Periscope lens

Schematic of a conventional and a periscope zoom lens
A smartphone with a 5x optical zoom periscope lens camera, recognizable by the rectangular shape of its lens

A periscope lens, sometimes called a folded lens, is a mechanical assembly of lens elements that uses a prism or mirror to redirect the light through the lenses with a 90° angle to the optical axis, as in a periscope.[1][2][3][4]

Uses[edit]

The Kenworthy/Netman Snorkel Camera System, introduced in 1967 by Norman Paul Kenworthy and Bob Nettman, uses periscope lenses to allow filming very small scale models and objects from a very close distance.[5][6]

Smartphones use periscope lenses to allow larger zoom ratios without increasing (too much) their thickness.[2] The increased optical zoom range is aimed to improve macro photography. With a periscope lens, the zoom lenses are turned by 90° and are aligned along the length or the width of the smartphone instead of its depth.[7] The Sharp 902, released in 2004, is sometimes credited to be the first mobile phone to feature a (2x variable zoom) periscope lens camera.[3] The Asus ZenFone Zoom smartphone, released in 2015, used an Hoya dual-periscope lens mechanism to achieve a 3x zoom.[3][8][9] In 2019, the Huawei P30 Pro featured a 5x zoom periscope lens.[2] In 2020, the Huawei P40 Pro+ introduced a 10x zoom periscope lens camera.[10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Samuelson, David (2014-03-26). Hands-on Manual for Cinematographers. CRC Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-1-136-04474-8.
  2. ^ a b c "What is the Difference Between a Periscope and Telephoto Camera?". XDA Developers. 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  3. ^ a b c Peter. "Counterclockwise: periscope cameras are old news, optical zoom dates back to 2004". GSMArena.com. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  4. ^ "Galaxy S20 Ultra Shows Off Samsung's Prowess in Mobile Photography". Counterpoint Research. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
  5. ^ "Paul Kenworthy". D23. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  6. ^ "ICG Magazine - May 2018 - The Action Issue by ICG Magazine - Issuu - page 36". issuu.com. 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  7. ^ Sun, Wen-Shing; Liu, Yi-Hong; Tien, Chuen-Lin (June 2023). "Optical Design of a Miniaturized 10× Periscope Zoom Lens for Smartphones". Micromachines. 14 (6): 1272. doi:10.3390/mi14061272. ISSN 2072-666X. PMC 10305347. PMID 37374857.
  8. ^ Asus Zenfone Zoom Review: Optical Zoom! (at 1:09), retrieved 2023-07-20
  9. ^ P, Daniel (2015-02-10). "Asus ZenFone Zoom to come with HOYA lens: the world's thinnest optical zoom unit". Phone Arena. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
  10. ^ "Huawei P40 Pro+ review". GSMArena.com. Retrieved 2023-08-08.


See also[edit]