The optical zoom capacity in the process. Slightly altering the other internal components of the phone, further increasing Smartphone makers have the flexibility to make the periscope tunnel longer by In such cases, if you want to increase the optical zoom, the camera bump has to be much, much thicker, which is simply not feasible for a phone. The maximum optical zoom range provided by periscope architecture is higher compared to a phone with a regular 2X telephoto camera with the lens elements stacked vertically. When users adjust the zoom level in the viewfinder, the internal lens elements move away from the sensor to provide the necessary zooming effect. The prism bends the light at 90-degree which then passes through the lens elements and then falls on the sensor where it is processed.Ī longer tunnel increases the gap between lens elements and the sensor so that the scope of movement is higher for the lens, which directly means higher zoom output. The top end has a rectangular opening for collecting light which then falls on a prism. This is achieved by using an L-shaped tunnel. However, using a periscope architecture lets designers arrange the lens and sensor in such a way that lens element have more space to move, thereby extending the optical zoom range significantly. This is because there needs to be more gap between the sensor and lens elements to move vertically and create the optical zoom range, which is not possible in the cramped space of a smartphone. However, the sleek form factor of a phone does not allow so much space. Doing so also pushes forward the lens and the internal array, providing an optical zoom that is lossless and does not affect image quality while zooming. When it comes to cameras, the lens body protrudes from the main kit and also extends out when needed.