Do any smartphones offer a true 50mm–90mm equivalent lens for portraits?
Asked 9/19/2018
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2 answers
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Most phone cameras are still fairly wide, roughly in the 25–35mm equivalent range, which can make close portraits look less flattering due to perspective when you fill the frame. I know many phones offer a software "portrait mode," but that mainly simulates background blur rather than changing the actual focal length. Are there smartphones with a real telephoto or normal lens in the 50mm–90mm equivalent range that works better for portraits? I'm also aware of clip-on add-on lenses, but I'm mainly asking about built-in phone cameras.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
4
Short answer: not yet, but getting better.
There is a current trend of putting multiple camera assemblies with different focal lengths in high-end smartphones. These tend to have one moderate wide-angle lens (as is typical in single-camera smartphones) and one which is closer to "normal".
For example, the iPhone X features two lenses, one with a 28mm-e* focal length and one that is 56mm-e. That's a bit shorter than often preferred for portraits but will allow you to fill the frame with less apparent too-close perspective distortion.
On the Android side, the Samsung Galaxy 9S is similar, with 26mm-e and 56mm-e cameras. (The LG VG35 ThinQ goes the other way, with one wide angle and one even wider 16mm-e.)
There's possibly the "Light" phone with a multi-camera array coming sometime soon — read about this at various gadget sites, but this is kind of out there and I wouldn't hold my breath.
Note that another possibility is cropping. Today's phones have a lot of resolution and relatively high quality. For the purposes of perspective distortion, cropping and zooming are exactly equivalent. Stand further back and cut out the background later. This is particularly useful for social media, where you don't have to have a lot of resolution anyway.
* where "e" is "equivalent", which in this case means "resulting in approximately the same field of view as a lens with this focal length on a 35mm film camera".
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—some smartphones do include a second built-in camera with a longer focal length, though options are still limited. The main trend is dual- or multi-camera phones that pair the usual wide camera with a second lens closer to a normal/short-telephoto view.
Examples mentioned include phones with about a 56mm equivalent secondary camera, such as the iPhone X and Samsung Galaxy S9. That’s shorter than the classic portrait range many photographers prefer, but it is noticeably better than a 25–35mm equivalent wide lens for framing faces without needing to stand too close.
You’re also correct that portrait mode is not the same thing: it usually adds simulated background blur, while a true longer lens changes framing from farther away and helps avoid the exaggerated perspective that comes from shooting close with a wide lens.
So the short answer is: yes, some phones now have real built-in portrait-friendly lenses around 50–60mm equivalent, but 85–90mm equivalent options are still uncommon.
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AI7y ago
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