Why do dual cameras become the mainstream configuration of smart phones?

Restrictions on the development of mobile phone cameras

Compared with mirrorless cameras and SLR cameras with large sensor chips, smartphone cameras still have a long way to go to achieve their image quality. However, it must also be noted that the current smartphone camera is good enough from a certain point of view.

With the development of hardware technology of small sensors and the improvement of software technology such as automatic HDR, smart phone cameras can shoot various scenes. If you watch photos on the device screen, the quality is good enough. ?

However, in the technological progress of camera sensors, the problem of smaller and smaller returns is emerging. In fact, if you look at the statistics of Yahoo's online photo album Flickr, you can know that many smartphone users today already think that their mobile phone cameras are good enough to take photos.

In other words, small advances in sensors, such as better pixels or improved image quality in low light conditions, are difficult to bring big changes to mobile phone photography, and mobile phone manufacturers need other big moves to make their shooting functions stand out.

Flexibility of multi-focal length

If you look at two photos taken by LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7, it seems that the image quality of S7 is better, but in fact, the photos of G5 are more delicious and can make people look at them.

The dual cameras of G5 mobile phone provide a better shooting experience. There is a simple reason. This mobile phone has two focal lengths, and photographers can get better picture quality by comparison.

Many professional photographers carry multiple lenses when they go out to shoot, which obviously makes sense. Lenses with different focal lengths bring different feelings to the picture, and ideal shooting results can be obtained in scenes such as long-distance shooting or multi-person shooting.

So if Apple plans to use dual cameras in smartphones, the reason is not hard to imagine.

Effectively increase the sensor size

With the dual camera configuration, the smart phone can double the camera chip that collects light without expanding the size of the phone.

The newly added second camera not only provides a new focal length, but also improves the shooting effect in other aspects. For example, Huawei's P9 new mobile phone, although the focal length and pixel resolution of the two cameras are the same, is equivalent to adding a black and white camera.

In black and white photography, Leica, Huawei's supplier, has very mature technology.

Shallow depth of field

Today's smartphones can take amazing photos, especially during the day. However, one of the shortcomings of mobile phone cameras is that they cannot imitate the shallow depth of field of large-size sensors.

Different from contrast and other indicators, the depth of field has some unique physical limitations, and it is difficult to achieve interesting depth of field effects through different combinations of lenses and sensors. Professional cameras are generally larger, for a reason.

However, if the mobile phone has a second camera, the user can measure the depth of field information, which can simulate the real depth of field in the post-processing of digital photos. In addition, photographers can adjust the depth of field according to their own preferences.

Mobile phone photography is more like professional photography?

An excellent professional photographer can shoot excellent works with smart phones, but even the best people will still feel the creative limitations brought by mobile phone cameras in some scenes.

By adding a second camera, not only can the quality of photos taken by the first camera be improved, but also different shooting angles or more depth of field options can be provided, which means that mobile phone manufacturers have more differentiated space in taking photos.

Of course, for those photographers whose technology is improving, dual cameras will bring more creative space.