Xperia 1 IV - Zoom Lens in a Smartphone?

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Today Sony introduced the XPERIA 1 mark IV - this is the first smartphone with a true optical zoom lens. This lens acts as the telephoto lens offering zoom capabilities from 85-125mm in the portrait range. This is also a ground breaking smartphone with its ability to be used as an external monitor via USB-C, livestreaming video and gaming as well as audio recording capabilities. This phone is designed with content creators in mind.
Check out my other Sony XPERIA reviews • iPhone 12 Mini Review ...
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Ted Forbes
The Art of Photography
2830 S. Hulen, Studio 133
Fort Worth, TX 76109
US of A

[@rood91]

Super interesting phone. Nice to see Sony continuing to be innovative.

[@Biosynchro]

The folded optics part makes sense - you can't have a longer focal length otherwise. But the zoom part doesn't make sense, as it isn't even 2x. At the end of the day, though, it works.

[@Zealor365]

As an Apple user, and a photographer, this sounds like a very exciting project.

[@MrBillkaz]

Love that train photo !! Def getting you presets !

[@centerman066]

When you get a production version i would love to see a 1 IV vs. Pro I comparison! Thanks Ted. Always love your videos.

[@caesarbell]

WOW!!! I wait your next video about this phone!!!

[@NDakota79]

Interesting! Some people don't understand other phones don't have a zoom lens, but several fixed focal lengths. Everything in between is digital zoom. That's the difference here. I'm most interested in the video capabilities however. Just bought an iPhone 13 Pro Max for that sweet ProRes workflow.

[@donnawetter1513]

Most people don't know the difference between digital and real zoom. Then most people don't understand that having four lenses on a phone is also not a zoom.

[@NDakota79]

Please report all those spam comments!

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

@@NDakota79 I've reported the above (Telegram) comment as spam and it's still there. I think it's up to Ted to remove those comments. It appears he hasn't even looked at the comments since posting the video :-/

[@delicrux]

A older xperia z1 had a 21 mp with 10x optical zoom

[@matthewswanson2707]

Another must buy Sony product!!

[@shyamalganguly3598]

Sony is always innovative be it a camera system or anything else electronic!! Now they are about to launch their Xeparia 1 IV with a telephoto 85-125mm zoom lens and I'm super thrilled that they have made a tiny step toward a giant leap in the mobile camera system!! I'm interested to know how the zoom works over a range of focal lengths sitting in the same plane; I presume, a single lens is made in such a manner, I don't know if it's true, that it's got different surface curvature to varying orientations on the same plane!! And my God, if it matches, voila, we are heading for a wide-open league of modern camera systems and a peculiar lens system too!! I'm so eagerly awaiting the fullest review of the forthcoming phone!!

[@Lito-gs4rb]

Interesting video. Im interested in your preset pack. Is it also for lightroom mobile and do I get dng files or only xmp?

[@steffenkraulich9807]

Im coming from Xperia 1II and looking for the new IV. But how is the picturequality of the Zoom Lens because of the smaller sensor at night? Better buy the 1 III?

[@santiagoorozco28]

loved the traditional camera speal makes it understandable

[@JayShailendra]

Thanks for the first look

[@RuXsel]

Have u tried it with off camera flash wifi? Does it have that function?

[@VladimirNaumoff]

I would be really interested to see final review of that phone. Also, like to hear some video specs on this devece.

[@sudipchatterjee]

Those images, my goodness! 😍

[@alexistvergara]

Superb. So glad they don‘t change the formula.

[@centerman066]

Ted can i use your presets on a mobile device?

[@BrasilOO7]

Appealing device... thanks for presenting. Did you test the autofocus capabilites for shooting "action" (children...)? Thanks and best regards

[@udoberend5178]

Nice, no video sample?

