Interview: Sony reveals the secrets behind Xperia 1 IV's continuous zoom
Earlier this month, Sony announced its next generation Xperia phones - the Xperia 1 IV and Xperia 10 IV. Apart from the hefty $1,600 price tag, the flagship model features one really cool trick in its camera system - continuous optical zoom.
The Japanese company introduced the concept of physically moving the lenses inside the camera system with the Xperia 1 III but it was only able to switch between two fixed focal lengths. With the Xperia 1 IV, Sony finally achieved true continuous zoom - all the way between 85mm and 125mm.
It's a milestone for mobile photography, and not a small feat in and of itself - purely from technical standpoint but also as a bold commercial statement. Sony keeps on going against the grain, trying to prove its own point in the smartphone universe, and we have to respect the company for that.
In general with the optical zoom lens system, depending on the zoom lens unit position (85-125 in case of Xperia 1 IV), optical characteristics are different, such as lens shading, distortion, aberration, etc.
We took our Xperia 1 IV questions all the way to Japan, and Sony was kind enough to provide us with answers. Today we're talking with Hiroshi Takano - Product Marketing Dept. Planning and Marketing Division, Mobile Communications Business Group, Sony Corporation, and Hiroki Takizawa - Planning Dept. Planning and Marketing Division, Mobile Communications Business Group, Sony Corporation.
Q: First of all, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions! Back when the Xperia 1 III was announced, Mr. Takano Kouji said that it was not impossible to make that system offer continuous zoom throughout the whole focal range. It seems that you have achieved that in the Xperia 1 IV with its 85-125mm zoom camera system. Was this the plan right from the beginning?
A: We definitely had a plan to include a continuous zoom in Xperia. In our future planning we strive to find solutions to customer’s pain points and having a continuous zoom is something that we know will be appreciated by our customers. This time for Xperia 1 IV, we achieved continuous zoom with high AF performance at all focal lengths in the telephoto lens.
Q: What was the main challenge with the 85-125mm system and transforming the fixed zoom system from the Xperia 1 III into a continuous zoom camera, able to offer all the focal lengths between 85 and 125mm? And second, why did you choose this exact focal range?
A: In general with the optical zoom lens system, depending on the zoom lens unit position (85-125 in case of Xperia 1 IV), optical characteristics are different, such as lens shading, distortion, aberration, etc. Thus as a total camera system, applying proper compensation for those parameters is needed for every zoom lens position.
In Xperia 1 IV to make this happen two things are implemented, 1) optical characteristics measurement in camera module production and 2) compensation in camera signal processing. These are quite complex procedures as you can imagine.
Then on top of having optical zoom, Xperia 1 IV achieved the seamless zoom which can continuously zoom up from 16mm to 24, up to 375mm while video recording. This also requires a complex process in smartphone production. For this, 3 different lenses are used. Each lens’ White point is calibrated at the camera module production, but these may have a slight deviation.
Hiroshi Takano, Product Marketing Dept. Planning and Marketing Division, Mobile Communications Business Group, Sony Corporation
Q: Can you please give us some insights at how exactly the system works (if possible). Are you using mechanical actuators to move the lens elements inside or is it some kind of an electrostatic system? How does this affect the battery life of the Xperia 1 IV?
A: Yes, it’s using mechanical actuators to move the zoom lens unit, focus lens unit and optical image stabilization unit. It doesn’t affect the battery life so much since it’s not moving all the time.
Q: As with all systems that have moving parts, wear and tear could be an issue in the long run. How many cycles of zoom-in, zoom-out (or hours of work) can the Xperia 1 IV 85-125mm camera system withstand?
A: We evaluated it based on achieving Sony’s standards but we do not comment on the number of cycles.
Q: Will we see this system in other Xperia smartphones in the future - the second generation of the Xperia PRO-I, for example?
Q: Do you plan to bring other features from Sony’s Cyber-shot and Alpha cameras to the Xperia range in the future?
A: Our strategy is to take full advantages of the technological expertise within the Sony Group, from consumer to professional.
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