Materials with lower dispersion, such as fluorite, can help; so can new technologies such as Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) lens elements, shown here, which can control the path of short-wavelength blue light in particular, notably minimising blue fringing.
Photographers sometimes like to refer to lenses loosely as "glass", but of course they're much more complex than just pieces of glass, and the optical elements in modern lenses can include materials such as fluorite and plastics as well as different varieties of glass. All these materials, each with unique properties, are used to improve optical performance, from reducing aberrations to enhancing sharpness and contrast.
In this guide, we'll explore some of the materials and technologies used in lens elements and how they contribute to improving image quality.
What is chromatic aberration?
Fluorite lenses
Spherical lenses vs aspherical lenses
Manufacturing aspherical lens elements
Ultra-low Dispersion glass
Blue Spectrum Refractive (BR) elements