[@erolon17]

Do you know if Sony updated the ability to shoot in RAW while in BURST mode? I have the Xperia 5ii it will only allow jpeg while in BURST mode

[@rauldeandrade]

I love Sony phones, but back in the day of the Samsung Galaxy S3 there was a Samsung with true zoom lens. It was more of a camera with a phone attached to it, but it takes the "first" claim by more than a decade

[@Gj_frames]

I remember that one, they also made one with a built in projector 😅 Nokia had optical zoom in there Symbian phone N93 as well, and that where a long time ago! 😅

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

Well that's just using old hardware and bolt on a smartphone OS on it. It barely works well, now with optical zoom and also 4K 120 on it, you can actually make a pretty damn great cinematic Bokeh slow MO shot out of it. See AUXOUT test video on it.

[@alimzazaz]

I wonder what they can do with that if computational photography is available back then

[@donnawetter1513]

I don't now, guess I'm more a fan of fixed focal length on phones to save space that can go into more light getting in and a bigger sensor. Got the S22U and just love the 70mm and 230mm lens options.

[@ricardobertuldo9744]

you'll love it if samsung did it. bobo

[@abdullahmubarak6840]

Nice that they upgraded the moving lens to make a zoom lens. The next one would probably carry 2 zoom lenses. :O

[@AboutCreativity1]

Very good, Keep going! Question: I am located here in Greece. How many different options do I have to buy (location) a Sony phone? After buy service is essential to our family.

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

The youtube streaming option is the most interesting for em, also that music pro app, whether ritd be usable for Podcast ing on the fly, like on Hotel rooms.

[@thephotoroad]

Hi Ted, I’m interested in buying your photo presets, but I wasn’t sure if they’d work in Lightroom mobile. In this video you seemed to indicate you can use them in Lightroom mobile. Can u please confirm that and let me know how I can get them onto mobile? Thanks! And great video as always.

[@ES-qy2ju]

It should work, it syncs to your Adobe account

[@VWbobby94]

Would like to see how the audio improved from PY's generation

[@Darwinwasright167]

Wasn’t there a Samsung with a periscope like setup that was an optical zoom?

[@alexchin8262]

I have a Sony Xperia 5 II, and the fingerprint reader drives me nuts. Can you set the reader on the Xperia 1 IV so that it only reads when you click it? Or does it still scan whenever you brush your finger over it?

[@RamlyJer]

Yup it's so annoying sometimes, I avoid touching the fingerprint sensor if I don't want to unlock it. I wish Sony would add settings like on Xiaomi phones so we can set in the settings to read the fingerprint when we click the power button or not..

[@petrospetridis368]

A full review will be appreciated, but can you please focus on the difference on the camera hardware between mark III and IV? Most importantly for the main sensor the 24mm one. Not the zoom one, as it's not been used as frequently

[@OmarSS87]

Mark 3 vs Mark 4. 24mm = same imx557 (1/1.67" dual pixel like S21 and iphone 13 pro) 16mm = mark 4 has imx563, mark 3 has 363 85-125mm = new exmor 1/3.5" Front camera = imx667 , same used by pro-i 50mm , 1/2.9"

[@petrospetridis368]

@@OmarSS87 thanks, really helpful

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

Also all three of the MkIV being capable of 4K120fps shooting, that's the latest and most improtant capability of the sensors.

[@petrospetridis368]

@@MuhammadKharismawan my biggest complaint for Mark 4 though is the fact that we go from 24mm all the way up to 85mm. Nothing in between. One lense for 16mm, one for 24mm and another one same quality as 24mm, could have been available from 50mm to 85mm and that would make Mark 4 instantly THE best camera phone on the market for 2022

[@gareths9574]

@@petrospetridis368 best for who? I think the range is great, so there you go.

[@NativeWarrior081]

How much more brighter is the display outside on a bright day compared to the Xperia Pro-I? The low brightness made it hard to get accurate shots on the Xperia Pro-I in Manual!

[@ridwankhalil1998]

Almost s22 ultra level. Check other reviews

[@lovemademan]

TOP NOTCH HARDWARE for sure! Still not on par with the price software, and Sony should take care for most die hard fans at least! Just on point, pure honest and pro review! Thank you!

