Everyone is asking what exactly this new Liquid Lens Technology is after Xiaomi just introduced the Mi Mix Fold with the first Liquid Lens on a smartphone. It has been in development for more than fifteen years, thus it isn’t really a new technology. Although the Mi Mix Fold’s Liquid Lens is advertised as having both zoom and macro photo-capturing capabilities in one lens, there is more to this technology. Because of this, we have written this essay to provide you with a thorough understanding of liquid lens technology. So with that in mind, let’s learn about the benefits and drawbacks of liquid lens technology.
Liquid Lens Technology: Everything Explained (2021)
Everything from the definition of liquid lenses in general to how they function, their advantages and disadvantages, and more has been discussed in this article. You can expand the table below as needed and navigate to the appropriate area.
What is Liquid Lens Technology?
You must first learn how the conventional camera system functions in order to comprehend Liquid Lens technology. Traditional cameras, whether they are found on DSLRs or cellphones, are mechanical in design. When I say mechanical, I mean that you must first change the lens on a DSLR before using a motor to mechanically zoom in on a subject.
Similar to this, using a smartphone requires changing the lens to a telephoto one in order to take images of objects that are far away. The procedure is very mechanical and physical in both cases. Changing lenses, zooming in, determining the depth of field, and focusing on the subject all take too much time. In addition, employing a single lens to capture photographs with varied focal lengths is not possible with a standard camera system. For instance, using a single lens will prevent you from taking an ultra-wide angle, telephoto, or macro photograph.
For various shooting situations, you will need to swap between dedicated lenses with various focal lengths. To enable a multi-lens camera system on contemporary smartphones, we see a huge camera module. The conventional camera system that we are familiar with today is confined by a single focal length and a relatively slow mechanical process. Origin: Varioptic
The goal of liquid lens technology is to change this and free you from lens shackles. A novel technology allows for the instantaneous creation of various focus lengths using a water and oil combination. You don’t need to swap out the lenses in a Liquid Lens system. Multiple focal lengths can be produced from a single lens, and it focuses considerably more quickly than a conventional camera system.
How Does a Liquid Lens Work?
It’s extremely clever how Liquid Lenses function. Liquid lenses employ electricity to modify the focus length as opposed to the mechanical camera technology. The main factor that makes liquid lenses so quick is because of this. It is a proven truth that bringing a stream of water closer to an electric field causes it to shift course. Here, the water stream is being bent to a different shape by an electric field. Source: Youtube.com / Applied Science
This shift in water’s structure is vital in this situation and the foundation of Liquid Lens technology. A water droplet’s shape can be altered by applying voltage to it to give it a varied curve. Electrowetting is the name of this procedure. It may quickly alter the form of a water droplet to produce a positive, negative, or neutral curvature. And a single lens may now provide several focus lengths thanks to it.
Additionally, the form is modified electronically in a Liquid Lens system, making the transition between various focal lengths incredibly quick. It’s crucial to keep in mind that the attention speed is also significantly improved. The focus speed is greatly improved by Liquid Lenses, which, in contrast to mechanical camera systems, can determine the depth-of-field and determine how far or close the object is in real-time. Source: Youtube.com and Edmund Optics
Now, with just a single Liquid Lens, you may capture a zoomed-in image, an ultra-wide photo, a conventional wide image, or a macro image where there isn’t any predetermined focusing distance, all with incredible precision and considerably more quickly.
How is Liquid Lens Different From Traditional Optical Lens?
The glass optical lenses used in conventional camera systems have a set curvature radius. Liquid lenses, on the other hand, are tiny cells that hold an optical-grade liquid made of a combination of water and oil that can change its shape to produce lenses with varying curvatures and focal lengths. The main distinction between liquid lenses and optical lenses is thus this. Origin: Varioptic
Additionally, as I already explained, liquid lenses discover the depth of field and focus on subjects considerably faster than optical lenses. Liquid lenses can lock the focus well even while the subject is moving, whereas optical lenses find it difficult to do so.
Pros and Cons of Liquid Lenses
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Pros
Liquid lenses have a number of benefits over conventional optical lenses. For starters, it’s far smaller in size than large DSLR lenses. Additionally, compared to a motorised camera, it is much faster, has a variety of focus lengths, and uses much less electricity. The fact that Liquid Lenses is the ideal option for smartphone cameras is what I enjoy most about them.
A huge camera module with numerous lenses is not necessary. You only need one Liquid Lens for your device to handle all focal lengths. In addition, Liquid Lenses offer respectable picture stabilisation. Currently, the liquid’s primary function is to produce various curvatures, though it can also aid in image stabilisation.
The Liquid Lenses are currently used in a variety of industrial applications where mechanised inspection requires machine vision. But it’s also rapidly gaining acceptance in the medical community for surgeries when the lens has a small focusing region.
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Cons
The technology behind liquid lenses is currently in the development stage and requires some significant upgrades before it can be widely used. The Liquid Lens technology is relatively young; Bruno Berge created it for the first time in 2002. Currently, Berge is the CEO of Varioptic, a company owned by Corning, the producer of Gorilla Glass. One problem that needs to be resolved in this camera technology, according to experts, is light scattering. Additionally, the researchers need to stop fluids from flowing in small areas. Mi combine and fold liquid lenses
For the record, Samsung and Varioptic teamed in 2006 to introduce Liquid Lenses to its smartphone, but the plan failed to materialise.
Liquid Lenses: Are You Ready For the Future of Camera Technology?
The Mi Mix Fold from Xiaomi, the first company to incorporate a 3x 30x liquid lens into a smartphone, was recently released. We must now wait and see if Liquid Lenses has corrected its flaws and whether it is prepared for widespread adoption or not.
