Editing Camera lens (section)

==Number of elements==
{{anchor|Convertible lens}}<!-- Parked here but really should be explained in hetter and more details in an article of its own -->
{{Main|Photographic lens design}}

The complexity of a lens — the number of elements and their degree of asphericity — depends upon the angle of view, the maximum aperture, and intended price point, among other variables. An extreme wideangle lens of large aperture must be of very complex construction to correct for optical aberrations, which are worse at the edge of the field and when the edge of a large lens is used for image-forming. A long-focus lens of small aperture can be of very simple construction to attain comparable image quality: a doublet (two elements) will often suffice. Some older cameras were fitted with convertible lenses (German: ''{{lang|de|Satzobjektiv}}'') of normal focal length. The front element could be unscrewed, leaving a lens of twice the focal length, and half the angle of view and half the aperture. The simpler half-lens was of adequate quality for the narrow angle of view and small relative aperture. This would require the [[bellows (photography)|bellows]] had to be extended to twice the normal length.

Good-quality lenses with maximum aperture no greater than f/2.8 and fixed, normal, focal length need at least three (triplet) or four elements (the trade name "[[Tessar]]" derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''tessera'', meaning "four"). The widest-range zooms often have fifteen or more. The reflection of light at each of the many interfaces between different optical media (air, glass, plastic) seriously degraded the [[contrast (vision)|contrast]] and [[color saturation]] of early lenses, particularly zoom lenses, especially where the lens was directly illuminated by a light source. The introduction of [[optical coating]]s, and advances in coating technology over the years, have resulted in major improvements, and modern high-quality zoom lenses give images of quite acceptable contrast, although zoom lenses with many elements will transmit less light than lenses made with fewer elements (all other factors such as aperture, focal length, and coatings being equal).<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Mastering Black-and-White Photography: From Camera to Darkroom|author=Suess, B.J.|date=2003|publisher=Allworth Press|isbn=9781581153064|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7LaRPNINH_YC|access-date=2014-10-25}}</ref>