How does a camera lens work

A camera lens is a crucial component of any optical system designed to capture images. It works by manipulating light to focus it onto the camera's image sensor or film. Here's a simplified explanation of how a camera lens works:
1. Light enters the camera through the lens: When you take a photo, light from the scene enters the camera through the lens. The lens is typically made up of multiple glass or plastic elements arranged in a specific configuration.
2. Refraction: As the light passes through the lens elements, it undergoes refraction. Refraction occurs because light travels at different speeds through different materials. The curved surfaces of the lens elements cause the light rays to bend or refract, redirecting their path.
3. Converging or diverging rays: Depending on the shape and arrangement of the lens elements, the rays of light can converge or diverge. Converging rays come together at a specific point, while diverging rays spread apart.
4. Focusing: The lens has a mechanism that allows you to adjust its distance from the image sensor or film. This adjustment is called focusing. By moving the lens closer or farther from the sensor, you change the point at which the light rays converge. This helps you achieve a sharp focus on your subject.
5. Aperture: The camera lens also has an aperture, which is an adjustable opening that controls the amount of light entering the lens. It is usually represented by an f-number (e.g., f/2.8, f/5.6). The aperture affects the depth of field (the range of sharp focus) and the amount of light reaching the image sensor.
6. Image formation: As the light rays converge or diverge, they form an image. In modern cameras, this image is captured by an image sensor, typically a digital sensor made up of millions of tiny light-sensitive pixels. The image sensor records the intensity of light at each pixel, which is later processed to create a digital image.

7. Lens characteristics: Different lenses have distinct characteristics that affect the resulting image. Factors like focal length, lens design, and optical elements impact the field of view, magnification, distortion, chromatic aberration, and other optical properties. Overall, a camera lens uses the principles of optics, refraction, and focusing to control the path of light and form a focused image on the camera's image sensor or film, allowing you to capture photographs.