iPhone 7 Pro Expected to Feature Optical Zoom Powered By ‘Folded Telephoto Camera Lenses’
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If you’re a professional photographer, then you likely know about the concept of optical zoom imaging. However, on the off chance you don’t possess complex photo-snapping expertise, then all you need to know is that optical zoom is a hardware capability that enables cameras to zoom-in and effectively capture photos in deep, expressive detail. Optical zoom is a feature, however, that is typically reserved for bigger, bulkier cameras — as its telephoto, manual zoom style lens set up is a lot thicker than the cameras we find on smartphones in our present day technological landscape.
However, we’re now living in 2016 — and if big-name tech companies have shown us anything over the last few years, it’s that virtually anything is possible with a little financial investment in R&D and a can-do attitude. And, so it seems, Apple is about to prove that to us, as they prepare to implement one of the company’s latest patents — known simply as a “folded telephoto camera lens system” — into the forthcoming ‘iPhone 7 Pro’.
This patent encompasses Apple’s solution to creating an optical style camera zoom for the iPhone — an impeccable feat, indeed, given the sheer size of the Cupertino-company’s pride-and-joy handset, and the intricate inner-workings that would culminate to make optical image zoom on the ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ a reality, unlike anything we’ve seen before. Of course, like many of its other innovations, Apple’s take on optical zoom for the iPhone 7 is poised to be a fascinating technological advancement in mobile imaging.
How it would work, in essence, is when visible light enters the primary photo lens on the back of the device, that light would be refracted by a mirror element present within the secondary lens. The intricate, innermost, shifting and gliding movements of those parts, in turn, would render a photo encapsulating the desired optical zoom effect.
Now that we better understand the conceptual workings of Apple’s “folded telephoto camera lens system,” let us shift our attention to the company’s forthcoming ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ — or whatever they ultimately decide to call it. What we know thus far, however, is that Apple is almost certainly working on bringing to the table an iteration of the iPhone 7 Plus that features a dual-lens photo system — which, as a smartphone first, would enable Apple’s ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ to capture remarkably impressive photos.
As we originally reported, the ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ — (if that ultimately turns out to be its name) — will likely launch as a 3rd variant, alongside the standard iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus later on this fall. The handset would be more costly, of course, though it would be marketed specifically as a tool for avid photographers or photo-snapping enthusiasts willing to pony up the extra coin.
We’ve seen some rather fascinating innovations come from Apple in recent years, indeed; so, needless to say, it will be quite interesting to see what the company ultimately comes up with, insofar as the reported dual-lens camera set up is pertinent. But hey, just a few short months to go until we find out, right?
Learn More: iPhone 7s Is Expected to See a Major Design Change in 2017
What do you think about Apple’s “folded telephoto camera lens system”? Will it change iPhone photography as we know it? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
