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Is the Olympus Sale a Sign of Things to Come for Other Camera Companies?

30 Oct

The post Is the Olympus Sale a Sign of Things to Come for Other Camera Companies? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.

A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away, or 2014, as most would call it), when I first started writing about photography, I created an article on my photography predictions for 2015.

In that article, I wrote about how one or more manufacturers would stop producing cameras. I specifically named Olympus (and Pentax) as companies I could see not surviving long-term. My prediction has unfortunately come true with the recent Olympus sale (six years later, but I was still right!).

This history lesson shows two things:

  1. Talk of camera manufacturers not surviving has been around forever.
  2. Eventually, some camera companies will fall victim to the ever-shrinking photography market. 

After years of rumors and denials, June 2020 saw the sale of Olympus to Japan Industrial Partners (JIP). This is the same firm that acquired Sony’s VAIO PC business back in 2014. It now seems (although it’s yet to be confirmed) that JIP will most likely be dropping the name “Olympus.”

The sad loss of Olympus shows that digital cameras are an ever-decreasing market and begs the question:

Is Olympus a one-off? Or is the Olympus sale a sign of things to come?

A lifestyle shot of an Olympus OMD camera Olympus sale
Unfortunately, it will not be long before we no longer see the name Olympus on a camera.

A small caveat

For this article, I will simply concern myself with digital camera divisions. I know that companies such as Nikon and Canon have huge businesses outside of cameras, but that doesn’t mean they won’t close their digital camera divisions if they become financially unviable.

What is happening to digital camera sales?

Digital camera sales are still in decline.

To give you a sobering statistic, over 98% of all digital cameras sold are smartphones. As cameras in phones continue to improve, the small percentage of compact digital camera sales will more than likely continue to shrink to zero.

But there will always be a market for more serious digital cameras. Such cameras are aimed at those of us who enjoy photography beyond a snapshot. For those who photograph either for a hobby or an income, there will always be the need for a larger camera with more advanced features. 

That said, figures are continuing to trend downward and are not looking good. There are Japanese analysts who are saying that, unless the industry rapidly changes, it will begin to collapse. How true this is depends on several factors, but one thing is for sure:

We are heading toward rock bottom.

Samsung Smartphone camera
The quality of phone cameras means the compact camera market is shrinking rapidly.

The Corona effect

A recent report by Slackline showed that the camera industry has been hit incredibly hard by COVID-19. The camera market came in at number three on a list of the top 100 fastest-declining e-commerce categories in 2020 (only beaten by luggage and briefcases).

The reason for this is obvious:

People are not traveling or attending events for which they could justify the purchase of a new camera. Add to this many professionals who are simply not upgrading due to a major drop in income, and you are seeing a perfect storm for any camera company that may be struggling financially.

An Olympus camera held by a woman wearing a Miami T Shirt
The perfect holiday camera, if only we could go on holiday.

We are about to hit rock bottom

Back in 2019, Canon president Fujio Mitarai talked about the continuing drop in sales and the expectation that, in two years, the market would drop by around 50%.

Canon estimates that the total market will be about six to eight million prosumer and professional cameras. In 2019, when Mitarai made his statement, the sales of interchangeable lens cameras were estimated to be around 10 million.

When you see figures like that, it is hard to imagine every camera brand still being able to compete.

But who will dominate? And who will be left to follow the route of Olympus?

King Canon

A while back, I said that Nikon & Canon could go the way of Kodak.

But right now, it definitely doesn’t look like Canon is going anywhere. Figures published by Nikkei show that, in 2020, Canon owns 45.4% of the market.

Canon was late to mirrorless technology, and many (myself included) thought the EOS R and EOS RP were subpar compared to what Sony was putting out. However, Canon had huge success with the 5D line, as well as cameras such as the 7D. This meant that many were still happy with their bodies and would only be purchasing lenses, flashes, etc.

It was a misstep by Canon to underestimate mirrorless, but honestly, it didn’t hurt them too much. The sales of the EOS R and RP showed that Canon has a loyal and longstanding fanbase. 

Add to this the release of the EOS R5 and EOS R6, as well as their success (overheating aside), I cannot see Canon losing its market share in the next 12-24 months. So if Canon is safe, who is most at risk?

