About Our Magnifiers & Magnifying Lenses

At Electro-Optix our products utilize high quality features, distortion-free optical grade acrylic shatterproof lenses, "specially hard coated lens when necessary," and many of our lenses are available with bi-focal inserts for increased magnification and wider use and application of a particular lens. Our thermometers and hygrometers utilize high quality American and German made bimetal coils for precise readings and product longevity. We also utilize such features as Ultra-Violet inhibited resins and structurally reinforced plastics.

For questions on Our Products or Services ?
Look below for answers to many of the most frequently asked questions or comments, if we have not answered them below, please email or call us for assistance, our email is sales@electro-optix.com

What state do you ship from... Do you make your own products?
We ship out of our manufacturing facility and warehouse in Pompano Beach, Florida. Most of our products are manufactured here in the USA at our factory. Some are manufactured to our specifications and imported. We have been producing optical products/magnifiers in the USA for over 40 yrs.

What is Magnification ?
First of all please remember that as magnification goes up, lens size goes down, this is correlation is due to physics. Magnification or Magnifying is the process in which something is optically enlarged in appearance not actuality, and this is typically using a convex or magnifying lens. The convex lens shape creates a magnified "virtual image" of the surface being viewed through the lens.

Do you make both consumer and industrial Magnifiers and Loupes
pr Magnifiers and loupes can be very use and application and industry specific and there are many designs that go well beyond general vision enhancement and are used for critical measurements and high power inspection. We have a large seliection of both special use and general use magnifers and vision tools. Contact us if you do not see what your needs require.

What is Depth of Field (DOF) ?
Depth of field is the distance or depth of area in which the lens allows for the area being viewed to stay in focus. As you move a lens in and out you will see the depth of field as the image goes from being sharp and focused to being out of focus.Generally speaking as the lens power increases the depth of field decreases and becomes more shallow.

What is lens distortion?
Distortion is an optical error or (irregularity) that occurs due to the convex nature of the lens, the convex shape of the lens results in a slight difference in magnification at different points within the image,due to that fact that your viewing through the lens itself.

What does the term focal length mean?
Focal length is defined as the measured distance between the object being viewed and the lens surface, its the measured distance in which the item being viewed is in sharp focus.

What does the term Field of View mean?
Field of view is described as the area that is viewed or seen clearly through the magnifying lens. As the lens magnification increases, lens diameter and thus the field of view decrease. At (5x) magnification power the typical field of view is roughly 1.5 inches. At (10x) power it is about .5 inches. As you can see there is an inverse relationship between lens power and lens field of view. We recommended to use lower power lens for scanning or reading large surface areas and a high power lens for inspection and detailed scanning and inspecting very small areas.

Does lens size matter ? Why am I not finding large lenses with high magnification power available ?
There is an inverse relationship between lens size and magnification, the larger the lens the lower the magnification and the smaller the lens generally the higher the magnification. It all has to do with the convex nature of the lens shape. As magnification increases and the lens becomes more convex the field of view decreases.

What is a good magnification for general reading ?
As magnification needs will vary person to person generally speaking a good magnification for reading or general use is 2x-4x magnification. For inspection such as coin or stamp collecting and inspection a higher power of at least 5x-8x or more is recommended.

What is lens Diopter or Dioptre ? How does it relate to Magnification
It measuring unit for measuring the optical power and the curved nature of
convex lens.5 Diopter is equal to 2.25x and 10 Diopter is equal to 3.5x 15 Diopter is equal to 4.75x.

Why are your magnifiers made with optical Acrylic instead of conventional glass ?
The most common reasons for using acrylic instead of glass are lighter weight and durability. The weight difference is dramatic when you compare glass lenses and acrylic lenses, an acrylic lens weighs about one-half that of a simillar glass lenses this is very important with a hand tool such as a magnifier. Optical grade acrylic also has exceptional color clarity, high impact resistance, and is resistant to the damage of UV rays, these benefits have over time made optical acrylic the standard in the industry. Acrylics are highly resistant to warping, shattering, cracking, salts,pollutants, non-oxidizing acids, and most light home and industrial solutions that are not damaging to the skin.

