I have a Bausch & Lomb publication from 1932. It uses the term "photographic lenses".
    I also have a Carl Zeiss publication dated 1938 (in English). It uses the term "photographic objectives".

    Now what is the proper name (or as I learned in the Army over 40 years ago, "nomenclature") for the front and back parts of your typical large format photographic lens/objective. That what screws in to the front and back of the shutter or in the case of a barrel mount, into the barrel fore and aft of the diaphragm, and which in the case of a convertible lens/objective, constitutes a discrete lens/objective in itself? Component? Cell? Thingy?
    David

  2. #22

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    And in some optical devices, riflescopes, it goes like this:

    Objective Lens:
    The objective lens is the lens closest to the object being viewed.

    Ocular Lens:
    The ocular lens is the lens closest to your eye.

  3. #23

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    I've always thought that the objctive was to make a purty pitcher
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  4. #24

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    I might come from the diferences between German and English
    in German a lens is a part of an objective
    in English a lens can be both.

    Peter

  5. #25

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    Quote Originally Posted by Archphoto View Post
    I might come from the diferences between German and English
    in German a lens is a part of an objective
    in English a lens can be both.
    And what about "lens" in Netherlandish?

    Peter

  6. #26

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    Lens in Dutch: mostly a single lens, both German and Dutch belong to the same language group.
    Through the influence of th English language both words are used for the same thing: a camera lens.
    Languages evoluate, change over time, in one area more than in an other.

    And there is street-language and school-language aswell, but than you are talking about things within a language.

    I think dividing lines are disapearing, like "zoom-lens" and 150mm objective, it sounds better in Dutch than in English......

    Peter

  7. #27

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    God calls them lenses, so we should too.
    Wilhelm (Sarasota)

  8. #28

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill_1856 View Post
    God calls them lenses, so we should too.
    But, being omnipotent, God is not required to be objective.

  9. #29

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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    I'm sorry not to be able to bring any clue to the original question in English, but I can say that in French we follow exactly the same rule and for the same reasons as in German.
    Regarding lentils, une lentille is a single lens element and nothing else ; not to be confused with une lentille verte du Puy which is the best-of-our-best lentils.

    A compound lens is called un objectif ; as said above, it comes from the difference between the entrance lens element(s) and the eyepiece in a telescope or in binoculars. In fact telescopes were known at least since Galileo Galilei, I realize that in Galileo's telescope there are only two single lens elemens, the "objective" on the object side and the eyepiece on the eye's side so things are really simple. For those who are interested in optical terminology, French differenciate the terms telescope and lunette, lunettes being made of transparent glass lens elements only and telescopes having one of several mirrors.
    We would say Galileo's lunette and Newton's telescope.

    Photographic lenses per se started in the XIX-st century, so probably the differences between "objectives" and "eyepieces" were already well-established when the new photographic systems without eyepieces started to be developed. Hence the name "objective" for the whole optical system in a photographic camera ??

    So the only answer to the original question is : British-English is plain wrong regarding the nomenclature of optical systems, but since "they" drive on the other side of the road, we should not be too much surprised by "their" eccentricity ;-)

    Now another good question is : letting the British be eccentric, why did some others on the other side of the Atlantic (who drive on the proper side of the road) actually did follow the British in their error ? ;-)

  10. #30
    Preston Birdwell
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    Re: Why do we call them lenses instead of objectives?

    If you have objectives, you will go far toward meeting your photographic goals.

    -Preston
    Preston-Columbia CA

    "If you want nice fresh oats, you have to pay a fair price. If you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse; that comes a little cheaper."

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