| SLR Camera Digital Lenses can be made of glass | | | | Plastics in can facilitate an improved lens |
| or plastics. So why does it matter either way? | | | | manufacture process and improve the general |
| They are complex pieces of equipment and light is | | | | performance quality of the camera too. While |
| particularly sensitive to how it is treated. | | | | plastic is often used on inner elements, they are |
| Furthermore, camera lenses can be made of | | | | only used on the outermost elements of all but |
| multiple elements that all work together to | | | | the cheapest lenses as they scratch easily. |
| provide the desired zoom. This all adds to the | | | | An indication of their utility is that molded plastic |
| complexity and therefore amplifies slight | | | | lenses are used in the manufacture of the |
| differences in optical quality etc. | | | | cheapest throw-away disposable cameras. |
| Some higher end complex lenses may have 20 or | | | | manufacturers of quality optics tend to use |
| more elements. These are most commonly made | | | | substitutes such as "optical resin". While it is true |
| of glass, mainly due to its superior optical | | | | that glass provides for higher quality performance |
| properties and also because if its relatively good | | | | than plastic, many modern and high performance |
| resistance to scratching. Some other materials like | | | | lenses from big brand labels include some molded |
| Quartz glass, fluorite and various forms of plastic | | | | or hybrid aspherical elements. |
| are also used. | | | | So if you are deciding on which to go with, glass |
| Plastics are often used because they allow the | | | | is pretty much an indication of higher quality |
| manufacture of highly aspherical lens elements | | | | relative to plastic. Its properties simply treat light |
| which are almost impossible to create using glass. | | | | better and provide a truer picture. |