(A2) An extended depth of field (DOF) imaging system (10) is disclosed that has a corresponding extended depth of focus (DOF′) by virtue of its optical system (20) having a select amount of spherical aberration. The imaging system has an image processing unit (54) adapted to process the raw images and perform contrast enhancement to form processed images. The image processing includes restoring the defocused modulation transfer functions (MTFs) using a gain function (G) and the amount of defocus. The imaging system can include an illumination system (60) that illuminates the object being imaged to establish a distance (DH) between the optical system and the object, where distance DH is used in the restoring of the MTF. An iris-recognition (I-R) system based on the enhanced DOF imaging system is also disclosed.; Optical system embodiments for use in the DOF imaging system that can provide select amounts of spherical aberration—and thus select increases in DOF—without increasing the adverse impact of other aberrations on image formation are also disclosed.