LZOS - Apochromatic Lenses

In 1998 APM became the Worldwide exclusive partner for LZOS optics. Lytkarino Optical Glass Factory (LZOS), JSC is a unique, diversified enterprise in the optical industry, one of the largest in Europe. It has achieved a world class level of quality and are recognized as the Russian leader in the manufacturing of optical materials for various scientific and technological domains.

Unlike many optical companies, LZOS not only design and manufacture all types of optical devices, they are also a maker of optical glass. This allows LZOS to control the whole optical process from glass manufacture to final lens cell assembly. This complete understanding of the whole manufacturing process allows LZOS astronomical optics to achieve a level of performance and consistency that is rarely equalled at all, let alone across the range of lens options available.

LZOS manufactures apo-objectives (apochromatic objectives) having enhanced color correction and imagery diffraction quality. These apochromatic lenses are applied in astronomical professional and semi-professional telescopes. Special glass type OK-4 designed and melted in LZOS allows to achieve perfect color correction within visible range of spectrum. OK-4 glass similar to fluorite has unique optical parameters. Made of OK-4 apo-lenses (apochromatic lenses) ensure image quality characterized by round-mean-square wavefront deviation not exceeding 0.035 wavelength (532nm).

LZOS have the manufacturing capability to produce large sizes of this exotic glass allowing APM to offer Refractor objectives up to 510mm, the largest currently available. This expertise make APM / LZOS telescopes unique. APM is the only telescope manufacturer who is involved at every stage of the lens building process. From the actual manufacture of the optical material, the long cooling process to form the blanks, the complete design of the lens cell including the elements and mounting, the grinding, polishing and multi-coating and final aligning and star testing. No other manufacturer has this much control over the optical assembly which is why APM / LZOS optics are a bread apart from other companies.

History

Many of the LZOS telescope optics that APM offer were originally designed by the late Thomas M Back (TMB Apo). A revered optical designer famous for his attention to detail. Over the years these designs have been further refined and joined by other optics from other respected designers such as Massimo Riccardi. The latest of which is our new line of APM focal reducers which are probably the best performing of their type anywhere in the world.

All APM Telescopes that feature LZOS optics are custom made for our clients. Each and every lens cell is supplied with an optical test report guaranteeing it has achieved a minimum standard of 95% Strehl. This is a minimum standard and usually exceeded. We believe that any APM-LZOS Telescope offers a level of performance equalled by very few and exceeded by no one. It is an absolute guarantee of excellence.

Apochromatic Optical Sets