Most optical devices make use of not just one lens, but of a combination of convex and concave lenses. For example, combining a single convex lens with a single concave lens enables distant objects to be seen in more detail. This is because the light condensed by the convex lens is once more refracted into parallel light by the concave lens. This arrangement made possible the Galilean telescope, named after its 17th century inventor, Galileo.

Adding a second convex lens to this combination produces a simple telephoto lens, with the front convex and concave lens serving to magnify the image, while the rear convex lens condenses it.

Adding a further two pairs of convex/concave lenses and a mechanism for adjusting the distance between the single convex and concave lenses enables the modification of magnification over a continuous range. This is how zoom lenses work.