Patent Grant
9235035
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-150125, filed Jul. 19, 2013. Each of the above application(s) is hereby expressly incorporated by reference, in its entirety, into the present application.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a zoom lens suited for electronic cameras such as a digital camera, a video camera, a broadcasting camera, a movie camera, a surveillance camera, and the like, and to an imaging apparatus including the zoom lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
As broadcasting cameras and movie cameras are easily affected by changes in angle of view by focusing, a zoom lens of a four-group configuration, which corresponds to such cameras, usually applies a focus system in which a first lens group is composed of a first-a lens group having negative refractive power, a first-b lens group having positive refractive power, and a first-c lens group having positive refractive power; and only the first-b lens group is moved. Examples of such zoom lenses include those disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9 (1997)-015501, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10 (1998)-062686, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-042346, for example.
In such zoom lenses having a first lens group composed of three groups as described above, a zoom lens of a five-group configuration which achieves a higher zoom ratio is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10 (1998)-031157.
Furthermore, cinema cameras in particular require the same or higher performance compared with an imaging lens for a HDTV (high definition television). An example of a zoom lens which meets such a requirement is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-309761, for example.
There is demand for the zoom lenses as described above to have a higher performance to enhance image quality.
The present invention has been developed in view of the above circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a high-performance zoom lens, in which various aberrations are favorably corrected, and an imaging apparatus including the lens.
A zoom lens of the present invention substantially consists of a first lens group having positive refractive power, which is fixed while changing magnification; a second lens group having negative refractive power, which moves from the object side to the image side while changing magnification from the wide angle end to the telephoto end; a third lens group having negative refractive power, which corrects movement of an image surface while changing magnification; and a fourth lens group, which is fixed while changing magnification, having positive refractive power and an aperture stop in this order from the object side, wherein
the first lens group includes a negative meniscus lens on the most-object side;
the second lens group is composed of a second-a lens group having negative refractive power and at least one aspheric surface and a second-b lens group having positive refractive power in this order from the object side, and the distance between the second-a lens group and the second-b lens group is changed while changing magnification; and
the third lens group moves such that the distance between the third lens group and the fourth lens group becomes narrower at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end; and
conditional expression (1) below is satisfied:
1.89<N1a1 (1) where,
N1a1: the refractive index of a negative meniscus lens on the most-object side in the first lens group.
It is preferable for the zoom lens of the present invention to satisfy conditional expression (2) below:
−3.00<f1a1/f1<−1.70 (2) where,
f1a1: the focal length of the negative meniscus lens on the most-object side in the first lens group,
f1: the focal length of the first lens group.
It is preferable for the first lens group to substantially consist of a first-a lens group having negative refractive power, which is fixed while focusing; a first-b lens group having positive refractive power, which moves while focusing; and a first-c lens group having positive refractive power, which is fixed while focusing, in this order from the object side, and to satisfy conditional expression (3) below:
0.05<fw/f1b<0.20 (3), where
fw: the focal length of the entire system at the wide angle end,
f1b: the focal length of the first-b lens group.
It is preferable for the first-b lens group to be a cemented lens formed by cementing a negative lens and a positive lens together, in which a joint surface has a convex surface toward the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (4) below:
0.05<θgF1bp−θgF1bn (4) where,
θgF1bp: the partial dispersion ratio of the g-line and the F-line of the positive lens constituting the cemented lens of the first-b lens group,
θgF1bn: the partial dispersion ratio of the g-line and the F-line of the negative lens constituting the cemented lens of the first-b lens group.
It is preferable for the second-a lens group to substantially consist of a negative meniscus lens with a convex surface toward the object side and a negative lens having a biconcave shape.
In addition, it is preferable for conditional expression (5) below to be satisfied:
1.75N2a (5) where,
N2a: the average refractive index of lenses constituting the second-a lens group.
It is preferable for the second-b lens group to be a cemented lens formed by cementing a positive lens having a biconvex shape and a negative lens together, in this order from the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (6) below:
20.0<ν2bn−ν2bp (6) where,
ν2bn: the Abbe number of the negative lens constituting the cemented lens of the second-b lens group,
ν2bp: the Abbe number of the positive lens constituting the cemented lens of the second-b lens group.
