rec.autos.simulators

Fresnel Lenses

Doug Elliso

Fresnel Lenses

by Doug Elliso » Sun, 13 Apr 2003 00:20:41

Anyone tried using a fresnel lense for sim racing?

I have a 19" CRT and they seem to work great for the flight-sim community.

Any good sources in the UK?

Cheers

Doug

Careful Hac

Fresnel Lenses

by Careful Hac » Sun, 13 Apr 2003 08:34:36


> Anyone tried using a fresnel lense for sim racing?

> I have a 19" CRT and they seem to work great for the flight-sim community.

> Any good sources in the UK?

> Cheers

> Doug

I tried a cheap one on my old 15" monitor a few years ago and it worked
well enough for me to consider buying a better one. But since I got a
19" monitor I haven't really bothered.

They do magnify and give greater depth and they're not too expensive,
but there doesn't seem to be much clear info on the web about what to
buy for PC use as no one actually designs one for such use, so deciding
on what to buy is a bit baffling.

You might want to have a look at Edmund Optics fresnel page:
http://www.edmundoptics.com/IOD/DisplayProduct.cfm?productid=2040

I'd be interested to hear what others have to say on this.

Glenn

n0sp4/\\/

Fresnel Lenses

by n0sp4/\\/ » Sun, 13 Apr 2003 11:38:23

I use one once in a while for both IL-2, Falcon 4.0, GTR2002, and
NR2003.  It works great, though it does tire your eyes out after 4 or 5
hours.  I guess that I shouldn't be playing for 5 hours straight anyway,
but....  :P

http://www.rickleephoto.com/rlcoll.htm

Steve
Mach42



>> Anyone tried using a fresnel lense for sim racing?

>> I have a 19" CRT and they seem to work great for the flight-sim
>> community.

>> Any good sources in the UK?

>> Cheers

>> Doug

> I tried a cheap one on my old 15" monitor a few years ago and it worked
> well enough for me to consider buying a better one. But since I got a
> 19" monitor I haven't really bothered.

> They do magnify and give greater depth and they're not too expensive,
> but there doesn't seem to be much clear info on the web about what to
> buy for PC use as no one actually designs one for such use, so deciding
> on what to buy is a bit baffling.

> You might want to have a look at Edmund Optics fresnel page:
> http://www.edmundoptics.com/IOD/DisplayProduct.cfm?productid=2040

> I'd be interested to hear what others have to say on this.

> Glenn

Gerald Moo

Fresnel Lenses

by Gerald Moo » Wed, 16 Apr 2003 02:04:09


> You might want to have a look at Edmund Optics fresnel page:
> http://www.edmundoptics.com/IOD/DisplayProduct.cfm?productid=2040

> I'd be interested to hear what others have to say on this.

> Glenn

A friend of mine tried these and found them less than satisfactory.

I once used one marketed specifically as an anti-glare/privacy screen
for PC monitors and it was pretty cool.  About a 25% screen size
increase, but I didn't think it was worth the approx. $200 that they
sold for.

Gerald

Bruce Mill

Fresnel Lenses

by Bruce Mill » Sun, 20 Apr 2003 22:00:21


> Anyone tried using a fresnel lense for sim racing?

Yes.  I have very good results using a fresnel.  I have a 20" CRT and
have used two different fresnels.  The first one I tried was a cheap
one ($40.00 or so) sold as a television magnifier.  It was "OK" but
blurry on the edges and had a bluish tint to it. Made my eyes hurt
after a while.  Then I purchased a large high quality fresnel from
Edmunds Optics, and it is great.  The fresnel was rather expensive
($200.00) and is large (my lazy guesstimate is about 20 x 23).  Buying
a large and high quality lens, IMHO has several benefits.  For me,
there is now no distortion at all, even at the edges of the screen.
The depth and sense of immersion is so good, that I would never use
any racing sim again without a fresnel.  The Edmunds Fresnel has no
tint to it, and is very clear, very high quality (you get what you pay
for).  I experience absolutely no eyestrain, none.  I am now thinking
about getting two more and two more monitors (there is a video on the
frex site of a setup like this) for a triple monitor arrangement.
(IMHO only) Using a large monitor and a large fresnel together is the
most similar experince to looking thorough a car's windshield that I
have seen.  I think you would not be disappointed, as to me, it adds
depth and immersion that allows me to see corners better, track
imperfections/elevation changes better, and to better judge the
position of other cars.  The flight simmers are right on with this
one.
Doug Elliso

Fresnel Lenses

by Doug Elliso » Tue, 22 Apr 2003 05:26:18



Thanks for the tip - I'll see if I can track them down !