The Canon EOS R5 camera
Canon’s hottest release, the R5, sees the company continuing to dominate the market.

We need to talk about Pentax

Pentax’s stubborn refusal to move away from the DSLR is a potential sign that they may be heading for significant trouble in the very near future.

In 2020, the company’s statement of “Pentax believes in the future of DSLR photography” seems crazy. The sale of DSLR cameras has dropped massively since 2017.

Reading that first statement, you may think I am bashing Pentax’s managerial decisions, but I feel the problem may lurk a little deeper.

You see, I don’t think Pentax currently has the budget to develop a mirrorless camera from scratch. They have reached a point where they would need significant time and effort to do this, which comes at a significant cost.

Also, part of their recent brand statement was this line:

“When you take a picture with a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, the light passes through the lens and, in turn, the optical viewfinder. You view the image directly with your eyes, and feel it with your heart.”

This reminded me of Fuji’s “Pure Photography” vision at the launch of the X-Pro3. Could this mean that Pentax is aiming for a niche of customers who will want to continue to use DSLRs? It certainly could be a strategy, but I am not sure how this will work in practice. I don’t think there will be enough DSLR sales to allow this to work. Even if it does, it will seemingly lead to tiny R&D budgets.

Whether it is down to budget or that Pentax truly believes in their vision and wants to create a niche, who knows? One thing that we do know is that the market has moved to mirrorless. By refusing to move with it, Pentax looks too far behind to come back, which is sad to see. 

I truly feel that, as a company, Pentax will slowly fade into obscurity and then close its camera division.

 A Pentax camera in rugged conditions
Will the decision to stick to DSLRs hurt Pentax?

Could one of the big companies follow?

The obvious point this leads to is whether one of the bigger companies will eventually fall. I think it is a case of, “While that is unlikely, nobody is too big to fail.”

The way Nikon has been overtaken in camera sales by Sony signifies a shift in the market. Nikon is set to release a new flagship mirrorless camera very soon, which will likely keep them comfortable for a while.

Here’s the longer-term question, though:

Will the market sustain three major players?

If the answer is “No,” then you would have to say, simply based on recent performance, Nikon looks to be the most likely to fade away. 

I feel the Fab Five of Canon, Sony, Nikon, Fujifilm, and Panasonic are here to stay. All of them are releasing amazing cameras and pushing things forward.

However, I feel that, over time, the market will be dominated by Canon and Sony, with Nikon starting to compete with brands such as Panasonic instead of the new Big Two.

That said, if the leaks about the upcoming Nikon releases are true, I may have to eat my words. 

The high-end specialists

The decline in sales to professionals due to COVID may be posing big issues for brands such as Hasselblad and Phase One. These companies’ main market is almost exclusively professionals who need the very best quality images. Again, the coronavirus issues will be having an effect on sales.

Could this be enough to topple one of these companies? I honestly don’t know, as they play their cards very close to their chests. But there was something I found during my research for this piece that did make me think that all may not be perfect in Hasselblad land.

In a 2019 interview, Hasselblad’s head of sales for Europe, Uwe Moebus, said: “There are fewer professional photographers and it is getting harder and harder for professionals to make decent money.” He then spoke of the desire for amateurs to start using Hasselblad.

These comments hint at a shrinking market for Hasselblad and its need to diversify. With COVID, we will have to assume that this will not have gone as well as hoped and could be the sign of problems to come. 

Hasselblad might struggle after the Olympus sale
Does Hasselblad really need the amateur market?

Video is key if you want to keep up

While photography seemingly continues to decline, the video market is continuously buoyant in comparison.

This is due to YouTube being the new TV and the large number of YouTube channels popping up everywhere. There is also a market for crash cams in major film production. The idea of destroying a brand new camera is heartbreaking for most of us. However, when on a Hollywood budget, a relatively cheap camera that can be used with little regard to its survival (except for the memory card) is perfect for the job. This is a growing market for camera manufacturers.   

The fact that Netflix has approved the use of the Panasonic S1H as a production camera creates a market that goes way beyond photographers and YouTube creators. 