It is preferable for the third lens group to be a cemented lens formed by cementing a negative lens and a positive lens together, in this order from the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (7) below:
30.0<ν3n−ν3p (7) where,
ν3n: the Abbe number of the negative lens constituting the cemented lens of the third lens group,
ν3p: the Abbe number of the positive lens constituting the cemented lens of the third lens group.
It is preferable for the second lens group to be positioned at the most-object side at the wide angle end, and to be positioned at the most-image side at the telephoto end.
In addition, it is preferable for the second lens group to satisfy conditional expression (1-1) below:
1.90<N1a1 (1-1).
In addition, it is preferable for the second lens group to satisfy conditional expression (2-1) below:
−2.80<f1a1/f1<−1.75 (2-1).
It is preferable for the first lens group to substantially consist of a first-a lens group having negative refractive power, which is fixed while focusing; a first-b lens group having positive refractive power, which moves while focusing; and a first-c lens group having positive refractive power, which is fixed while focusing, in this order from the object side, and to satisfy conditional expression (3-1) below:
0.07<fw/f1b<0.10 (3-1).
It is preferable for the first-b lens group to be a cemented lens formed by cementing a negative lens and a positive lens together, in which a joint surface has a convex surface toward the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (4-1) below:
0.10<θgF1bp−θgF1bn (4-1).
In addition, it is preferable for the first-b lens group to satisfy conditional expression (5-1) below:
1.79<N2a (5-1).
It is preferable for the second-b lens group to be a cemented lens formed by cementing a positive lens having a biconvex shape and a negative lens together, in this order from the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (6-1) below:
30.0<ν2bn−ν2bp (6-1).
In addition, it is preferable for the third lens group to be a cemented lens formed by cementing a negative lens and a positive lens together, in this order from the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (7-1) below:
40.0<ν3n−ν3p (7-1).
An imaging apparatus of the present invention includes the zoom lens of the present invention as described above.
Note that the above expression “substantially consists of” intends to include a lens that includes lenses substantially without any refractive power; optical elements other than lenses such as aperture stops, masks, glass covers, and filters; and mechanical components such as lens flanges, lens barrels, imaging elements, and camera shake correction mechanisms; in addition to the lens groups listed above as constituent elements.
The surface shapes and the signs of the refractive powers of the above lens should be considered in paraxial regions if aspheric surfaces are included therein.
The zoom lens of the present invention substantially consists of a first lens group having positive refractive power, which is fixed while changing magnification; a second lens group having negative refractive power, which moves from the object side to the image side while changing magnification from the wide angle end to the telephoto end; a third lens group having negative refractive power, which corrects movement of an image surface while changing magnification; and a fourth lens group, which is fixed while changing magnification, having positive refractive power and an aperture stop, in this order from the object side,
the first lens group includes a negative meniscus lens on the most-object side;
the second lens group substantially consists of a second-a lens group having negative refractive power and at least one aspheric surface and a second-b lens group having positive refractive power in this order from the object side, and the distance between the second-a lens group and the second-b lens group is varied while changing magnification;
the third lens group moves such that the distance between the third lens group and a fourth lens group is narrower at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end; and
conditional expression (1) is satisfied.
Thereby, a zoom lens having high performance with various aberrations favorably corrected can be provided.
1.89<N1a1 (1).
As the imaging apparatus of the present invention include the zoom lens of the present invention, a video image with high quality can be obtained.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
By configuring the lens in such a manner, a zoom lens having a constant F-number while changing magnification can be realized unless the axial light beam is shielded between the first lens group G1 and the third lens group G3.
When this zoom lens is applied to the imaging apparatus, it is preferable for a cover glass, a prism, various types of filters, such as an infrared cut filter, a low-pass filter, and the like to be provided between the optical system and the image surface Sim according to the configurations of a camera on which the lens is mounted.
The first lens group G1 is configured to include a negative meniscus lens L11 on the most-object side and satisfy conditional expression (1) below. By satisfying conditional expression (1), off-axis aberration, and particularly distortion and astigmatism, can be favorably corrected. If conditional expression (1-1) below is satisfied, the lens can have more favorable characteristics.
1.89<N1a1 (1)
1.90<N1a1 (1-1).
In this case, N1a1 is the refractive index of the negative meniscus lens on the most-object side in the first lens group.