[@apicharjiratanan4285]

That's the problem here the mark 4 seems to have all the features of pro I and more and I like the more and a lower price tag

[@dinfela841]

why not doing a zoom test

[@jaypunzalan6999]

the only thing I dont like in this phone was the insane $1600 price its like separating itself on the competition

[@o0junglist0o93]

This or Pro i ??🤔🤔🤔

[@melojuketv318]

Wish they could make a mid range variant

[@jjmaia]

Just a heads up regarding the USB video input, that's something that basically all android phones do. Just get a USB to hdmi adapter and bam! I use my phone (oneplus 8 pro) as a monitor for my camera.

[@donnawetter1513]

What app do you use to make that work?

[@jjmaia]

@@donnawetter1513 OTG camera

[@donnawetter1513]

@@jjmaia And it works just with a usual USB to HDMI output cable reversed or do I need to get something specific?

[@jjmaia]

@@donnawetter1513 I just use a normal hdmi cable and a usb to hdmi adapter

[@Heyyskater]

Hello, I wonder how many optical zoom 85 mm 125 mm is, thank you.

[@troy5568]

From the 24mm reference point (1x) of the main sensor, 85mm would be somwhere around 3.5x, while 125mm would be around 5.5x.

[@Heyyskater]

@@troy5568 Thank you brother 👍

[@AudriusN]

it's 85-125mm, not how many. BTW how many is Canon EF 70-200 mm? Huh? Stupid question, isn't it.

[@omni_0101]

Came for the headphone jack, stayed for the camera

[@CeeJMantis]

Just to point out, Sony also had an optical zoom phone last year with their Xperia 1 III. I'm excited to get this phone has it seems like a good overall upgrade from my Xperia 1 II. Edit: I was mistaken about that first sentence. You can ignore it

[@kapilbusawah7169]

It didn't have zoom. It had two discrete focal lengths which were treated like switching between lenses. This time it's an actual zoom 👍

[@CeeJMantis]

@@kapilbusawah7169 That's a meaningfull distinction I wasn't aware of. I guess I hadn't thought about that. Thanks for the correction!

[@Answersonapostcard]

The issue for me with these phones are the size, I just hope manufacturers don’t stop making smaller phones that are more pocketable than these bricks.

[@Galadir]

Camera sensors and optics are getting bigger and bigger also you need a proper battery life if you are serious about photography and videography. A small phone in this era can't give you all the best. If you want a small phone with all these features, it actually would be a brick. To put the same hardware with a bigger phone into a small phone, they would have need to make the phone extremely thick.

[@gareths9574]

Don't they make smaller version of these phones? The size is great, why would you want a multimedia Device with a tiny screen though? Kind of not compatible

[@Answersonapostcard]

@@Galadir I'll use my camera. My phone is with me all the time, unlike the camera, therefore it needs to be pocketable and light.I've moved away from carrying bricks and feel better for it!

[@Answersonapostcard]

@@gareths9574 so that it fits in your pocket, walking around with a brick every day is a chore.

[@gareths9574]

@@Answersonapostcard sorry but it's anything other than a brick. Having the Xperia 1, the mk 2 and next the mk 4, it fits good, is slightly taller but even still it's nothing in your pocket. As mentioned you will likley prefer the smaller version of the phone but each to their own. I'd rather the bigger screen, which is a great size btw.

[@eduardodavidzgalkaplan8253]

I thought that the Xperia III also had a optical moving lenses inside?

[@theartofphotography]

It was a hybrid focal length. It let you switch between 2 focal lengths but is wasn't an optical zoom. Most people are confused by this. This is the first physical zoom lens. Other phones people are mentioning in the comments are the dual focal design like Sony had in the Xperia III. Hope that makes sense.

[@Gj_frames]

Nokia N93 had 3x optical zoom, quality … 🤷‍♂️ And I had an LG or Samsung pre Android that had 2x optical zoom… but ai guess this is just a bit better :p

[@frstesiste7670]

Correct, there have been several phones with real optical zoom. Samsung had at least two models and Asus had one too.

[@geoswan4984]

Hmmm. My google pixel 6 pro has a folded zoom. So, not the only phone with this feature.