Sony has always been great with video; it is a huge reason for their success. The release of the 12-megapixel a7S III shows Sony releasing mirrorless cameras for video first (if not almost entirely). Obviously, this has become a hot topic (bad pun intended) with the Canon EOS R5. As a stills camera, everyone agrees it is a masterpiece. However, Canon marketed it almost solely based on its video features. All of the complaints, problems, and potential boycotts are based on this.

When shooting in 8K, you can extract a 35-megapixel still frame from the footage. In a field such as headshot photography, where you are looking for the perfect expression, you can now capture 30 shots per second, continuously. Shoot a minute of video, skim through until you find the perfect expression, then export the frame as a large megapixel file. This may well become the future for certain types of photography.

An a7SIII video rig ready to use on set
Sony’s video-first stance is clear to see.

How a decreasing market will be bad for consumers

Those of you reading this are probably part of the shrinking market segment that will continue to buy interchangeable lens cameras.

However, while the market and consumer needs will dictate which companies survive and which fall, the fact is that the Olympus sale will impact the whole industry. 

While I feel that technological developments will continue, budgets for research and development will be cut. Fewer camera sales mean less ability for the engineering departments to push new technology. This may lead to a future with new models having smaller, more incremental updates rather than exciting, huge leaps forward in camera technology.

Again, I feel the future will be driven by video and the developments will come from Sony’s and Canon’s high-end cinema lines.

The thing is, though:

In purely photographic terms, what more do we actually need?

Is it really that bad?

Well, this has all been doom and gloom. Is there any silver lining?

The fact that, even when the market hits the predicted bottom, there will be enough money for several manufacturers to continue working with still gives us hope. The camera launches in 2020 have been spectacular and show no signs of stopping despite the Olympus sale. 

In terms of photography, I really feel we are in a position where technology can no longer give us huge improvements. Maybe a stop more dynamic range here, a little less noise there.

But as a photographer, what else do you need right now? Autofocus systems are amazing. Noise at high ISOs is fantastic. Frames per second are almost video-like. We don’t need new technology; we need more creativity, and that is still solely down to the one who pushes the button.

The post Is the Olympus Sale a Sign of Things to Come for Other Camera Companies? appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Carl Spring.


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Film Fridays: Dreams come true – discovering a stash of untouched Soviet-era cameras

10 Oct

To any collector/enjoyer of old cameras, the idea of stumbling upon on enormous stash of mint-condition gear, from a long-gone era, is the ultimate dream. And that dream recently became a reality for one lucky gentlemen in Kazakhstan, who discovered hundreds of “brand-new” Soviet-era cameras – including the Smena 8M (shown above) – packed inside wooden crates and stored in a warehouse, untouched likely since the early 1990’s. Read on…

Read: A secret stash of hundreds of Soviet cameras found in a Kazakh warehouse

About Film Fridays: We recently launched an analog forum and in a continuing effort to promote the fun of the medium, we’ll be sharing film-related content on Fridays, including articles from our friends at KosmoFoto and 35mmc.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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The Autel Evo II will come in three modular models, including two with 8K video

15 Jan

Early last month, a forthcoming EVO II from Autel Robotics was revealed through an FCC filing. The portable follow up to the EVO officially launched at last week’s CES 2020 show. Drone and tech pundit OriginaldoBo made a prediction a week before the conference that this year, industry-dominating company DJI was not going to be the star of CES. Now we know why. Autel has introduced the very first 8K folding drone. The EVO II comes in 3 variants offering up 3 separate camera modules.

  • The standard Autel EVO II has an 8K, 48MP camera with a 1/2″ CMOS sensor. It can capture content at resolutions up to 8,000×6,000 pixels for photos, meaning you could print an image as large as 100 inches wide. Video resolution will max out at 7720×4320 pixels. It also features lossless, in-camera zoom up to 4x. Its weight at takeoff is 1,127 grams (about 2.5 pounds).
  • The EVO II Pro features a 20MP camera with a 1″ CMOS sensor, an adjustable aperture (ranging from f/2.8 to f/11), HDR, an ISO range of 100-12,800, and the ability to capture 6K video. The weight of EVO II Pro at takeoff is 1,174 grams (about 2.6 pounds).
  • The EVO II Dual boasts both a FLIR Boson sensor, with a thermal resolution up to 640×512, plus the same 8K camera that comes with the standard model. Takeoff weight for the EVO II Dual 320 is 1,157 grams (2.55 pounds) and 1,192 grams (2.62 pounds) for the EVO II Dual 640.

