Recently, vivo officially released its new top image flagshipX100 Ultra, its rear camera module is composed of50 million pixelsLYT-900 main camera, 50 million pixelsLYT-600 ultra wide-angle secondary camera, and customized 200 million pixelsHP9 outsole periscope telephoto. In addition to its outstanding performance in terms of configuration, this model also supports the "Super Long Range Telephoto Stage" function, which can solve various image quality problems for long-distance shooting. At the same time, for control and diving photography, the official also launched a customized photography set and diving waterproof case. As a result, vivo even used the meme of "buy a camera and get a mobile phone" at this press conference to further emphasize the market positioning of its top imaging flagship models.
Nowadays, with the recovery of concerts, music festivals and other activities, the demand for users to record and share their lives in such scenes is also growing. However, due to copyright, security and other requirements, users are often prohibited from bringing professional devices in this scenario, so mobile phones often become almost the only option. However, because such performances are usually held in large spaces such as stadiums, the image capabilities of most models are difficult to meet the corresponding needs of users.
Stimulated by the demand related to users shooting such scenes, there has even been a "segment" of renting the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra before. The key to forming this supply-demand relationship is that this model can achieve a hybrid zoom of up to 100 ×, and natively supports a maximum focal length of 230mm, which can meet the needs of users in "telephoto" through the method of "multi-camera relay zoom".
Previously, in models such as image flagships, although relatively high focal lengths such as 65mm-120mm were also provided, they were missing in focal lengths similar to "telephoto", so the Galaxy S23 Ultra was even once hailed as a "concert artifact". This demand from users has also prompted relevant manufacturers to continue to invest more in telephoto images.
In fact, it is not that today's smartphones are unable to provide higher zoom ratios, but due to factors such as optical principles and body shape control, they can only use a relatively flexible scheme such as periscope telephoto to convert the thickness of the image module to length, so as to control the thickness of the fuselage. At the same time, because the mobile phone lens can often only be fixed magnification (native focal length), so when shooting non-fixed magnification, it can only be achieved by cropping or algorithm, which may bring about a loss of image quality, so mobile phone manufacturers will also set fixed focal lengths such as 2× and 5 × in the camera App to facilitate users to quickly choose.
It is worth mentioning that the vivo X100 Ultra has overcome many problems this time, using a 1/1.4-inch 200 million pixel CMOS for telephoto, due to its extremely high pixels, so even in the case of cropping or digital zoom, it has certain inherent advantages, providing a higher telephoto range. Combined with the ZEISS-certified APO telephoto lens, it achieves the ability of 85mm equivalent focal length and up to 460mm focal length, which can further meet the user's telephoto shooting needs.
It's important to note that the phone's performance at the telephoto end is not only affected by a single factor, but also includes multiple aspects such as native focal length, sensor size, aperture size, and algorithms. For example, the native focal length determines the performance of optical zoom, the large sensor can capture more light, and the basic quality of the sensor and the adjustment of the mobile phone manufacturer also determine the final imaging effect.
With the continuous improvement of the telephoto focal length, the quality of the optical components in the image module will also be more tested, and a better lens component can reduce the refraction and scattering of light, so as to maintain the clarity and sharpness of the image. In addition, since the current high-magnification zoom can only be achieved by hybrid zoom schemes, higher requirements will be put forward for image algorithms.
In addition to telephoto, smartphones have also begun to move towards a more professional direction in terms of imaging, and although such a change will bring users a better shooting experience, it has also caused some controversy. In this regard, there is a view that with the complexity of mobile phone imaging functions, such as more photo modes may bring trouble to users, and in the case of some modes that are not used frequently, this investment of manufacturers may cause a certain waste.
But from another point of view, it is not difficult to find that this diversification and specialization direction is actually guided by user needs. Although for many users, the automatic mode is already able to meet the needs of most scenarios, the basis of this automatic mode is actually based on multiple modes, and the automatic judgment of the mobile phone will always be less accurate. With the introduction of more shooting modes, users can abandon the cumbersome and professional parameter settings of the past, and simply choose the appropriate mode according to their needs.
For professionals, the trend of specialization of mobile phone imaging functions can obviously bring more convenience, after all, stronger imaging capabilities actually mean that it can effectively reduce the difficulty of creation and better exert creativity. At the same time, in order to meet the needs of this group of professional users, some manufacturers have also launched customized professional photography kits and other expansion components, which not only allow mobile phones to be competent for more professional scenes, but also enable them to continue to evolve in the direction of productivity tools. Therefore, this trend of specialization not only reflects the in-depth excavation of user needs, but also indicates an important development direction in the future.
At present, in the fierce competition in the smartphone market, the imaging function has become one of the important directions for major manufacturers to highlight differentiation and reflect product competitiveness. With the continuous growth of user demand, mobile phone imaging functions are bound to continue to challenge the physical limits in the future, such as telephoto, portrait, macro, etc., to meet users' pursuit of higher quality imaging capabilities. It is also this user-centered design concept that makes mobile phone photography more convenient and efficient, and can replace the previous mainstream card camera and become a tool for more and more users to record on the go.