What is an aspheric lens is it better then a conventional convex lens ?
An Aspheric lens is specially designed with non-spherical surfaces, corrected to minimize the spherical irregularities of a convex lens, the aspherical design allows for less distortion, improved edge to edge focusing and improved collimating accuracy. It is a much more expensive lens to make, however the image quality is typically much better as well.

What is the difference between a conventional lighted magnifier and an LED magnifier ?
eA lighted magnifier typically has one of two types of magnification, an conventional bulb or an LED (light-emitting diode). A led bulb is typically more expensive and has a very long bulb life as well as produces much less heat then a conventional bulb. Because it produces less heat, the bulb is more efficient as it uses its energy for light production and less energy is wasted in heat production. LED's typically have a whiter or more blue colored light then a conventional bulb, a conventional bulb light is typically view as a "warmer" colored light.

Choose a Small lens magnifier or a large lens magnifier ?
There is a trade off, there is an inverse relationship between lens size and lens power. As the lens power increases lens size decreases, its just a physics of a convex lens.

What is a fresnel lens, how is it so thin, how is the image quality ?
A fresnel lens is a flat lens with concentric ring shaped lenses/prisms that does not have a curved surface of a conventional lens. These series of concentric groves are molded or etched into the surface of a thin, lightweight plastic sheet, making the lens very thin, almost sheet like. This design creates prisms that magnify and was often used in lighthouse lenses to magnify and focus the light. The tiny grooves are optical prisms that act ot magnify the image. The etch grooves act as tiny light/image prisms that magnify the image and the incoming light The downside is the image quality is not as clear as a conventional lens due to the etched nature which can be seen through the fresnel lens. Increase etched density of the prisms can create higher quality images however they will appear more distorted or blurred then a conventional clear convex lens. A fresnel lens is a compromise between efficiency, low price, and reduced image quality, however the slim nature of the lens makes it ideal for a wallet magnifer or cheaper magnification tool.

Why does an image become out of focus when lifted to high over viewing image ?
A magnified image or surface will go out of focus and become every distorted as you move the lens beyond its designed ...“focal length.” The best image is created when the lens is held at or near its focal length. Depending on the situation, the image can also become inverted and may get smaller as the magnifier is moved closer to your eye, and or farther from the object viewed.

What does a bifocal lens means ? What are the features and benefits of a bifocal lens?
A bifocal lens describes that has more then one magnification powers or lens surfaces molded within one overall lens. This concept and design is similar to bifocal eyeglasses which have more then one magnification designed into a single lens... one surface for distance viewing and one surface used for up close viewing.The large portion of a bifocal lens has one magnification, and the smaller lens (the bifocal) , which is molded as an integral part of the larger lens, has a different magnification usually of a higher magnification power.

Electro-Optix Magnifiers/loupes are suited for all of your everyday and special use uses and applications:

vision impaired
general vision enhancement
macular degeneration
elderly vision aids
hobbyists & detailed repair and assembly
industrial inspection & quality control
marine charts & maps
medical professionals, x-ray inspection and review
forensics and law enforcment use.
aircraft pilots
stamp, coin & other collectors
personalized corporate gifts & premiums
lab technicians
telephone repair & installation
engineers and designers
delicate repairs & close work
easy reading of maps & street guides
travelers & truckers
working on microcircuits
teachers & professors
jewelry repair & finishing
computer enthusiasts & repair
assistance in reading telephone books
newspapers & stock market quotes
legal papers & contracts and fine print
fine industrial inspection and quality control
close-up work for photographers & other artists.
airframe and aeronautical inspection
reading in dark environments & restaurants.
... and assisting you in just about anything you do!

Electro-Optix, Inc.
2181 N Powerline Rd, Pompano Beach FL 33069
You can reach us by telephone: (954) 973-2800
Or contact us toll-free at: 1-800-779-2801
You can contact us via fax: (954) 973-3951
Office hours are Monday-Friday EST 9:00AM to 5:00PM

View our full catalog at: www.electro-optix.com

You can email us:
For sales and product information - sales@electro-optix.com
For post-sales support questions - service@electro-optix.com