All 3 cameras have a maximum bitrate of 120Mbps. They will also feature 10-bit color depth. Autel’s states on its official site that it will continue to update specs, as they become available, but they have not specified whether there is an H.264 or H.265 codec. Information on frame rates is also notably absent at the time of this writing. Each variant of the EVO II is modular. You can upgrade, downgrade, and switch out camera systems without having to purchase a new drone.

The EVO II has a maximum flight time of 40 minutes and a transmission range of 9 km (5.6 miles). While most users will not need to fly this far, Autel states that a longer range ‘also means a stronger signal.’ It can operate at a maximum speed of 45 miles per hour (20.1 m/s). 12 AI-powered computer vision sensors give it omnidirectional obstacle avoidance that can also be disabled if the user wants full, uninterrupted control. 8GB of onboard storage is available with the option of adding an external microSD card up to 256GB.

What drone enthusiasts and professionals, especially, will appreciate is that Autel does not equip its drones with geofencing. While the feature, found in all contemporary DJI models, prevents drones from flying into restricted areas, including controlled airspace, it can also create a major inconvenience if a pilot secures permission to fly in a designated area and is unable to unlock the zone as planned.

The EVO II is currently in production. The EVO II is $ 1,495 and the EVO II Pro is $ 1,795. Those interested in purchasing an EVO II Dual will need to contact Autel for pricing. Availability and shipping dates will be announced soon, according to Autel’s official site.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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What is it like to come back to a DSLR after shooting mirrorless?

10 Nov
With the 18-135mm attached, the 90D is a larger camera than I’ve become used to carrying. It didn’t get the way of enjoying my vacation, though.

I’ve been a professional photographer since 2012, when the DSLR reigned supreme. The Canon 5D Mark III was my main body that I used exclusively for photography work. As my personal and professional interests gravitated towards video, I took the plunge and placed an order for the Sony a7R III in February 2018. A year later, I added the Fujifilm X-T3. Slowly but surely, those mirrorless cameras replaced my DSLRs as they better supported my overall vision of being a hybrid photo and video shooter.

However, the 2019 release of the Canon 90D piqued my interest. How was Canon’s DSLR technology faring in a world where many declare the DSLR to be on its way out? I took the 90D on vacation to Hawaii and committed to using it exclusively for a week. Here are my conclusions.

First impressions

The Canon 90D with the 18-135mm kit lens is both bulky and heavy. It’s not a discreet camera by any means. Many people (myself included) gravitate towards mirrorless cameras as they are smaller in size and weight, and the 90D immediately reminded me that the bulk of DSLRs is not something that I miss, especially when I’m on vacation.

There are times and places you don’t want the bulk of a DSLR

One thing I do miss is Canon’s vast DSLR lens library. From fisheyes and tilt shifts to super telephoto lenses, Canon offers some of the best and most versatile lenses that even big mirrorless manufacturers such as Sony aren’t producing yet. But for the sake of this test, I stuck with the kit lens for a full week and found that despite its size, 18-135 is an incredibly useful focal range, especially for travel photography. After a week of schlepping it around, I got used to the size and ultimately appreciated the versatility of the lens.

A little like coming home

After over one year of shooting Sony and Fujifilm mirrorless, the Canon 90D feels like coming home. The ergonomics, dials and controls were all very familiar and easy to use without making lots of custom settings as you often have to with mirrorless cameras such as Sonys and even Canon’s newest EOS R and RP. It was incredibly easy to power on the camera and just start shooting a wide range of subjects, from a wide landscape shot of a beach, to homing in on the green sea turtles that I suddenly spotted swimming close to shore.