The second lens group G2 includes a second-a lens group G21 having negative refractive power and at least one aspheric surface and a second-b lens group G22 having positive refractive power, in this order from the object side, and is configured such that the distance between the second-a lens group G21 and the second-b lens group G22 is varied while changing magnification. By configuring the lens in such a manner, the zoom lens can obtain high-quality images.
The third lens group G3 is configured to move such that the distance between the third lens group G3 and a fourth lens group G4 is narrower at the telephoto end than at the wide angle end. By configuring the lens in such a manner, the range of motion of the second lens group G2 can be wide at the telephoto end so that the refractive power of the second lens group G2 can be suppressed, and accordingly variation in aberration due to changing magnification can be suppressed.
In the zoom lens of the present embodiments, it is preferable for conditional expression (2) below to be satisfied. By the value of f1a1/f1 not falling below the lower limit defined by conditional expression (2), astigmatism will be advantageously corrected. Moreover, by the value of f1a1/f1 not exceeding the upper limit defined by conditional expression (2), spherical aberration at the telephoto end will be advantageously corrected. Note that by satisfying conditional expression (2-1) below, the zoom lens will be able to have more favorable characteristics.
−3.00<f1a1/f1<−1.70 (2)
−2.80<f1a1/f1<−1.75 (2-1)
where,
f1a1: the focal length of the meniscus lens on the most-object side in the first lens group,
f1: the focal length of the first lens group.
It is preferable for the first lens group G1 to substantially consist of a first-a lens group G11, which is fixed while focusing, having negative refractive power; a first-b lens group G12, which moves while focusing, having positive refractive power; and a first-c lens group G13, which is fixed while focusing, having positive refractive power, in this order from the object side, and preferably satisfy conditional expression (3) below. By configuring the first lens group G1 in such a manner, a change in field angle while focusing can be reduced. By the value of fw/f1b not falling below the lower limit defined by conditional expression (3), the amount of movement of the lens groups while focusing can be prevented from being increased and the distance between the first-a lens group G11 and the first-c lens group G13 can be small. Thereby, the diameter of the first-a lens group G11 can be prevented from enlarging, and miniaturization and a light weight can be realized. Further, by the value of fw/f1b not exceeding the upper limit defined by conditional expression (3), the amount of movement of the lens groups while focusing can be prevented from becoming excessively small, and thereby reducing a variation in aberration due to change in distances.
Note that by satisfying conditional expression (3-1) below, more favorable characteristics can be attained.
0.05<fw/f1b<0.20 (3)
0.07<fw/f1b<0.10 (3-1).
where,
fw: the focal length of the entire system at the wide angle end,
f1b: the focal length of the first-b lens group.
In the case that the first lens group G1 is composed of three lens groups as described above, it is preferable for the first-b lens group G12 to a cemented lens formed by cementing a negative lens L15 and a positive lens L16 together, in which a joint surface has a convex surface toward the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (4) below. By configuring the first-b lens group G12 in such a manner, variations in aberrations accompanying focusing can be reduced. In particular, by orienting the joint surface toward this direction, variations in lateral chromatic aberration and astigmatism while focusing can be effectively suppressed. In addition, by satisfying conditional expression (4), secondary chromatic aberration can be effectively corrected. Note that by satisfying conditional expression (4-1) below, more favorable characteristics can be attained.
0.05<θgF1bp−θgF1bn (4)
0.10<θgF1bp−θgF1bn (4-1).
where,
θgF1bp: the partial dispersion ratio of the g-line and the F-line of the positive lens constituting the cemented lens of the first-b lens group,
θgF1bn: the partial dispersion ratio of the g-line and the F-line of the negative lens constituting the cemented lens of the first-b lens group.
It is preferable for the second-a lens group to be composed of a negative meniscus lens with a convex surface toward the object side and a negative lens having a biconcave shape. By configuring the lens in such a manner, spherical aberration can be effectively corrected.
In addition, it is preferable for the second-a lens group to satisfy conditional expression (5). By satisfying conditional expression (5), variations in off-axis aberration, particularly, distortion and astigmatism, while changing magnification can be suppressed. Note that by satisfying conditional expression (5-1) below, more favorable characteristics can be obtained.
1.75<N2a (5)
1.79<N2a (5-1).
where,
N2a: the average refractive index of the lenses constituting the second-a lens group.
