Up Periscope
A periscope lens is just what it sounds like.
To offer high-magnification telephoto or zoom, a lens needs more glass (or plastic) elements.
This needs space, which a smartphone doesnt have.
Jeremy Bezanger / Unsplash
The answer, so far, has been ever-bigger camera humps, but that can only go so far.
The periscope just flips the light into this lens.
Zoom In
The obvious use case for a 10x telephoto lens is for bringing far-off subjects closer.
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In terms of 35mm film cameras or full-frame digital cameras, a 10x zoom is the equivalent of 24mm-240mm.
This isn’t newthe 2020 Huawei P40 Pro Plushas a 10x pericope lens that reaches 240mm.
But the raw magnification of the lens itself is only half the story.
What could Apple do when it combines this 10x range with its incredible computational photography skills?
“I feel like the telephoto is the one lens on which Apple is really behind.
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Long zooms arent all positives, though.
They have two significant disadvantages (apart from their physical size, which the periscope works around).
One is they magnify your hand shakes.
The other is they typically let in less light than a wider lens of the same size.
The path to fixing the shake is also proven.
Advantage iPhone?
One of Apples coolest gimmicks is Portrait Mode, which simulates the background blur from bigger cameras.
I feel like the telephoto is the one lens on which Apple is really behind.
More flexible lens choice is one of the remaining advantages cameras have over phones.
Would the new periscope lens let you ditch your big camera?
Purpose-built cameras still beat any phone camera in a few areas.
One is that their telephoto lenses can be a lot bigger and therefore gather more light.
Another is that you could swap lenses if you like and get really wide or really long.
You also get natural background blur, which is still far superior to simulations.
And their sensors are way bigger, which means more detail, and better light-gathering abilities.
Still, for most people, a true 10x optical zoom will make a huge difference to their photos.
I cant wait to see what Apple does with it.