While 135mm on a crop sensor gives you a nice amount of reach, the Canon 90D gives you even more flexibility since it produces 32-megapixel images. This allows you more flexibility to crop in on your subject in post production, as I did with this image of a mongoose, and some shots of sea turtles.

Concerns about noise

One feature that I find indispensable in mirrorless cameras is silent shutter. This is key for certain professional shooting moments, such as in auditoriums or at performances where shutter sounds are frowned upon, or when attempting to capture candid moments. On the Canon 90D, there’s the additional sound of mirror slap and its shutter is clunky and loud: once even startling a group of birds that I was attempting to photograph. There is no subtlety or finesse in the shutter sound and, while there is a full-electronic mode, you can’t avoid the sound of the mirror opening for you to get into live view to use it. Even in everyday travel photography scenarios, the shutter sound was distracting not only to me, but also the subjects I was attempting to photograph.

Finding in favor of a finder

The initial familiarity of the Canon DSLR layout was nice at first. However, I quickly became aware that I’d come to find mirrorless cameras offer several key features that make them superior to DSLRs (at least, for my shooting style).

Caption

Firstly, DSLRs are restricted to using only optical viewfinders (OVF) while mirrorless cameras offer electronic viewfinders (EVF). Being forced to use an OVF in Hawaii was painful.

With an EVF, my creative compositions have greatly expanded thanks to the seamless transition between using the LCD and EVF eyepiece to frame my shots. I love the ability to get up high or get down low to compose shots using the LCD. While DSLRs such as the Canon 90D does allow you to enable Live View to shoot still photos with the LCD, it is clunky and isn’t as responsive as LCD shooting on mirrorless cameras. Thus, it felt pointless using the LCD to shoot on the 90D, and I felt like I sacrificed many photo opportunities and creative angles that I would have been able to get with a mirrorless camera.

Conversely, because DSLRs require the mirror to be flipped up when recording video, you are then restricted to only using the LCD. This is very difficult in bright, outdoor lighting and it quickly became frustrating to not be able to seamlessly transition back and forth between the EVF and LCD as you can on mirrorless cameras.

All about the flexibility

Since the Canon 5D series still does not offer tilting or articulating rear screens, I was excited to finally see one on the Canon 90D. As I say, the ability to shoot and compose with a movable LCD on mirrorless cameras has really enhanced my creativity when it comes to image composition.

Now that I’ve spent some time with the fully-articulated screen on the Canon 90D that can face forward for vlogging, I find that it isn’t very useful for shooting photos. For most photo and video needs, it is more efficient to have a two-axis LCD screen that simply pops out and tilts up or down; you truly only need the 90D’s forward-facing flip screen if you intend to vlog or take selfies.

The 90D’s fully articulating screen made it easy to get low enough to take this shot, but a tilting display would have made alignment easier.

In the photo below, I had the camera low to the ground on top of the train tracks and needed to angle the LCD up to compose. It not only took longer to flip the LCD screen out to the left, but it also became hard to center the image since the LCD was so far to one side. This is a case with a simple tilting screen would have worked much better.

On the other hand, I love the Canon 90D’s screen that lets you turn the LCD inward to face the camera, thereby offering screen protection. It would be fantastic to see other camera manufacturers add this feature to their LCDs.

The best touchscreen I’ve ever used

Another thing in favor of the 90D’s screen was that its touch operation is the best I’ve experienced on any DSLR or mirrorless camera. It’s very responsive with no lag, and it allows for multiple functions, from reviewing your images by swiping, selecting quick modes, and (best of all) setting a focus point. I’ve long heard that Canon’s Dual Pixel Autofocus is among the very best, and after trying it on the Canon 90D, I have to agree. When you select a focus point by tapping on the touchscreen, tracking is fast and accurate. This came in handy when shooting this tiny and very fast lizard perched on a sprinkler head. Within seconds of snapping this photo, he took off running.

Within seconds of snapping this photo, tiny (and very fast) lizard took off running, but the 90D’s live view AF was quick enough to capture him, first.

All in all…

After a full week of shooting with the Canon 90D and the kit lens, I’ve adjusted to its size and shooting style. If I had to, I could use this camera comfortably to shoot photos and videos for both fun or professional use. But given the choice, I would still reach for a mirrorless camera instead. It has nothing to do with image quality (I still prefer Canon’s output), or autofocus performance (though Sony still has an edge).

