In this edition of lens technology, we’d like to concentrate on something that can be taken for granted but should never be overlooked. That would be achieving optimum focus.

Nothing enhances the in-home HDTV experience more than high-quality images. And nothing ensures acquiring the best possible images more than proper focus. Now, automatic focus systems have been available in consumer products for well over a decade. But these systems simply were not good enough for professional broadcast applications.

That is why NHK, one of the top broadcasting companies in the world, teamed with Fujinon back in 2000 to create a technology that would help achieve optimum focus. From that partnership, Precision Focus Assist System was developed.

Precision Focus is designed within a lens and allows the lens to go directly to the primary point of focus. It achieves this optical focus position by using a contrast method. Two CCDs are optically spaced between an image plane in a lens. The two CCDs measure and compare image contrast, and then the Precision Focus system makes any adjustments to maintain optimal focus. It even ensures optimum focus on an object as it is moving, and also maintains focus in any zoom position, from the narrowest to the widest.

By making sure optimal focus is achieved at all times in any setting, Precision Focus allows the operator to concentrate on other things, such as framing, to achieve the best possible shot. This all allows viewers at home to have an incredible in-home experience while watching their favorite programs.

To learn more about how lens technology is improving focus, visit Fujinon.com.