Optical zoom system realized by lateral shift of Alvarez freeform lenses

Abstract

We present and characterize an optical zoom system with lateral movement of an Alvarez freeform lens for imaging. Mathematical analysis for determining the required freeform surfaces is presented, and optical simulations are performed to confirm and refine the expected zooming behavior. A 3 × optical zoom system that was equivalent to a photographic objective lens with focal length ranging from 34.5 to 103.5 mm and field of view ranging from 60 deg to 22.4 deg is developed by using two pairs of Alvarez lenses and conventional aspheric lenses. The optical performances of the Alvarez zoom system are demonstrated experimentally.