An optical connector having a front and rear orientation and configured to mate with a mating optical connector, said optical connector comprising: a housing having one or more cavities defined therein, and having a front face with one or more orifices defined therein, wherein each of said cavities has an axis, wherein each of said orifices corresponds to one of said cavities and has an inner first diameter (dl); and an optical contact (405, 520) at least partially disposed in one of said cavities, and comprising at least: a ferrule extending from said cavity and through the orifice corresponding to said cavity, said ferrule defining at least one borehole for receiving an optical fiber, and having a second diameter less than said inner first diameter such that a gap is defined between said ferrule and said inner first diameter of said orifice to allow said ferrule to move within said orifice angularly and laterally with respect to said axis, characterised in that said second diameter is constant along the length of said ferrule and in that the optical contact (405, 520) further comprises: a ferrule holder (409, 505) discrete from said ferrule and having a front end connected to said ferrule behind said orifice; a sleeve (411, 611) disposed around a portion of said ferrule and having a thickness, said sleeve (411, 611) extending from a point forward of said orifice to beyond a front end of said ferrule, said gap being at least as wide as the thickness of the sleeve (411, 611) such that the optical contact (405, 520) can be assembled first and then pushed through the orifice; and a lens disposed at least partially in said sleeve (411, 611) and forward of said front face, wherein said ferrule holder defines a rearward facing shoulder and wherein said housing comprises a plurality of compliant fingers having distal free ends that extend inwardly into said cavity and contact said shoulder so as to resist rearward movement of said ferrule holder and to compliantly align said optical contact axially with said axis, wherein said shoulder comprises an annular surface essentially perpendicular to said borehole, said annular surface defining a band having a width from its inside perimeter (d i) to its outside perimeter (d o), wherein said band width is sufficiently wide such that said distal ends move along said band width as said optical contact is moved laterally or angularly relative to said axis, and wherein, when said optical contact is axially aligned with said axis, each of said distal ends contacts said annular surface essentially in the middle of said band width such that each distal end is able to slide inwardly and outwardly as said optical contact is moved laterally and angularly relative to said axis. a housing having one or more cavities defined therein, and having a front face with one or more orifices defined therein, wherein each of said cavities has an axis, wherein each of said orifices corresponds to one of said cavities and has an inner first diameter (dl); and an optical contact (405, 520) at least partially disposed in one of said cavities, and comprising at least: a ferrule extending from said cavity and through the orifice corresponding to said cavity, said ferrule defining at least one borehole for receiving an optical fiber, and having a second diameter less than said inner first diameter such that a gap is defined between said ferrule and said inner first diameter of said orifice to allow said ferrule to move within said orifice angularly and laterally with respect to said axis, a ferrule holder (409, 505) discrete from said ferrule and having a front end connected to said ferrule behind said orifice; a sleeve (411, 611) disposed around a portion of said ferrule and having a thickness, said sleeve (411, 611) extending from a point forward of said orifice to beyond a front end of said ferrule, said gap being at least as wide as the thickness of the sleeve (411, 611) such that the optical contact (405, 520) can be assembled first and then pushed through the orifice; and a lens disposed at least partially in said sleeve (411, 611) and forward of said front face,