Find out why modern smartphones have so many cameras on the back (Photo: TheRegisti/Unsplash)
In the past, smartphones were just portable communication devices with simple rear cameras and a modest flash.
Today, they have become real machines, capable of doing much more than powerful computers. In addition to having chips that can handle heavy games like portable consoles, they also have so many cameras that, in some cases, they can compete with professional lenses.
But why do smartphones have so many cameras? This happens because the systems needed to adjust lenses and camera sensors, like those found in professional cameras, simply wouldn’t fit into the thin profile of a smartphone.
That’s why smartphones have multiple cameras, each with a specific purpose and designed to excel in different scenarios.
Now, what are they for? Generally, modern smartphones have at least three types of lenses: a main camera, a telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide lens.
The main camera works to deliver versatile, balanced photos for everyday use, and it’s usually where the highest number of megapixels is concentrated in the device.
In an ideal world, a photo taken with the main camera is as close as a smartphone can get to the human eye.
The telephoto lens (or telephoto lens) provides optical zoom to bring the photo’s view closer. In good smartphones, the drop in image quality is minimal, whereas in cameras that use digital zoom (i.e., where the software zooms in on the image), the quality significantly degrades.
This camera is also great for taking portrait photos, as it slightly blurs the background to focus on what’s in front.
Finally, the ultra-wide lens allows users to expand the photo’s field of view. It’s really useful when trying to frame several people in a family photo or when you need to capture a very large object, such as a skyscraper.
Photo and video: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