[@OmarSS87]

But it cannot use any other focal length without digital zoom. It is just prime lens.

[@geoswan4984]

@@OmarSS87 Sorry, that is absolutely incorrect. You don't need to trust me. You can look it up.

[@agenericaccount3935]

Sony elves working overtime putting angels on the head of a pin.

[@saidihebeddine9207]

really? not even one mention of the beast S22 ultra?

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Ted, you're getting a lot of spam -- better have a look at replies to comments

[@umpalumpas5076]

please dont confuse weather "proof" with weather "resistance" :)

[@alimzazaz]

Hold on... Not the first optical zoom in a smartphone.

[@joseph.luong.m]

My old Xperia reach its end after many years. Sadly I cannot buy another Sony as the newer models uses OLED and I’m having issues with the pwm of OLED screens. Otherwise I’d bought the PRO-I or this model.

[@Galadir]

All the industry uses oled now, it's not what it once was. They are superior to lcd's in this age. You should consider buying one in my opinion.

[@joseph.luong.m]

@@Galadir The pwm of OLD affects my eyes, giving me eye strain and worse if I'm using it for longer period. A small portion of people also affected by this problem. I tested several OLEDs, even the new iphone 13 and samsungs, and unfortunately it doesn't get any better.

[@Galadir]

@@joseph.luong.m Sad to hear that. There is almost no lcd phone left with good specs. iPhone 11 is a choice. In the android side, motorola edge s30 is a good choice as well. So what about mini led? Does it also have same effect on your eyes?

[@joseph.luong.m]

@@Galadir The problem is current phone's OLED have PMW (screen flickering) at between roughly 100Hz up to 500Hz. It's too low for sensitive eyes. My macbook air with OLED doesn't have flickering above 50% brightness. So there are a few ways to correct this problem. But the problem is that it only affect a minority and thus I don't think phone makers really care much about it. Only a few in the pasts have things like dc dimming and/or no flickering above certain brightness. But now all flagship phones have flickering OLED and that's a problem for me. Else I'd bought the PRO-I.

[@kheankimhong]

❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊🎉

[@ornobislam5106]

They should have done two zooms. 24-70 and 85-135. And the ultrawide should have been 16mm

[@troy5568]

As it stands right now, it is very difficult to manufacture a periscope main camera due to size limitations. The periscope camera here on the Xperia 1 IV is just 1/3.5", compared to the massive 1/1.7" size of the main sensor.

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

Yep, you just ain't gonna have the width for that size of Sensor. Unless you went and make a 808 Pureview's type thick of a phone.

[@ornobislam5106]

@@MuhammadKharismawan why is that? If they could do a 70&105 as well as 85-125. Imo, they should bank on the optical zoom lens and perfect it.

[@ornobislam5106]

@@troy5568 true. But imo, they should just provide two zoom sensors. 24-70 and the 70-135 as well as 16-24. These three sensors whatever the size, would be perfect imo. The focus should be on improving processing not sensor size. As Sony is doing something unique. Why not bank on it and perfect it.

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

@@ornobislam5106 the sensor size would need to be small, and that'd just be bad news for night photography. Having a bigger main camera sensor is still beneficial for versatility sake. Remember on telephoto lens like this, the sensor are placed vertically, basically parallel to the sides of the phone, not the back.

[@chuckg4947]

It looks interesting but I’ll stick to my iPhone 13 Pro and when the time comes I’ll upgrade to another iPhone Pro.

[@tutzu4]

Sounds great a real change, anything but Apple

[@GavinSeim]

These lens innovations are great. But Sony AI and computational imaging is still so far behind Apple and Samsung still leaves them behind in practical side by side image results.

[@antonroux6737]

your channel is generating a lot of spam emails apparently from KZbin but which actually aren't

[@doug3117]

I'm pretty sure my S22 ultra has an optical zoom although no doubt Sony has superior optics. Looking forward to your full review of a production phone. Sony is always on my possibility list when upgrading.

