#NewsBytesExplainer: What is a periscope zoom lens in a smartphone?
With the growing demand for an excellent camera experience from a smartphone, tech brands have now adopted cutting-edge technology. One of the latest innovations is the periscope camera, which uses a prism mirror system along with lenses to significantly enhance the phone's zoom capabilities and capture far-away objects. Here's how the periscope system works.
Why is a periscope camera needed in phones?
As far as point-and-shoot cameras are concerned, they have enough space for long focal lengths, wide apertures, and larger lens elements. However, a smartphone lacks this space and has just millimeters of room for everything to be accommodated between the external lens and the image sensor. A periscope, aka folded lens, increases the optical zoom ability of the camera within the limited space.
How does it work?
A regular camera system comprises a straight-line way for the light to travel down to the lens. However, a periscope camera is similar to the submarine periscopes. The light gets reflected 90-degrees by a prism and therefore travels farther than in the normal sensor. The lens elements then move as the user adjusts the zoom level in the camera app to provide optical zoom.
Drawbacks of a periscope camera
A periscope camera is designed in a way to be accommodated sideways, instead of sticking out from the back. This setup demands more space inside the body, thereby making the camera bump noticeably bigger or thicker. The technology is also costly. The light inside a periscope lens has to travel a greater distance, resulting in loss of some light which is handled by software.
Some of the latest smartphones with periscope zoom camera
Since implementing a periscope camera module is a costly affair, only premium smartphones currently offer this technology. If you are interested in getting a phone with a good periscope camera, you can try the Google Pixel 6 Pro, Vivo X70 Pro+, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, as well as the Mi 11 Ultra that offers up to 120x digital zoom.
