The Oppo Find X3 microscope camera is the kind of device I’m here to

The Oppo Find X3 microscope camera is the kind of device I’m here to

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Not a year goes by without a phone manufacturer trying out some kind of trick with the camera system. But Oppo’s new Find X3 Pro has a trick that is really really cool: a camera that is practically a microscope.

Well, Oppo is calling it the ‘Microlens’ camera, but whatever you call it, it is capable of magnifying objects up to 60x. This puts you more in the territory of a basic microscope (40x, 100x and 400x are common magnifications) than, say, tacky macro lenses on some cameras, where it is generally better to cut a higher resolution. Of course, it is not enough for the resolution of spying on cells, but it will still yield you some pretty cool close-ups.

To use some samples of Oppo, here are some seaweed:

Interesting, I think. Here is a close up with the Microlenses:

Wow!

Sure, these are embellished, but even the photos we’ve seen of journalists with access to phones are already much more interesting than what you usually get with artificial cameras. Here are some examples from YouTuber Mr mobile:

Here are some examples of Andy Boxall from Digital Trends:

It is true that they are not images of the highest quality in traditional terms – after all, the camera has a measly 3 megapixels. And it must be complicated to keep objects in focus with such a shallow depth of field and the instability of such magnifications. Still, these are images that you simply don’t get on other devices, and at least the Oppo includes a ring of light around the lens to help keep objects lit.

You may be thinking that this is just another fad, like the innovative optics seen on so many phones. And who knows, maybe the Microlens camera will disappear in a year or two. But unlike, say, a monochrome or depth camera – or even a traditional ‘Macro’ lens – the micro lenses on the Oppo Find X3 allow you to capture images that you wouldn’t otherwise have.

That’s how you do a trick: deliver something that people haven’t seen before and can’t readily imitate. I wouldn’t be surprised to see others copy it over the line; maybe in 5 years, we will all have suitable microscopes in our pockets.