LG V40 ThinQ: How 5 Cameras Push the Limits of Phone Photography

As we have already written, the addition of the zoom function, especially at telephoto, is one of the last frontiers to take into account in phone photography. Digital zoom, no matter how smartly implemented, has not been able to reproduce the quality of a good optical zoom. As a result, phone manufacturers have begun adding a second, longer focal length lens to their flagship devices to help users zoom in and get more natural portraits. LG pushed this approach further, with three full cameras on the back of his new V40. In addition to the common 2x telephoto lens, it has a wide-angle lens. On the front, the V40 is equipped with a pair of cameras allowing it to produce a more accurate estimate of depth and, therefore, to obtain a more pleasant background blur for portraits or artistic shots.

The 5 cameras of the V40 in figures

The V40 includes three main (rear-facing) cameras: a 16 MP wide-angle lens with a 107-degree field of view, a 12MP standard with an f / 1.5 lens, and a 12MP 2x telephoto lens. It should be noted that LG has also integrated a larger sensor into its main camera. It is therefore equipped with 1.4 micron larger pixels, the same size as those of Apple's new flagship phones. The rear camera system uses phase-detection autofocus (PDAF) which, according to LG, allows a 50% faster focus than previous models. The shutter lag has also been reduced by half.

The front cameras are a 5MP wide angle with a 90 degree field of view and a standard 8MP camera. Both cameras allow an adjustable background blur created synthetically with the help of a stereo depth estimate. We have not used V40 ourselves yet. So I can not comment directly on the quality of the images, but the first demo images and reviews indicate that even though each camera is a high-performance artist, it does not live up to the standards set by D & # 39, other high-lights. In particular, the telephoto camera has no optical stabilization, so it has problems in low light. The Verge is also complaining of the excessive sharpness of the images from the main camera.

The 3 cameras of the V40 return to the era of rangefinders

My father and grandfather both photographed with telemetry systems that eventually became the ones I learned from. They each included a wide angle lens, standard and light for telephoto. You can see the framing achieved with each lens by looking at the pre-marked frames in the viewfinder. The V40's Camera app is as close as anything I've seen on a phone to recreate that feeling. While watching the scene on the screen, you can choose one of three preview thumbnails to switch between cameras. Basically, you get some of the flexibility of interchangeable lenses without having to physically change the goals. One of the unique advantages of multiple cameras is that you can capture images of all three at the same time using what LG calls Triple Shot.

You do not need to choose between the prospects with the V40. He can capture all three focal lengths with Triple Shot

Of course, the lenses each have a fixed aperture, so they can not optically alter their depth of focus. This is left to computer imaging software that uses depth estimation from multiple cameras to approximate the appropriate blur level for the desired simulated aperture. This has become quite common in dual camera phones, and Google even uses a single camera with two pixels to do the same thing. By adding a third wide-angle camera, the V40 can estimate the stereo depth over the entire field of view of the main camera (while dual-camera systems with a single telephoto camera only have stereo at the center of the camera). the main camera image).

Many fancy photo modes, gadgets or not

It seems that every new phone camera must surpass others by adding new photo tours. I'm sure they'll get used to it, but for many photographers, these are just gadgets. With this in mind, the V40 features Cine Shot modes (a kind of vivid image), 3D Light Effect (think portrait lighting), Makeup Pro (Embellishment), Custom Background, My Avatar and AR Emoji.

The composition of the IA could well be the star of the year

Most reports on the V40's camera modes have focused on the now-standard tips of portrait, motion picture and background blur modes. Like the G7, the V40 also includes LG's AI Camera feature, which will automatically adjust the camera's settings (including shutter speed) and suggest the appropriate filters based on the objects it recognizes in the camera. the scene.

V40's AI Composition feature suggests ways to frame the scene

However, having a wide angle camera still powered gives the V40 a new trick: it suggests the composition and framing. While others have used artificial intelligence to suggest framing and cropping, this feature has only limited utility if you are stuck at a given focal length. The V40 can watch the larger scene captured with its wide-angle lens and use its artificial intelligence to suggest options for framing parts of it with the aid of a standard lens or lens. a telephoto lens. It's still early to say how artificial intelligence is performing, but for those who still complain that their photos look boring, it should be able to interest them, or at least help them develop their creativity by thinking to options.

2 front cameras for selfies and group shots

Although most selfies always feature a portrait of the photographer, group selfies are an increasingly popular way to document and share events. For large groups, or when it is important to see the location in the background, the small field of view of the typical front camera is limited. A selfie stick can help by allowing you to move the camera away from the group, but it's far from an ideal solution. The V40 provides a second front camera with a 90 degree field of view for this situation. If you simply capture a group shot with a lens of this width, the distortion would be very bad, so the V40 software tries to clean it for you.

A wide-angle front camera allows you to better frame group selfies.

How many cameras is enough?

Phone providers will certainly not stop with four or five cameras, at least as an option for those who want to make the most of photography over the phone. We already know that Light.co is working on a version with at least five cameras facing the back. Additional cameras and enhanced computer imaging are currently the only ways to improve phone photography without the need for the larger form factor of add-ons like the Hasselblad module for Motorola or the larger form factor of the camera. RED Hydrogen One. The biggest question is what additional camera types will be added, how their images will be combined and whether the use of Light.co 's folded optics will become mainstream.

Now read: The technology behind the RED phone screen, the best Android phones for photographers and phone photography on an African safari.