In India, Vivo released its flagship X90 and X90 Pro smartphones. The first significant launch of 2023, the X90 series returns with Zeiss-powered optics and a 1-inch sensor.
Since 2020, Vivo and Zeiss have collaborated on smartphone cameras, raising anticipation for the X90 Pro. Four years of smartphone camera R&D is unusual. Carl Zeiss powered the first Nokia N-series phone cameras in 2005.
Zeiss said the firms have collaborated on R&D for the complete imaging and aesthetic experience. Business Insider India interviewed Oliver Schindelbeck, senior smartphone technology manager at Zeiss Consumer Products, and Keshav Chugh, product manager, Camera R&D, Vivo India, to understand it.
Schindelbeck has developed phone cameras with Nokia-Zeiss for over two decades.
The epidemic spawned the first Vivo x Zeiss camera.
Vivo and Zeiss have worked on the X60, X70, X80, and X90. Schindelbeck told Business Insider India that the Vivo-Zeiss partnership began during the pandemic’s height.
“We started this collaboration with X60, and naturally, as with a new collaboration, we needed to learn about each other and get started,” he stated. We developed a simple collaboration method. It’s nearly three years since Covid hit.
Online setup was required. Last autumn was our first encounter with Chinese Vivo people. Video calls, emails, and other technological communication organized everything.”
Schindelbeck said they updated the development process for the next generation of gadgets based on their learnings. The X90 series examines the imaging chain from capture to display.
Beyond marketing
Schindelbeck said Zeiss branding requires a standard. Vivo and Zeiss cooperate on devices and future technologies. First, devices are developed, including camera system optics and software certification. R&D for technology that is not tied to a product has a long-term goal of creating technologies for five to ten years or longer.
“Yeah, so what I can easily say is it’s not just branding, I would say it’s just a cream on the cake,” Schindelbeck added.
He continued, “In research, you think you have a beautiful idea that could be revolutionary technology. It doesn’t function with the smartphone despite years of labor. It’s tedious yet fascinating since it’s groundbreaking, but you need patience.”
Keshav Chugh, product manager, Camera R&D, Vivo India, added, “…Most of their collaboration (of other brands) is just software. Hardware and software cooperation with Zeiss. They are providing lenses and the T-star coating, which changes how the sensor sees light. Zeiss is a 100-year-old firm, therefore using their brand name is difficult.
What makes the camera system?
Schindelbeck said the firms had a clear development process, starting with specs and requirements and considering next-generation equipment.
He said the two teams decide on image quality factors like what to give to the consumer. They specify the optical system to attain such goals. It covers module size, sensor choice, and lens fit. After the optical system is developed, the Zeiss team utilizes simulation tools to test thread-and-core performance andconstruct system flares.
The Zeiss team evaluates the coatings’ performance based on the simulation. Camera module hardware prototypes are produced afterward. Zeiss’ German and Chinese labs do final testing.
Schindelbeck says the largest obstacle is that the development period is so short, so they need a rigorous process for measurements, prototype export, and testing in Germany to avoid issues in China. “Keeping this process lean and fast.”
Software facilitates phone photography for beginners.
Chugh told us that the new portrait option, Zeiss Cineflair, is a clever filter that mimics Hollywood Zeiss Cine lenses and generates camera flares. The backdrop and light source determine the filter’s layer type and size.
The device’s larger sensor, V2 Chip, and better night and HDR algorithms improve night movies,photographs, and portraits. The program allows handheld Astro mode content production without a tripod.
Schindelbeck stressed user-friendliness. Traditional cameras have many functionality but need tripods. The software’s features attempt to simplify and improve photography.
