Zone Plate
The zone plate in ZNONZ is a photographic element that uses the DIFFRACTION effect of light.
The principle of image formation differs from that of lenses, which use REFRACTION.
The zone plate, which appeared about 100 years ago, is now used as an imaging element in the reading parts of X-ray microscopes as an alternative to lenses.
But most people do not notice its existence because it is built into the equipment.
Zone plates are the optimum optical elements for obtaining good images with single wavelength light such as laser light.
However, in the case of light of various wavelengths (natural colors), as typified by natural light, chromatic aberration is large, resulting in large blurring.
The diffraction control also darkens the image due to the limitation of transmitted light, so zone plates are inferior to the lens as for image forming element.
Obtaining the image by utilizing “diffraction,” which is a property of light.
The founder of Znonz had enjoyed taking photographs for many years as a photography enthusiast.
However, as he grew older, he became a little bored with sharp photographs and the deterioration of his eyesight began to take its toll on him.
He began to have a love for taking pictures that are more about the atmosphere of the scene, or to put it another way, impressionist paintings, rather than the fine details of the subject.
After much trial and error, we focused on the zone plate, re-evaluated the characteristics of the plate, which had been considered a drawback, and commercialized it.
By using the zone plate, we were also able to make the equipment much lighter and smaller, which was also a big attraction.
We aim to provide photographic equipment that can more easily convey the sense of air, such as temperature, humidity, and the breeze, as well as the brightness of the sun, moon, fire, and electric lights, and other aspects of a scene.
We would like to introduce products that do not use lenses (refraction) but focus on zone plates (diffraction).
*A guidebook supervised by Dr. Tatsuoki Takeda, professor emeritus at the University of Electro-Communications, Japan, is included with the product. For more detailed information on ZNONZ I and ZNONZ II, please refer to the respective guidebooks.