I think the only markets for calcium fluorite and glasses that approach it, in fact the only significant uses for the stuff, are microscopes and amateur astronomical telescopes--instruments that routinely are expected to be color free at the highest magnifications that their apertures will theoretically permit. The first requires such a miniscule amount of material that it would be of no market interest, especially in a field that is rapidly being taken over by higher technologies than light optics, and even the second is a small market compared to photography. Binoculars, spotting scopes etc. work at relatively low magnifications, and if made with only modest fluoride glasses are usually limited by worse aberrations than color.
Still, for whatever reason, Schott will soon enter the market with their version of high end fluoride glass, which specs out no better than anybody else's, but who knows, maybe they can make it cheaper, and amateurs may prefer Made in Germany. They might even put it in the next great Zeiss binocular and reduce color fringing at the edge of the field and charge way more for it. That would be about as useful in my opinion as a telescope that shows no color even when the image is out of focus, the "gold standard test" among amateur refractor own...uh, astronomers!
Which all, with another $13, will buy a GREAT bomber!
By the way thanks for pointing out Zeiss's nice optics review, Henry. Even that started to read like an advertisement near the end!
Ron
