Book Review: Exploring Simple Lenses by John Evans
I came across this book while searching the internet for information on homemade camera lenses. As of now, it is the only book on this topic that I am aware of. I thought that the members of this group might be interested in it.
First, two points: one, I haven't written a report on a book since the seventh grade; and two, just to be clear, I have no connection with this book or the author.
Exploring Simple Lenses is an eBook self published by its author, John Evans. It is available as a PDF download ($12) or a CD with ND filters ($22) from
www.alternativephotography.com. I purchased the download and received an email within a few hours with a link and simple instructions to download the PDF file.
The first thing to note about this eBook is that it is a large work: 1490 pages, including 350 photographs and 150 illustrations. In reading it, I got the sense that the book was compiled/written over many years.
As the title states, this book is about simple lenses. Each of the 55 lenses the author discusses in detail in his Case History chapter contains one lens element. He uses plano-convex, bi-convex, positive meniscus lenses, even a fresnel lens. Lenses are made of glass, plastic, and even some "found objects." No lens contains more than a single element.
This book is written for the novice lens builder. It does not assume the reader has any significant skills or experience with building anything. There is very little math required. In fact, in the few times that very basic algebra is used, the author stated precisely which keys to press on a calculator.