I'm also thinking "hmm - Sony Widescreen 24" - hmm - ebay" - used them at a
former job - theyr'e STUNNING monitors - and with a fresnel - even better.

Cheers

Doug

Gerald Moo

Fresnel Lenses

by Gerald Moo » Fri, 25 Apr 2003 05:00:46

OK, the one you got from Edmunds are different from the one my friend
tried, which were plastic deals like the $40 variety you mention.
When it comes to optical instruments, you do usually get what you pay
for.

Do you notice much ringing/moire effect?  That was the only complaint
I had with the "privacy" lens I used.  It was minor, but noticeable.
Everything else is as you describe.



> > Anyone tried using a fresnel lense for sim racing?

> Yes.  I have very good results using a fresnel.  I have a 20" CRT and
> have used two different fresnels.  The first one I tried was a cheap
> one ($40.00 or so) sold as a television magnifier.  It was "OK" but
> blurry on the edges and had a bluish tint to it. Made my eyes hurt
> after a while.  Then I purchased a large high quality fresnel from
> Edmunds Optics, and it is great.  The fresnel was rather expensive
> ($200.00) and is large (my lazy guesstimate is about 20 x 23).  Buying
> a large and high quality lens, IMHO has several benefits.  For me,
> there is now no distortion at all, even at the edges of the screen.
> The depth and sense of immersion is so good, that I would never use
> any racing sim again without a fresnel.  The Edmunds Fresnel has no
> tint to it, and is very clear, very high quality (you get what you pay
> for).  I experience absolutely no eyestrain, none.  I am now thinking
> about getting two more and two more monitors (there is a video on the
> frex site of a setup like this) for a triple monitor arrangement.
> (IMHO only) Using a large monitor and a large fresnel together is the
> most similar experince to looking thorough a car's windshield that I
> have seen.  I think you would not be disappointed, as to me, it adds
> depth and immersion that allows me to see corners better, track
> imperfections/elevation changes better, and to better judge the
> position of other cars.  The flight simmers are right on with this
> one.

> > I have a 19" CRT and they seem to work great for the flight-sim community.

> > Any good sources in the UK?

> > Cheers

> > Doug

Bruce Mill

Fresnel Lenses

by Bruce Mill » Fri, 25 Apr 2003 12:06:42

I notice little ringing/moire effect, particularly, I see none while
playing games...ehm, "sim racing".  Also, the Edmunds Fresnel also has
no distortion near the edges, unlike the "cheap" Fresnel lens, which
was fuzzy and distorted near the edges.  (I also played around with an
8 by 10 inch plastic lens purchased at an office supply store for 5
dollars and had lots of distortion).  I am now using a Fresnel lens
that is 2-3 inches larger than the CRT screen all the way around and I
think this helps to cut down on distortion near the edges of the
fresnel, because I am not really "using" the outside edges of the
lens.  There seems to be less distortion closer to the center of most
of the fresnels that I have seen.

> Do you notice much ringing/moire effect?  That was the only complaint
> I had with the "privacy" lens I used.  It was minor, but noticeable.
> Everything else is as you describe.



> > > Anyone tried using a fresnel lense for sim racing?

> > Yes.  I have very good results using a fresnel.  I have a 20" CRT and
> > have used two different fresnels.  The first one I tried was a cheap
> > one ($40.00 or so) sold as a television magnifier.  It was "OK" but
> > blurry on the edges and had a bluish tint to it. Made my eyes hurt
> > after a while.  Then I purchased a large high quality fresnel from
> > Edmunds Optics, and it is great.  The fresnel was rather expensive
> > ($200.00) and is large (my lazy guesstimate is about 20 x 23).  Buying
> > a large and high quality lens, IMHO has several benefits.  For me,
> > there is now no distortion at all, even at the edges of the screen.
> > The depth and sense of immersion is so good, that I would never use
> > any racing sim again without a fresnel.  The Edmunds Fresnel has no
> > tint to it, and is very clear, very high quality (you get what you pay
> > for).  I experience absolutely no eyestrain, none.  I am now thinking
> > about getting two more and two more monitors (there is a video on the
> > frex site of a setup like this) for a triple monitor arrangement.
> > (IMHO only) Using a large monitor and a large fresnel together is the
> > most similar experince to looking thorough a car's windshield that I
> > have seen.  I think you would not be disappointed, as to me, it adds
> > depth and immersion that allows me to see corners better, track
> > imperfections/elevation changes better, and to better judge the
> > position of other cars.  The flight simmers are right on with this
> > one.

> > > I have a 19" CRT and they seem to work great for the flight-sim community.

> > > Any good sources in the UK?

> > > Cheers

> > > Doug


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