[@donnawetter1513]

I does not have a zoom. It has 4 fixed focal length lenses on the back.

[@sasorishino]

Your S22 doesn't do optical zoom, it has fixed focal lenses.

[@wildechap]

​@@donnawetter1513 It does have an optical zoom, with a periscope lens. The optical zoom has a range and digital zoom kicks in beyond.

[@donnawetter1513]

@@wildechap Still not a zoom lens, just because marketing calls it zoom doesn't make it one.

[@wildechap]

@@donnawetter1513 It IS a zoom lens, why the hell are you denying that for? It is the same type of lens this Xperia has.

[@pawefiett2468]

Huawei P30 Pro?!

[@romiemiller7876]

Ted: I've received the same message, word for word, from you and Sean Tucker saying to text you right away on telegram because you have something for me. That sounds like a typical scam to me, so I thought you should know if it's not you.

[@peterdurum434]

Almost everyone here receives this spam.

[@romiemiller7876]

@@peterdurum434 They seem to be targeting people who leave messages on KZbin photographer's sites. It's scams, not spam. They want to rip you off.

[@peterdurum434]

@@romiemiller7876 Whatever. Just ignore it.

[@BarbaSouEu]

not the first zoom lens, Asus did it 6 years ago with the first Zenfone Zoom

[@danielkudo4800]

so does Samsung with their Galaxy Zoom. But Sony did engineering marvel with their own solution without any bulging from moving lens at all

[@iwancarnifex]

That phone is digital zoom optical and digital zoom is different

[@gidi1951]

A S pen would be real alternative to Samsung.

[@johnroyvincent]

Let a photographer review this phone. Don't let a tEcH REvieWeR touch this phone.

[@emotionengine]

How much Sony paid you to say is the first optical zoom in a phone? I hope instead being a Sony is the best optical zoom

[@networm64]

Man it's really the first "optical zoom" on a phone!

[@javiazar]

This is why Sony keeps failing at this... they announce a phone and hype it up and you can't buy it for another 4 months. By the time it comes out everyone will have forgotten about it.

[@ES-qy2ju]

Because market share, Samsung and Chinese brands have to be attended first by Qualcomm of the other manufacturers

[@agenericaccount3935]

@@ES-qy2ju So, don't do review units or lift the embargo until it is a week or two away from being on the shelves. A four month lag is just bad business strategy.

[@ES-qy2ju]

@@agenericaccount3935 they have to, in fact this device should have been announced in February on the MWC

[@agenericaccount3935]

@@ES-qy2ju No they don't. It's "Strike while the iron is hot" not "Strike when the iron has been sitting in the rain for four months". They don't have the market share to sustain interest for a long lead between announcement and availability. Samsung, Apple, the big boys, they can ride inertia. The Xperia brand, not so much.

[@ES-qy2ju]

@@agenericaccount3935 Sony always starts selling earlier in the East, so it's more a logistics problem, not an agenda

[@TimvanderLeeuw]

Nokia N93 / N93i had 3x optical zoom. Came out in 2006. 😉

[@chekmate8483]

sony smartphone is already killed iphone.

[@craesh]

I wonder how Sony squeezed all those 125mm into an

[@fotochuck]

I prefer prime lenses on my ILC. From my POV this is defect posing as a feature.

[@deathdoor]

Every time that comes to the market a new phone with actual zoom it's always "the first". Tired of this. I'm almost certain that this is not the first phone with continuous zoom.

[@TimvanderLeeuw]

True, the Nokia N93 from 2006 was the first that had a true optical zoom. 3x optical zoom, hidden in the hinge mechanism. It only had a 3MP camera though, and could only record 640x480 video!

[@maximilianyuen]

This is a first for a phone, it got a optical zoom.... Pardon? Really?

