Richard - You're getting at why I raise the question... the science is such that it is questionable that a single coating now could be any more effective across the visible spectrum than a single coating then. And absent any measurements/data, there is no reason to believe that it is... I like the impedance matching/horn loading analogy... Eric Goldstein -- On Thu, Jul 9, 2009 at 11:17 PM, Richard Knoppow<dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Eric Goldstein" <egoldste@xxxxxxxxx> > To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Thursday, July 09, 2009 6:05 PM > Subject: [rollei_list] Re: Lens coatings and veiling flare. > > > This is precisely the question we are trying to get smart about... we > know that modern coatings are more durable but is there an improvement > in flare reduction and bandwidth with modern single coatings when > compared with the coatings of the mid to late 60s and 60s? > > > Eric Goldstein > > I don't know how to determine that other than by measurement. The physics > of coating are well understood and are related to transmission line and > filter theory in electronics. Essentially, the coating is an impedance > matching section and like a 1/4 wave section works best at one frequency. > Also, coatings vary in effectivness with the angle of the light striking > them since the path length varies. In theory the coating should be of a > material with an index of refraction geometrically between the index of air > and the index of the glass. Multiple coatings are the electronic equivalents > of a transformer or, in distributed constants, of a horn section. This > broadens out the bandwidth. However a single coating, at its optimum > wavelength should have no reflection (or a very minimal one). There is > probably some residual since the match may not be perfect. Multiple coatings > have a minimal reflection over a fairly wide bandwidth. Since the band of > wavelengths to which the eye is sensitive is only about an octave (and film > not much more) a single coating will have some effect over the entire range > but will fall off away from the optimum wavelength. A multiple coating can > reduce reflections substantially over the entire range with little > variation. > Also note that coatings can be designed to _increase_ reflection and are > thus used for mirrors. For instance, aluminum mirrors are not as efficient > for visible light as a silvered mirror but can be made to equal the > efficiency by suitable coatings. > I don't know for certain what method is currently used for measuring the > thickness of a coating but certainly there are methods available which are > much more precise than the old method of looking at the color of the > residual reflection from the lens while in the vacuum chamber. > Again, there is a great deal of historical material on the Vacuum Coaters > site. > > -- > Richard Knoppow > Los Angeles, CA, USA > dickburk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx --- Rollei List - Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx - Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Online, searchable archives are available at //www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list