News - Dual lens smartphone camera offers wide angle and 3X optics

[HEXUS]

This or a similar system will be built into the upcoming HTC One 2 flagship.

Read more.

[Odeas]

The HTC One 2... they really couldn't think of a better name?!
Trying to name your products like apple does not make it 'cool', just confusing for consumers.
Just call it the HTC Two.

Regarding the camera, 3x optical zoom is a nice improvement, I'm sure optical zoom will become a standard feature of future phones.

The single/dual aperture image comparisons neither look great imo. Probably wouldn't be far off just doing a curves adjustment on the single to get a similar image to the dual one.

[Devastater6194]

The HTC One 2... they really couldn't think of a better name?!
Trying to name your products like apple does not make it 'cool', just confusing for consumers.
Just call it the HTC Two.

Does this mean their next phone after will be the One Two Three? :-P
In all seriousness, how many photographers actually use a phone as a camera. The only people who use phones as cameras aren't that bothered about how well it looks beyond it looking good.

[crossy]

In all seriousness, how many photographers actually use a phone as a camera. The only people who use phones as cameras aren't that bothered about how well it looks beyond it looking good.

I can't see any serious photographer using their phone's camera - true. But then again it's long overdue for the phone/camera-module makers to focus on image quality rather than quantity.

They (the manufacturers and assorted "experts") keep telling us that the smartphone is a "convergence" device. Well, that's fine if we get to the point where your HTC/Samsung/Nokia/Apple phone's pictures actually look better than a budget digital camera. At the moment the phones (with a few exceptions perhaps - Galaxy S4 Zoom?) are ideal for a quick party snap, but that's about it.

I've often said that my old Xperia X10 was capable of producing much more pleasing pictures than the Galaxy S3 that replaced it. Maybe it's not purely down to the sensor, but also down to the camera software - but that's something I'll leave for those more knowledgeable to comment on. I've certainly seen comments elsewhere that the iPhone4S and Galaxy S3 use very comparable camera modules, (one report said it was actually the same one), but my S3 pictures tend to look less pleasing than a similar picture taken with an iPhone4S.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I can't see any serious photographer using their phone's camera - true. But then again it's long overdue for the phone/camera-module makers to focus on image quality rather than quantity.

They (the manufacturers and assorted "experts") keep telling us that the smartphone is a "convergence" device. Well, that's fine if we get to the point where your HTC/Samsung/Nokia/Apple phone's pictures actually look better than a budget digital camera. At the moment the phones (with a few exceptions perhaps - Galaxy S4 Zoom?) are ideal for a quick party snap, but that's about it.

I've often said that my old Xperia X10 was capable of producing much more pleasing pictures than the Galaxy S3 that replaced it. Maybe it's not purely down to the sensor, but also down to the camera software - but that's something I'll leave for those more knowledgeable to comment on. I've certainly seen comments elsewhere that the iPhone4S and Galaxy S3 use very comparable camera modules, (one report said it was actually the same one), but my S3 pictures tend to look less pleasing than a similar picture taken with an iPhone4S.

I am pretty impressed by the Nokia Lumia 1020 in lower MP modes though.

OTH,such a tiny zoom in the HTC One 2 is a great feat on its own IMHO:

http://hexus.net/media/uploaded/2014...da9d8a5410.jpg

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Its not a zoom but a dual lens unit. Meh.

[DanceswithUnix]

Photographers don't use a phone as a camera, but parents do as you can't always carry a camera with you. There must be a lot more parents out there than photographers

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Its cheaper to buy a Moto G or similar phone and get a decent compact. Many have wifi too. The advantage of phones like the Moto G is that they are more optimised towards battery life too.

[crossy]

Its not a zoom but a dual lens unit. Meh.

Erm, not according to the article: "On the demonstration unit at MWC the Corephotonics 6mm deep dual lens unit employed a wide angle lens and a 3X telephoto lens."

Photographers don't use a phone as a camera, but parents do as you can't always carry a camera with you. There must be a lot more parents out there than photographers

Plus there's those times when you're out and about and there's a spectacular photo opportunity - one of those "it'll not happen again in a 100 years" moments.

Its cheaper to buy a Moto G or similar phone and get a decent compact. Many have wifi too. The advantage of phones like the Moto G is that they are more optimised towards battery life too.

Problem is bulk, plus the need to remember to have two devices charged rather than one. Then again, there's that (peripheral to me) "need" that some have to slap their snaps into Pinterest, tumblr, etc. Easily done from a phone, not so easy with most cameras.

Good point about the Nokia's Cat (post #5 above) - had some Nokia rep (a very cute one!) show me the Lumia in the local store. For something that's only got digital "zoom" it's pretty darned impressive. Can't help thinking though that this proper optical zoom will still be superior. Like the looks of the Lumia's too - so if they can do something good @MWC (Lumia 1820?) then it'd be a temptation to defect from Android. Only thing stopping me is one or two apps, plus the thought that the only web browser I'd be able to use would be IE

[kalniel]

Erm, not according to the article: "On the demonstration unit at MWC the Corephotonics 6mm deep dual lens unit employed a wide angle lens and a 3X telephoto lens."

I think Cat means it's not a variable range of focal lengths, it's two, fixed, focal lengths. (One being three times the focal length of the other, hence the useless 3x designation.)

One of my first compact cameras had the same, while obviously not quite as useful as a zoom, or a range of interchangeable lenses, it still added to the functionality.

[crossy]

I think Cat means it's not a variable range of focal lengths, it's two, fixed, focal lengths. (One being three times the focal length of the other, hence the useless 3x designation.)

One of my first compact cameras had the same, while obviously not quite as useful as a zoom, or a range of interchangeable lenses, it still added to the functionality.

I'm not sure, according to http://www.corephotonics.com/computational-photography one of the things they're claiming is "true optical zoom" - which I would take to mean variable. Then again a different part of the same site is suggesting that the optical zoom is some form of post-processing.

They're not suggesting doing something weird like some kind of interpolation from the wide angle to telephoto lens to give a simulated variable zoom?

Then again, I want true variable optical zoom on a decent camera sensor in my smartphone, so maybe I'm reading more into it than is actually there...

[kalniel]

They're not suggesting doing something weird like some kind of interpolation from the wide angle to telephoto lens to give a simulated variable zoom?

I think that's exactly what they're doing.

Using one wide aperture and one low height tele aperture the effective resolution of this camera is greater or equal to that of mechanical optical zoom at all magnification levels.