An optical imaging system (100, 300) for providing an optical image (101, 302) of an object light source (102, 204, 304), the optical imaging system comprising: imaging optics (106, 308) for receiving light associated with the object light source; an uni-axial homogenizer (108, 310) including: a rectangular cross-section light pipe (110, 312) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the imaging optics and configured to have an entrance end, a body, and an exit end, where the entrance end has a width sized for homogenizing the received light in an X-axis, where the entrance end has a height sized for retaining spatial and angular image variations in the received light in a Y-axis, and where the body has a predetermined length in a Z-axis; and an astigmatic paraxial optic (112, 314) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the rectangular cross-section light pipe; and a detector (114, 320) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the astigmatic paraxial optic and configured to output the optical image of the object light source; wherein the astigmatic paraxial optic is configured to have an YZ object plane that coincides with the entrance end of the rectangular cross-section light pipe, an XZ object plane that coincides with the exit end of the rectangular cross-section light pipe, and an XZ image plane and a YZ image plane that both coincide at the detector; and the height of the entrance end, a height of the exit end and the length of the body of the rectangular cross-section light pipe are sized to satisfy following: Yh exit ≥ Yh entrance + Z light pipe / f / #, where: Z(light pipe) is the length of the light pipe, Yh(exit) is the height of the exit end, Yh(entrance) is the height of the entrance end, and 1/f/# is twice a slope of a maximum angle of the light travelling within the rectangular cross-section light pipe. imaging optics (106, 308) for receiving light associated with the object light source; an uni-axial homogenizer (108, 310) including: a rectangular cross-section light pipe (110, 312) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the imaging optics and configured to have an entrance end, a body, and an exit end, where the entrance end has a width sized for homogenizing the received light in an X-axis, where the entrance end has a height sized for retaining spatial and angular image variations in the received light in a Y-axis, and where the body has a predetermined length in a Z-axis; and an astigmatic paraxial optic (112, 314) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the rectangular cross-section light pipe; and a rectangular cross-section light pipe (110, 312) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the imaging optics and configured to have an entrance end, a body, and an exit end, where the entrance end has a width sized for homogenizing the received light in an X-axis, where the entrance end has a height sized for retaining spatial and angular image variations in the received light in a Y-axis, and where the body has a predetermined length in a Z-axis; and an astigmatic paraxial optic (112, 314) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the rectangular cross-section light pipe; and a detector (114, 320) positioned to receive the light associated with the object light source from the astigmatic paraxial optic and configured to output the optical image of the object light source; wherein the astigmatic paraxial optic is configured to have an YZ object plane that coincides with the entrance end of the rectangular cross-section light pipe, an XZ object plane that coincides with the exit end of the rectangular cross-section light pipe, and an XZ image plane and a YZ image plane that both coincide at the detector; and the height of the entrance end, a height of the exit end and the length of the body of the rectangular cross-section light pipe are sized to satisfy following: Yh exit ≥ Yh entrance + Z light pipe / f / #, where: Z(light pipe) is the length of the light pipe, Yh(exit) is the height of the exit end, Yh(entrance) is the height of the entrance end, and 1/f/# is twice a slope of a maximum angle of the light travelling within the rectangular cross-section light pipe. Z(light pipe) is the length of the light pipe, Yh(exit) is the height of the exit end, Yh(entrance) is the height of the entrance end, and 1/f/# is twice a slope of a maximum angle of the light travelling within the rectangular cross-section light pipe.