Chinese electronics manufacturer O Film has shown off the world’s thinnest periscope camera module that is capable of continuous zoom, unlike current ones found in smartphones.
The module is 5.9mm thick and is able to go seamlessly between 85mm and 170mm with the aperture changing between f/3.1 and f/5.1. In comparison, the Xperia 1 II has a 70mm telephoto lens, Huawei P40 Pro features a 125mm lens, and the P40 Pro+ comes with a 240mm lens.
Compared to a typical wide-angle camera, this periscope module will be able to provide 3x to 7x variable optical zoom. However, the company says that they can also manufacture designs capable of 3-5x, 5-8x, and 3.5-9.5x zoom ranges.
The setup also features a Prism OIS and a piezoelectric motor that smoothly and accurately moves the three lenses back and forth to reach the desired focal length. The autofocus mechanism also moves with the lenses.
The animated GIF below shows the 3 lenses going between 3-7x zoom.
This continuous zoom technology will ensure high-quality images at intermediary levels. It will also make periscopes more useful as current designs with 5x zoom limit you to shoot faraway objects.
There is no word on when smartphones will start adopting this new periscope module but it shouldn’t be long.
