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.
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.
The focal length of about 85mm-125mm is often used in portrait videography and photography on ILCs. The strength of Xperia is to adjust AF to humans and animals and it is a very good match with such focal lengths. It expands the telephoto range for portrait and pet shooting.
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: Sony will create products that connect creators and users, and will continue to evolve as their most trusted and loved brand.
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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