Modern smartphone lenses are crazy (twitter.com)

Article summary

The article discusses the design of modern smartphone lenses, citing the iPhone 7's lens as an example of a highly aspherical lens with many correction coefficients. This design breaks the existing poly optics implementation from a 2016 paper. The complexity of smartphone lenses has increased significantly in recent years. The conversation around the article explores the capabilities and limitations of smartphone cameras compared to traditional cameras.

Main themes

• Smartphone camera capabilities
• Traditional camera vs smartphone
• Photography techniques and creativity
• Camera equipment and technical flexibility
• Convenience and accessibility in photography

What commenters say

• Smartphone cameras have improved significantly, making them suitable for most photography needs, but may not replace traditional cameras for specific use cases.
• The quality of a photo depends more on the photographer and post-processing than the camera used.
• Some photographers prefer traditional cameras for their technical flexibility and image quality, particularly in low-light conditions.
• Others find that smartphone cameras are 'good enough' for their needs and prefer the convenience they offer.
• The pursuit of better camera equipment can be driven by a desire for technical flexibility, but may not necessarily lead to better photos.
• Smartphone cameras have liberated photography by making it more accessible and convenient, but may also lead to a lack of creativity due to their ease of use.