noninfinitycorrected

Noninfinitycorrected refers to a type of optical lens or system that is not designed to correct for spherical aberration or other optical defects that manifest when objects are at an infinite distance. In contrast, infinity-corrected optics are specifically engineered to produce sharp images of distant objects by compensating for these aberrations.

Standard, noninfinitycorrected lenses often have a defined focal plane that is optimized for objects within a certain range, typically much closer than infinity. When attempting to image objects at very large distances with such lenses, the image quality may degrade due to uncorrected aberrations. This can result in a less sharp or distorted image compared to what an infinity-corrected system would achieve.

The distinction is particularly important in microscopy and certain telescopic applications where imaging distant or very small, far-away objects is a primary function. For instance, in a standard microscope, the objective lens focuses light from a specimen on the stage, and this system is not designed for infinite distances. In contrast, an infinity-corrected microscope objective projects light as parallel rays, which are then processed by a tube lens to form an image, effectively allowing for imaging at infinity. This design offers greater flexibility in adding components like filters or beamsplitters between the objective and tube lens without introducing additional optical distortions.