The Optical Transfer Function of Imaging Systems

This monograph deals entensively with the theoretical concept of the Optical Transfer Function (OTF), its measurement and application to imaging devices. The book deals in particular with the practical aspects of using and measuring the OTF. It is suitable for graduate courses in optics, electro-optics and photographic science and will be of interest to physicists and engineers working in all areas of imaging.This well structured monograph is a practical guide for the systems designer who needs a means of assessing and specifying the performance of imaging systems. It will also be of use to the test engineer who needs to measure the performance of imaging systems. It includes the background physics necessary to understand and assess the performance of the great proliferation of electro-optical systems including image intensifiers, video cameras and thermal imagers. It is assumed that students and practitioners have a senior undergraduate level of knowledge of optics.Featuring an entensive coverage of the variety of imaging systems used world wide, this book fills a niche in a market devoted to lens and photographic systems. It features a highly conceptual approach, lavishly illustrated with many practical examples. Its focus on the internationally accepted OTF as a measurement of performance means this book addresses a practical topic of global interest virtually ignored by other authors.