It is preferable for the second-b lens group G22 to be composed of a positive lens L23 having a biconvex shape and a negative lens L24 in this order from the object side; and preferably satisfy conditional expression (6) below. By satisfying conditional expression (6), lateral chromatic aberration at the wide angle end can be effectively corrected. Note that by satisfying conditional expression (6-1), more favorable characteristics can be obtained.
20.0<ν2bn−ν2bp (6)
30.0<ν2bn−ν2bp (6-1).
where,
ν2bn: the Abbe number of the negative lens constituting the cemented lens of the second-b lens group,
ν2bp: the Abbe number of the positive lens constituting the cemented lens of the second-b lens group.
It is preferable for the third lens group G3 to be a cemented lens formed by cementing a negative lens L31 and a positive lens L32 together in this order from the object side; and to satisfy conditional expression (7) below. By satisfying conditional expression (7), lateral chromatic aberration at the wide angle end can be effectively corrected. Note that by satisfying conditional expression (7-1) below, more favorable characteristics can be obtained.
30.0<ν3n−ν3p (7)
40.0<ν3n−ν3p (7-1).
where,
ν3n: the Abbe number of the negative lens constituting the cemented lens of the third lens group,
ν3p: the Abbe number of the positive lens constituting the cemented lens of the third lens group.
It is preferable for the second lens group G2 to be positioned on the most-object side at the wide angle end and to be positioned at the most-image side at the telephoto end. By configuring the lens in such a manner, the amount of movement of the second lens group G2 can be large and variations in various aberrations such as spherical aberration, astigmatism, and the like while changing magnification can be reduced.
In the present zoom lens, as a material disposed on the most-object side, in particular, glass is preferably used, or a transparent ceramic may be employed.
Moreover, in the case that the present zoom lens is used in environments in which lenses are easily damaged, it is preferable for a multi-layer film coating for protection to be applied onto lenses. Moreover, in addition to a coating for protection, an antireflection coating may be applied onto lenses so as to reduce ghost light, and the like when using the lenses.
In the example of
Next, Numerical Examples of the zoom lens of the present invention will be described.
First, the zoom lens of Example 1 will be described. A collection of cross-sectional views of a zoom lens according to Example 1 illustrating the lens configuration thereof is shown in
Basic lens data of the zoom lens of Example 1 is shown in Table 1, data related to specs is shown in Table 2, data related to the distances between surfaces which move is shown in Table 3, and data related to aspheric surface coefficients is shown in Table 4. The meanings of the symbols in the Tables will be described below with reference to Example 1 as an example. The same basically applies to Examples 2 through 4.
In the lens data of Table 1, the i-th (i=1, 2, 3, . . . ) surface number, the value of i sequentially increasing from the surface of the constituent element at the most object side, which is designated as 1, toward the image side are shown in the column Si. The radii of curvature of the i-th surface are shown in the column Ri, and the distances between i-th surfaces and (i+1)st surfaces along the optical axis Z are shown in the column Di. Further, the refractive indices of j-th (j=1, 2, 3, . . . ) optical elements with respect to the d-line (wavelength: 587.6 nm), the value of j sequentially increasing from the optical element at the most magnification side, which is designated as 1, toward the reduction side, are shown in the column Ndj. The Abbe numbers of j-th optical elements with respect to the d-line (wavelength: 587.6 nm) are shown in the column νdj. The partial dispersion ratios of j-th (j=1, 2, 3, . . . ) optical elements, the value of j sequentially increasing from the optical element at the most magnification side, which is designated as 1, toward the reduction side, are shown in the column of θgFj.
The partial dispersion ratio θgF is expressed by the formula below:
θgF=(Ng−NF)/(NF−NC) where,
Ng: the refractive index with respect to the g-line,
NF: the refractive index with respect to the F-line, and
NC: the refractive index with respect to the C-line.
Here, the sign of the radius of curvature is positive in the case that a surface shape is convex on the object side, and negative in the case that the surface shape is convex on the image side. Basic lens data also shows an aperture stop St and an optical member PP. The column of the surface number of a surface which corresponds to the aperture stop St shows a surface number together with the word “aperture stop”. Moreover, in the lens data of Table 1, the column of each of the distances between surfaces that vary while changing magnification shows DD[i]. The value of the bottom column of Di is the distance between an image-side surface from the optical member PP and the image surface Sim.
