Image Intensifier Periscope and Optical Systems

Ref. J10

Image Intensifier Periscope

Such periscopes were very often used with early image intensifiers before TV fluoroscopy became popular. This Philips periscope dates back to the early sixties, and was used in conjunction with the 6” (15 cm) image intensifier tube seen in the left picture above. 

The optical input port of the periscope was applied, through an elaborate optical system (see below) to the output phosphor of the image intensifier, and the “intensified” image could be looked at through the monocular viewing port, adjustable for either eye.

Optical Systems

Before the advent of fiber optics and CCD’s (charge coupled devices), elaborate optical systems were used for the transmission of X-ray images from the output phosphor of the image intensifier to the TV pickup tube or to a roll-film spot camera. In the above picture are some such optical devices from De Oude Delft, Rodenstock, and “Precise Optics”. These optical systems have a particularly large aperture. For the De Oude Delft lenses the aperture is extremely wide (f/0.75).