Instead, it comes down to the DSLR’s lack of an electronic viewfinder (EVF). With mirrorless cameras, I’ve become used to constantly (and rapidly) switch between using the rear LCD screen and EVF to compose and shoot both photos and videos. This transition is quick and seamless on a mirrorless camera. Yes, you have an option to enable Live View shooting on a DSLR like the Canon 90D, but the experience is clunky and therefore not practical on a professional shoot, or even a casual vacation.

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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Report: Samsung Galaxy S11 to come with 5x telescopic zoom and 108MP main camera

26 Sep

Huawei with the P30 Pro and OPPO with the Reno are still the only manufacturers to offer folded-tele-optics in their respective smartphone camera systems. According to South Korean technology publication The Elec they might soon be joined by Samsung, though.

The company started mass production of a 5x optical zoom camera module back in May. In in its report, The Elec claims the new tele camera will debut in the next generation Galaxy S11 device and will be accompanied by a 108MP main camera.

Like other recent high-resolution smartphone sensors, the 108MP juggernaut will likely not be designed to output full resolution images but instead deliver image data that can be subjected to all sorts of computational imaging trickery, resulting in better detail, lower noise, a wider dynamic range and better zoom performance among others.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics has released a video which shows the new lens design and how it works in detail. The module is only 5mm tall which means it fits even in thin smartphone bodies without protruding too much. Light is diverted onto the sensor via a prism. The latter is tilting to provide image stabilization which makes a lot of sense for the lens long maximum focal length.

Samsung launched the Note 10 flagship series with a more conventional camera not too long ago but we should be able to see the new design in the S11 models which are expected to launch sometime next spring.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Honor 20 Pro to come with first F1.4 aperture on a smartphone

16 May
Honor 20 Pro, night mode

The Honor 20 Pro, the latest flagship smartphone of Huawei’s Honor sub-brand, is scheduled to launch next week but Zhao Ming, President of Honor smartphone, has already given us a preview of the device’s camera capability, revealing some sample photos captured on the phone.

Two images were captured with the upcoming device’s new night mode and the results looks pretty promising, with similar exposure and dynamic range to what we’ve seen on the Huawei P30 Pro. The EXIF-data also reveals that the 20 Pro will be the first smartphone to come with an ultra-fast F1.4 aperture.

Honor 20 Pro, night mode

The third shows a capture from the 20 Pro’s 12MP ultra-wide angle camera.

Additional information provided by the manufacturer confirms a quad-camera setup including a time-of-flight depth sensor, a 48MP primary sensor that will likely output 12MP images for improved noise levels and dynamic range. In combination with the fast aperture and night mode that could make the upcoming a Honor an interesting option for smartphone night photography.

Honor 20 Pro, ultra-wide-angle

Other specs that are already known include a 6.26″ IPS display with FullHD+ resolution, a Kirin 980 chipset and 6GB of RAM. Looking at the sample shots and specs the Honor 20 Pro could potentially be the 2019 smartphone of choice for those mobile photographers who don’t want to spend Huawei P30 Pro or iPhone XS Max money. We’ll know more next week.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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ZTE’s next flagship phone might come with a sideways-sliding camera

18 Mar
Image: Notebook Italia

Last year we witnessed the appearance of upwards-sliding mechanisms and hole-punch displays on smartphones, both technologies designed to conceal the front camera and maximize the screen-to-body ratio.

Now it looks like Chinese manufacturer ZTE has come up with a modified version of the sliding mechanism. If the images posted by Italian publication Notebook Italia are genuine, the company’s upcoming high-end model Axon S will feature a sideways-sliding mechanism that hides both front and rear cameras.

Image: Notebook Italia

The advantages of the latter aren’t quite clear (as no additional display surface is freed up) but the feature definitely results in a design that makes the Axon S stand out from the crowd.

Labels on the device indicate the three cameras on the rear will include a 48MP primary unit and a 19MP secondary tele lens with 5x optical zoom. The primary camera will have an adjustable (F1.7-2.4) aperture and the tele camera module comes with an F3.8 aperture. The specifications of the third camera aren’t quite clear.