Data related to specs at Table 2 shows the zoom ratio, the focal length f′, the back focus Bf′, the F-number FNo., and the full angle view 2ω of each of at the wide angle end, the intermediate, and the telephoto end.
In the basic lens data, data related to specs, and data related to the distances between surfaces which move, degrees are used as the unit of angles and mm is used as the unit of length, but other appropriate units may also be used, as optical systems are usable even when they are proportionally enlarged or miniaturized.
In the lens data of Table 1, the mark “*” is indicated at surface numbers of aspheric surfaces. Numerical values of paraxial radii of curvature are indicated as the radii of curvature of the aspheric surfaces. The data related to aspheric surface coefficients of Table 4 show surface numbers Si of aspheric surfaces, and aspheric surface coefficients with respect to these aspheric surfaces. The aspheric surface coefficients shows values of respective coefficients KA, Am (m=4, 6, 8, and 20).
Zd=C·h2/{1+(1−KA·C2·h2)1/2}+ΣAm·hm (B)
where,
Zd: the depth of an aspheric surface (the length of a perpendicular line drawn from a point on an aspheric surface with a height h to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis which contacts the peak of the aspheric surface)
h: height (the distance from the optical axis)
C: an inverse number of a paraxial radius of curvature
KA, Am: aspheric surface coefficients (m=4, 6, 8, 20)
Aberration diagrams of the zoom lens of Example 1 are shown in A through L of
The aberration diagrams respectively showing spherical aberration, astigmatism, and distortion represents the d-line (a wavelength of 587.6 nm) as a reference wavelength. The spherical aberration diagram shows aberrations with respect to the d-line (a wavelength of 587.6 nm), the C-line (a wavelength of 656.3 nm), the F-line (a wavelength of 486.1 nm), and the g-line (a wavelength of 453.8 nm) respectively indicated by a solid line, a long broken line, a short broken line, and a dotted line. In the astigmatism diagrams, the solid line illustrates astigmatism in the sagittal direction while the broken line illustrates astigmatism in the tangential direction. In the lateral chromatic aberration diagram, aberrations with respect to the C-line (a wavelength of 656.3 nm), the F-line (a wavelength of 486.1 nm), and the g-line (a wavelength of 453.8 nm) are respectively indicated by a long broken line, a short broken line, and a dotted line. Note that in spherical aberration diagrams, Fno. refers to a F-number, and in the other aberration diagrams, ω refers to a half angle of view.
Next, a zoom lens of Example 2 will be described.
Next, a zoom lens of Example 3 will be described.
Next, a zoom lens of Example 4 will be described.
Values corresponding to conditional expressions (1) through (7) are shown in Table 17 for each of the zoom lenses of Examples 1 through 4. Note that the d-line is the reference wavelength in all the Examples, and the values shown in Table 17 are based on this reference wavelength.
It can be understood from the data shown above that all of the zoom lenses of Examples 1 through 4 satisfy conditional expressions (1) through (7) and are those having high performance, in which various aberrations are favorably corrected.
Next, an imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The imaging apparatus 10 shown in
An image photographed by the imaging lens 1 is formed on the imaging surface of the imaging element 7, and an output signal regarding the image from the imaging element is subjected to an arithmetic processing by the signal processing circuit 8 so that an image is displayed on the display device 9.
The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments and Examples. The zoom lens of the present invention is not limited to the Examples described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, values, such as the radius of curvature of each lens, the distances between surfaces, the refractive indices, and the Abbe numbers are not limited to the values shown in the Numerical Examples above, but may be other values.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-150125 | Jul 2013 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5757554 | Fukami | May 1998 | A |
| 5808809 | Yahagi | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5966246 | Yoshikawa | Oct 1999 | A |
| 5995296 | Usui | Nov 1999 | A |
| 7630145 | Wakazono et al. | Dec 2009 | B2 |
| 20150022901 | Komatsu | Jan 2015 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 09-15501 | Jan 1997 | JP |
| 10-31157 | Feb 1998 | JP |
| 10-62686 | Mar 1998 | JP |
| 2004-309761 | Nov 2004 | JP |
| 2009-042346 | Feb 2009 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20150022902 A1 | Jan 2015 | US |
