It seems that Apple is going all out with the performance of its cameras for its future smartphone. Previously, we had reported than iPhone 14 Pro will be receiving a completely new 48MP sensor for its main camera, along with a couple of other cameras. We had also reported that the front camera would be an autofocus.
Now, it seems that Apple is thinking of taking things a step further, giving users an improved zoom system, thanks to an entirely new lens technology that Apple has recently patented. Note that the new iPhone 14 lineup will not get this new technology. The patent, which was first spotted by PatentlyApple, shows a new folded telephoto lens, with a novel single prism design. Folded lenses typically use complex systems of prisms and/or mirrors to deflect light sideways inside a smartphone case. However, when light passes through an optical element, it either refracts or diffracts, depending on the type of optical elements involved. What this means is that the more elements the light has to pass through, the worse the quality of the final image will be. In very rudimentary terms, Apple’s prism system can implement several different configurations of reflective surfaces, anti-reflective surfaces, and aperture masks to produce the desired result without the need for as many optical components. Sure, you’re losing light and so you’ll need higher ISOs or wider apertures, but the light the sensor will receive will be largely unrefracted or diffracted.
A telephoto lens that can be used in a smartphone without adding too much thickness to the body of the smartphone is notoriously difficult to manufacture, and even more difficult to calibrate. On top of that, the image that we get from these lenses can hardly be compared to the images that are taken with the normal main camera. If Apple really gets its new system to work, future iPhones will have the best camera systems overall, which, in addition to taking great pictures with just the main camera, will also be able to take some really impressive pictures with the telephoto lens. It will also help Apple come up with a much-needed new digital zoom system for cameras. Via: FirstPost
