It comes up fairly often in other topics. Smartphones have been taking market away from traditional photographic devices for more than a decade. Highly advanced computational photography paired with ever-shrinking optical components continue the trend. What’s new? What’s next? Discuss it here.
Here come the 1-inch sensors, encroaching on the low-end “real” cameras such as the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100, the current model going for $1000.
The smartphones have better computational capabilities but the Sony still has things like an electronic viewfinder, possibly the feature I miss most.
There was also the Nikon One with interchangeable lenses. Discontinued.
If only one of these giants would bring liquid lens technology to the gate so we could forget about big camera bulge and go back to flat (or near flat) slabs that make me fully and finally retire my Lumix FZ300 bridge camera.
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Problem with a lot of these current 1in sensor phones, like the Sony Xperia Pro & Xiaomi is they aren’t making full use of the 1in sensor & are close to like 3/4" sensor. OTOH I think the Panasonic CM1 phone from around 2014 is making use of the full 1in sensor.
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“LG Innotek claims that the Optical Telephoto Zoom Module is capable of 4x-9x optical zoom without quality degradation.”
Also without the big bump. This is an actual optical zoom lens module (I think; it’s not clear; might be a 4x + 9x), not just a fixed-magnification telephoto (often incorrectly called a “zoom”).
So it’s a parfocal lens then?
I reckon it’ll work, but that there’ll be some significant drawbacks that’ll make it a choice between better image quality or convenience and size.
Liquid lens seems to me to be the obvious future if they can get it to perform in reality like it does in theory as it’s a way to provide both the benefits of both aspherical and ED (nlkon) or LD(canon) elements in current optical configurations
Baby steps. We’ll get there.
cool phone, wish they would still make hybrid camera smartphones like that (lumia 1020 and that samung compactcamera phone also come to mind).
First use of Liquid Lens tech in a shipping product. Alas it’s not a smartphone…yet though this is definitely significant progress
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… for $849 of your hard-earned money.
FYI Xiamomi’s cameras really are that much better @dstrauss but using them has too many downsides for most, especially in the US.
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That looks like a real winner - now what I need is a third party camera grip for my 15 Pro Max with auxiliary battery and camera controls. This could be a DOUBLE BOON for the upcoming 16 Pro which supposedly matches the 16 Pro Max in the camera department but back to the more manageable size.
Speaking of large camera phones, my Pixel Fold is as much in need of a hand strap as any full-time camera I have ever owned. So I bought one.
Pic taken with the underwhelming Duo Uno. Then edited to not look like such crap with the excellent tools on the Pixel.
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Every time I see a post like this I scream
WHERE IS MY GD FOLDING IPHONE TIMMY!
The road map that @SteveS posted a while back, the one leaked from Samsung I think it was, says 2026.
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I remember that now, but given their continually SLOWING development timeline, 2026 is likely to be 2028 at best.
Regardless, it’s too far away to be holding your breath. And we have no idea what configuration it will be. It might not be something that people here would want. e.g., no pen.
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Surprise, surprise - look what just popped up in my news feed:
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