How Oppo wants to boost the optical zoom of our smartphones – Frandroid

On the occasion of its Oppo Future Imaging Technology conference, Oppo unveiled several new features for photography on its smartphones.

The camera of the Oppo Find X3 Pro, for illustration // Source: Arnaud Gelineau – Frandroid

When it comes to zooming in on smartphone cameras, this is often a misnomer. We don’t have a real lens with an optical zoom on a single sensor, but rather different cameras with different sensors and lenses with different focal lengths. On a smartphone with an ultra-wide-angle, a wide-angle and a telephoto lens, we actually only have three real focal lengths, all the intermediate zooms will be digital zooms offered with more or less of success.

It is in order to remedy this problem that Oppo announced in August 2020 work on a real optical zoom for smartphone with variable focal length. This Thursday, the Chinese manufacturer delivered much more information on this new kind of smartphone camera. It is actually a camera lens, made up of seven lenses that can move to provide a continuous zoom between 85 and 200mm. Compared to a standard 27mm wide-angle smartphone on a smartphone, this would be equivalent to a zoom that can go from x3 to x7. Importantly, all intermediate values ​​would be supported. Users could thus switch to an optical zoom x4.2 or x6.8 if they wish, and without algorithmic processing. “Digital” Where “Hybrid”.

Oppo’s variable zoom // Source: Oppo

Vivo had already offered this type of lens with continuous zoom on theApex 2020, his concept phone from last year. However, it was not then a smartphone intended to be sold commercially. Above all, the zoom amplitude was more limited, going only from x5 to x7.5.

New optical stabilization and brighter photo sensor

In addition to this continuous zoom lens, Oppo has unveiled a few other new features regarding smartphone photography. This is the case of a new optical stabilization system on five axes which will make it possible to modify not only the orientation of the photo sensor, but also of the objective according to the movements of the user. With this stabilization system, Oppo promises a stabilization correction of around 3 °, against only 1 ° for most conventional optical stabilization mechanisms on smartphones.

Oppo’s optical stabilization system // Source: Oppo

The Chinese manufacturer has also announced a new type of photo sensor, based on an RGBW matrix (red, green, blue, white), instead of the conventional RGB (red, green, blue) matrix. The addition of photosites capable of capturing white light should, according to the manufacturer, make it possible to capture 60% more light and reduce digital noise by 35%. This new photo sensor should be used on the brand’s consumer smartphones from the end of the year.

Oppo’s RGBW photo sensor // Source: Oppo

Finally, like Samsung, Xiaomi or ZTE, Oppo has also said more about it. camera system hidden behind the screen. The firm thus presented the algorithms that will be used to reduce reflections, condensation or to manage HDR or white balance in the difficult condition of the presence of a photo sensor tucked behind a display.