dmanthree
Forum Pro
Not sure if it's even possible, but this would pretty much eliminate stray light and reflections inside camera bodies.
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A possible new material for coating camera interiors?
- Thread starter dmanthree
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Very interesting. I hope this material makes it soon inside all optical instruments and tools.
Prices have to get lower first.
It could be another whole level in reflection and flare control.
BG454
Veteran Member
Not aware that internal reflections are a problem in modern cameras.
An answer looking for a problem?
Erwann Loison
Leading Member
How funny, I had exactly the same thought some days ago about using vanta black paint/coating to get internal interferences down to almost zero.
I'm not sure if it would make a very visible change and if it's worth the extra money for consumer lenses. For expensive prime lenses however, who knows.
I'm not sure if it would make a very visible change and if it's worth the extra money for consumer lenses. For expensive prime lenses however, who knows.
Erwann Loison
Leading Member
Well I don't have enough optics knowledge to know if this is a 'problem' or not. But it would be interesting to know for sure.
My guess is that the inside of a lens is mostly black and "threaded" for a reason (I suppose scatter, absorb and bounce back more undesirable light paths), so I guess it would be even better if a light ray escaping the glass elements would be absorbed 99.965% on first hit?
Would the difference be meaningful in practice I have no idea. But there has been many minor tweaks to technology that seemed meaningless and are standards now, because many little things can become a relevant step forward, all put together.
My guess is that the inside of a lens is mostly black and "threaded" for a reason (I suppose scatter, absorb and bounce back more undesirable light paths), so I guess it would be even better if a light ray escaping the glass elements would be absorbed 99.965% on first hit?
Would the difference be meaningful in practice I have no idea. But there has been many minor tweaks to technology that seemed meaningless and are standards now, because many little things can become a relevant step forward, all put together.
dmanthree
Forum Pro
Not sure. Take a look inside your camera, and if you see any shiny surfaces, there's the potential for reflections. You may be right and this simply isn't a problem. But for total light control this stuff would be pretty good, I think. It was just a thought...
dmanthree
Forum Pro
Who knows? I remember way back when, when nobody thought lens flare was an issue, and then Asahi multi-coated their lenses and everything changed. Same with camera interiors. So maybe this stuff has a use here? Maybe not, but it's interesting stuff.
daguerre999
Active member
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Its also unbelievably dangerous stuff. IIRC its made from nano-particles that need some sort of weird plasma-deposition treatment. You can't just spray it from a can. It suffered from flaking problems and people could inhale the flakes (think asbestosis). Again IIRC, its also mind-buggeringly expensive.
Anyway, we were all excited about it as a lining for telescope tubes a couple of years back as it would have increased contrast significantly.
However the expense and the threat of a long painful death seemed to cool most peoples ardour.
dmanthree
Forum Pro
I'd wonder if it's possible to overcome any of those shortcomings?
Erwann Loison
Leading Member
Well in some articles about the company, the CEO explains they received a gigaton of request for various applications (some of them are really crazy), but of them has actually been put to good use: internal coating of telescope barrel. It's probably crazy expensive and won't make its way into our lenses, even the most expensive ones, but now that the tech is 'here' it can be improved and made cost-effective (by cost-effective I mean effective enough so the big pro lenses would see a price increase but not outrageous).
But anyway maybe by then there will be completely different lens tech like flat, distortion free and very compact lenses that will be the new standard.
But anyway maybe by then there will be completely different lens tech like flat, distortion free and very compact lenses that will be the new standard.
DiffractionLtd
Senior Member
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Lenses, telescopes, etc. I hope it ends up being used, but these ultrablack finishes have appeared before and they are still using plain old flat black paint because it's cheap to buy and cheap to apply.
dmanthree
Forum Pro
Erwann Loison
Leading Member
dmanthree
Forum Pro
The reduction in flaring when they installed a lens hood coated with this substance was very noticeable. Light enters the camera and probably bounces around internally quite a bit. It would be interesting to see the results from applying this internally to a camera lens and body.
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BG454
Veteran Member
One of the surfaces that reflects light internally is the surface of the sensor.
It probably wouldn't work as well if it were coated with anti-reflecting material.
If the other surfaces were coated then the reflections from the sensor wouldn't matter.
dmanthree
Forum Pro
I'd like to see that, as well. We may be seeing reduced contrast as a result of internal flare and not even realize it. I have read that this substance was developed for NASA to use inside their telescopes, so it may trickle down to us at some point.
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