The Next Lens Revolution

Get ready for new controversy. We’ve had several big changes in how lenses are designed in the digital era, and more are coming. The two biggest differences in 21st century lenses have been improvements in computer modeling during the design process coupled with using in-camera “corrections” to “fix” aspects that aren’t addressed by the optical design itself. “Corrections” and “fix” are in quotes in the previous paragraph because the current form for these is simply some brute force simplified math. For instance, vignetting isn’t measured precisely and then corrected via similar precise pixel-by-pixel data shifts. Instead, virtually all the vignetting corrections are a set of circles containing a pre-ordained amount of data shift, which may or may not exactly match what the lens is doing. Here’s what’s going to happen next: AI lens corrections. Large language model AI is about pattern matching. Optical design generates plenty of patterns. We’re going to see AI correction calculated…