[@kapilbusawah7169]

Samsung made a phone in 2014 called the Galaxy Zoom. Looked cool but this tech is much better

[@billyoung9538]

I won't ever buy another Xperia 1 for one simple reason. Sony doesn't update the apps. If they simply gave the updated versions of the Xperia 1 apps so older users who bought the phone for use as a camera are stuck with apps that don't do what they should and have been updated to do more in the newer phones. If people want the new hardware offered by these other Xperia 1 models, then by al means that is a good reason to upgrade the hardware, but the software? All I want is the ability to have the camera button either have an option to open up cinema pro or I want them to release the newer video pro which is halfway between the crappy default app and cinema pro, but with the ability to launch from a case button. Seriously there is no reason these obvious and simple software fixes can't be added to the older phone, because these are just android apps, but Sony is treating these phone far to much like their mirrorless line where the only software one can have access to is the version that came with the given Xperia phone, and I'm sorry, but I won't play that game. I love the phone for what it is, but will never buy another unless they solve this foolish issue.

[@blackdynamite9940]

Lol and you think apple, samsung and all the other oems don't do this 😮‍💨.... They are worse and its called planned obsolescence. It's like with ip all over again. If Sony could provide it back in 2011 for phones than so could samsung and the others but they didn't at that time. This also goes for the 4k displays.... It's just a matter of time when Samsung and Apple will do the same. They purposely postpone those feats so you have an extra reason to buy their next version. And bte the camera in the 1m4 is not a direct copy of what you find in the 1m3 And while you are being so nitpicky about the software thingy.... Why don't you question why most phones can make 4k videos but do not have a 4k display to watch it back in its original format???? Strange ain't it? Thats whats truly backwards ^^ Its obvious that it is going to be one of the next steps for flagships lol.

[@billyoung9538]

@@blackdynamite9940 No actually, they aren't. Both Apple and Samsung do update their apps to newer versions. the only thing that holds their apps back are differences in hardware, which is not the issue with what Sony is doing.

[@billyoung9538]

@@blackdynamite9940 While this could be argued as planned obsolescence, if that is Sony's reasoning then they will never have me as a phone customer again, because this is basic application software. There is no reason a phone less than a year or even two years apart can't run an identical camera app. Sure the cameras them selves might be different, but the software??? NO, that is inexcusable.

[@peterdurum434]

You want them to add new VideographyPro app to older Xperias? This is not just "simple software fix" by all means.

[@billyoung9538]

@@peterdurum434 care to explain why? Remember this isn't a DLSR or Mirrorless body where Sony wrote the OS to specifically work with the camera, this is Android OS which works with a very standardized development environment if one is familiar with either Java/C#. I've done app development on android, and writing a camera app uses standard libraries. I've tested and can make a camera app on my Xperia 1 that access all the cameras, and if that app were loaded on any other Xperia 1 phone it would also access the cameras in the exact same way. The only thing phone manufactures sometimes do is make certain libraries non third party accessible, meaning one can't always access all the potential features of a given camera that the phones manufacturer has access to; however, given Sony is the manufacturer I guarantee they can easily access those libraries. So I question with extreme skepticism the idea that it is difficult unless one has some profound insight into android development that I'm unaware of.

[@jjmaia]

This is not the 1st smartphone with optical zoom, the Nokia N93 came out in 2006!

[@Rene-ye3ej]

FIRST 😂😂

[@jakubstrumillo]

Fake. There were at least few Zoom camera phones. Started with GALAXY ZOOM line,

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

Yeah, the title should say first optical zoom

[@donnawetter1513]

@@sdrtcacgnrjrc There is no other zoom. :P And it has been done before.

[@sdrtcacgnrjrc]

@@donnawetter1513 no digital zoom? Done where before?

[@donnawetter1513]

@@sdrtcacgnrjrc Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom (it says that right in the comment you replied too), Nokia N93, Oppo showed off a zoom module like in the Sony in 2021, not sure if it made it in one of their phones yet.

[@ES-qy2ju]

@@donnawetter1513 no zoom at 4K@120 HDR

[@CodEnrico]

Talking so much about zoom but nowhere a zoomlvl. 5x optical is boring, samsung and xiaomi alrdy did it 3 years ago. Better go with xiaomi, seems better

[@AudriusN]

85-125mm, dummy.

[@vuputa5051]

Another Crap Phone from Sony