PENTAX-exclusive HD Coating
A new multi-layer lens coating process developed for PENTAX lenses
used with PENTAX lens interchangeable digital cameras
PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. is pleased to announce the launch of the HD Coating technology, a newly developed, multi-layer lens coating process.
Compared with conventional multi-layer coatings, the new multi-layer HD Coating,* exclusively developed by PENTAX, offers much improved light transmittance and a much lower refractive index. Because it minimizes reflections, it delivers sharp, clear images free of flare and ghost images, even under demanding lighting conditions such as strongly backlit scenes. This coating assures optical performance almost equal to Aero Bright Coating, another PENTAX exclusive
lens coating process made possible by advanced nanotechnology and applied to highest performance PENTAX lenses.
All future interchangeable lenses for digital cameras that have this new coating will bear the name “HD PENTAX”, instead of the conventional “smc PENTAX”.
* HD stands for High Definition, and signifies the lens’s capacity to reproduce images that excel in transparency,
definition, resolution and rendition.
1. 50% reduction of reflections across the visible spectrum
The coating reduces reflections by more than 50% over the entire visible spectrum, compared to conventional multi-layer coating.
2. Extremely durable coating layer
Since the HD Coating has a stronger bond among its coating materials and a higher packing density, its coating layer assures exceptional durability.
3. Faithful reflection of design concept to actual coating layer
In the conventional multi-layer processes, the coating layer is applied by the vacuum evaporation method where the coating materials are dissolved and then deposited in a vacuum. This method, however, can result in an uneven thickness of the coating layer and a corresponding difference of refractive index across the coated surface.
The HD Coating effectively solves this problem by employing a PENTAX-exclusive manufacturing process. This new process optimizes the density of its coating layer and controls the thickness with an accuracy of a nanometer (one millionth of a millimeter). As the result, the original design specification of the lens coating is accurately applied to the actual coating layer to optimize anti-reflection performance of a lens.
Comparison between conventional multi-layer coatings and HD Coating:
The Coating reduces reflections by more than 50% over the entire visible spectrum, compared to conventional multi-layer coating.
The new coating allows an ideal control of color balance thanks to uniform reflection of all visible wavelengths.
PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. is a wholly owned subsidiary of PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD., with headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. markets digital SLR, hybrid and compact cameras, as well as lenses, camera flash units, binoculars, scopes, and eyepieces. PENTAX on the web at www.pentax.ca