But desire spawns invention, and Mandel is seeking a patent on a simple, platelike device that enables him to attach a conventional 35mm Nikon lens to a digital astronomy camera.

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CDM's imaging system, it passes first through conventional optical elements, and then through a lens moulded into a shape of a cubic-like function (ie, with a surface which, instead of being spherical, is relatively flat in the centre but has scalloped edges).

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

In a conventional optical system, light rays enter through a lens and converge at a point to form an image.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR

They do that with a conventional camera by opening up the aperture of the lens and selecting a faster shutter speed.

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It uses a lens with a diameter of just a few millimeters and covers a much larger field of vision than a conventional rear-view mirror.

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