I'm not ignoring you GJC, but I want to lay it all out for you so it will take some time. Here is something to chew on. I did a search and found refernces to a slide projector (from Kodak) before but I never saw this. Wonder why it hasn't been released? I guess it might have happened before they went public so it wouldn't have made sense to re-release it later. I thought I recalled Kodak being listed as a possible competitor, not a partner of Lightpath in it's SEC filings. I will have to go back and do some serious reading. Of course I highlighted the joint venture part with bold.
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Paper #: 2537-29
Variable focus slide projector lens using axial gradient element,
pp.261-269
Author(s): Martin L. Miller, Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, NY,
USA;
Paul K. Manhart, LightPath Technologies, Inc.,
Tucson, AZ, USA.
Abstract: Recent advances in macro axial gradient material
fabrication, via the diffusion of glass plates, has
opened the door to a wide variety of optical design
applications incorporating entire lens elements of
gradient refractive material. Optical elements, which
are made out of macro gradient refractive material, are
represented by lines, as opposed to points, of the
glass map (n$-d$/ vs. v$-d$/ diagram) and thus are of
considerable interest to optical designers. Eastman
Kodak Co. and Lightpath Technologies entered into a
joint venture to redesign and build several prototypes
of a commercially available zoom slide projector lens.
The goal of this redesign was to keep physical
packaging and optical performance the same, while
simultaneously removing as many elements as possible.
The seven element production lens was redesigned to a
five element lens with a single axial gradient meniscus
element whose overall index change is 0.15. This paper
describes the design, fabrication, and results of this
endeavor.
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