33. Geometric Optics
Ray Nature Of Light
Problem 35b
Textbook Question
Textbook QuestionThe resolution of a digital camera is limited by two factors: diffraction by the lens, a limit of any optical system, and the fact that the sensor is divided into discrete pixels. Consider a typical point-and-shoot camera that has a 20-mm-focal-length lens and a sensor with 2.5μm x 2.5 μm pixels. c. What is the f-number of the lens for the diameter you found in part b? Your answer is a quite realistic value of the f-number at which a camera transitions from being pixel limited to being diffraction limited. For f-numbers smaller than this (larger-diameter apertures), the resolution is limited by the pixel size and does not change as you change the aperture. For f-numbers larger than this (smaller-diameter apertures), the resolution is limited by diffraction, and it gets worse as you “stop down” to smaller apertures.
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