A relay system (107, 300, 500, 700, 900. 1200, 1500) for an endoscope comprising: an opposing pair of rod lens assemblies positioned symmetrically with respect to a central airspace, wherein each rod lens assembly includes optical elements consisting essentially of: a meniscus lens positioned immediately adjacent to a central airspace and with the convex surface facing the airspace; a first lens having positive power with a convex face positioned adjacent to the inner face of the meniscus lens, the first lens formed of a material having anomalous partial dispersion; a rod lens, adjacent to the first lens having positive power, having a first face and a second face, both first and second faces being beam passing faces; and an outer optical manipulating structure selected from the group consisting of: (i) the second face of the rod lens, being concave, positioned adjacent to a second lens having positive power and having a convex face facing the second concave face of the rod lens; (ii) the second convex face of the rod lens, being convex, positioned adjacent to an outer meniscus lens; (iii) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a plano-convex aspherical lens; (iv) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a positive powered lens having a convex face facing the second plano face of the rod lens with a separation gap; (v) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a second plano convex lens; and (vi) the second face of the rod lens, being convex; wherein the meniscus lens, the first lens having positive power, the rod lens, and the outer optical manipulating structure together provide chromatic aberration correction by manipulating light from the blue region of the spectrum through the near IR region of the spectrum to follow the same sequence of optical surfaces and come to a common focus in a common image plane. a meniscus lens positioned immediately adjacent to a central airspace and with the convex surface facing the airspace; a first lens having positive power with a convex face positioned adjacent to the inner face of the meniscus lens, the first lens formed of a material having anomalous partial dispersion; a rod lens, adjacent to the first lens having positive power, having a first face and a second face, both first and second faces being beam passing faces; and an outer optical manipulating structure selected from the group consisting of: (i) the second face of the rod lens, being concave, positioned adjacent to a second lens having positive power and having a convex face facing the second concave face of the rod lens; (ii) the second convex face of the rod lens, being convex, positioned adjacent to an outer meniscus lens; (iii) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a plano-convex aspherical lens; (iv) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a positive powered lens having a convex face facing the second plano face of the rod lens with a separation gap; (v) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a second plano convex lens; and (vi) the second face of the rod lens, being convex; (i) the second face of the rod lens, being concave, positioned adjacent to a second lens having positive power and having a convex face facing the second concave face of the rod lens; (ii) the second convex face of the rod lens, being convex, positioned adjacent to an outer meniscus lens; (iii) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a plano-convex aspherical lens; (iv) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a positive powered lens having a convex face facing the second plano face of the rod lens with a separation gap; (v) the second face of the rod lens, being plano, positioned adjacent to a second plano convex lens; and (vi) the second face of the rod lens, being convex; wherein the meniscus lens, the first lens having positive power, the rod lens, and the outer optical manipulating structure together provide chromatic aberration correction by manipulating light from the blue region of the spectrum through the near IR region of the spectrum to follow the same sequence of optical surfaces and come to a common focus in a common image plane.