Image: Notebook Italia

We don’t know if or when the Axon S will be released or how much it will cost, but the device could be something to look forward to, both from a design and camera specification point of view.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Huawei P30 Pro to come with periscope-style tele lens and updated night mode

06 Mar

Huawei will unveil the successor of its P20 series smartphone at an event in Paris on the 26th of March. However, the company has already revealed a couple of interesting details about the P30 Pro camera to Android Central during a meeting at MWC in Barcelona.

According to Huawei’s VP of Global Product Marketing, Clement Wong, the top-of-the-range model in the P30 series will feature a periscope-style tele camera, similar to what we’ve seen on OPPO’s 10x prototype that is expected to make an appearance in a finalized product any day now.

Huawei hasn’t provided any information about the exact magnification the module will provide but given the P20 Pro already offered a 3x optical and 5x optical zoom last year, we’d expect an improvement over that. So maybe, the P30 Pro will beat OPPO to the line and be the first smartphone on the market to come with a 10x optical zoom.

A photo of the moon that was recently captured with the device in question by Huawei CEO Richard Yu would certainly indicate a zoom factor that is not available on any current smartphones.

Photo: Huawei

In addition to the powerful zoom, Huawei engineers have also been working to improve the previous generation’s low light capabilities. The company did not provide any detail but suggested the next version of its night camera will be major upgrade over the already pretty impressive existing one. Despite the current lack of detail, it seems there’s a lot to look forward to for mobile photographers at the Huawei launch in a few weeks time.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Huawei P30 Pro could come with periscope-style zoom lens

25 Jan

There’s a good chance we’ll see a periscope-design 10x zoom smartphone camera from Chinese manufacturer OPPO at MWC this year. However, it looks like rival Huawei could follow soon after.

According to reports from people using engineering samples, Huawei’s upcoming P-series flagship model, the P30 Pro, could come with a periscope zoom module for large optical magnification. The primary camera will likely use a new 6-series image sensor from Sony, possibly the 1/1.8″ 38MP IMX607 model.

Its sister model, the P30, is said to keep the existing triple-camera setup of the current Mate 20 Pro.

The rumors also say that both phones will now feature an OLED display, insteaf of only the Pro version. This is necessitated by a move to optical in-display fingerprint readers. Both devices will be powered by Huawei’s Kirin 980 chipset with 8GB of RAM on the standard model and 12GB on the Pro.

With its triple-cam models P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro Huawei has released two of the best camera phones in 2018 and it looks like the company has no intentions to slow down. We’ll know more in a few weeks time around MWC in Barcelona.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Samsung Galaxy S10 to come with ultra-wide-angle, regular and tele-cameras

04 Oct

Huawei started the trend only a few months ago with the P20 Pro, but it seems as though triple-camera setups on smartphones will be the norm in the very near future. We learned recently that LG’s upcoming flagship V40 ThinQ will come with both an ultra-wide-angle and a tele-camera next to its “standard” lens.

Now it appears Samsung will be the next major manufacturer to follow suit. We have heard rumors about a Galaxy S10 triple-cam before but a newly leaked specs table has revealed what’s suspected to be the complete camera specification.

The main camera looks unchanged from the Galaxy S9+, with a 12MP sensor (1.4µm pixels) and Samsung’s F1.5 / F2.4 dual aperture. The tele-camera comes with a slightly increased pixel count (13MP vs 12Mp on the S9+) but retains the F2.4 aperture and 1.0µm pixel size. Both lenses are optically stabilized.

The ultra wide camera is completely new, however, and according to the leak will offer a 123° field of view and feature a 16MP sensor and F1.9 aperture. “Beyond” is Samsung’s internal code name for the S10 of which three models are expected to be announced in the first quarter 2019. The camera specification above is likely reserved for the top-end model.

The S10 won’t be Samsung’s first triple-camera, however. The Korean manufacturer has already released the Galaxy A7. The mid-ranger has to make do without a tele-camera, though, and instead reserves one of its camera for depth-sensing for a simulated bokeh-effect.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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