OPPO raises bar for smartphone photography 

OPPO Senior Photography Algorithm shares insider on its highly-lauded camera technologies

MANILA, Philippines —  Mobile photography has come a long way since the debut of the first camera phone more than two decades ago. In the past few years alone, the sheer amount of technology advancements dedicated to improving smartphone cameras gave rise to astonishing features like low light imaging, ultra wide-angle lenses, photo and video bokeh, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted photography, hundred-megapixel main shooters and even 50x or larger zoom ratios. The result? Even the most basic smartphone camera today is more well equipped and capable than your average point-and-shoot.

Amid today’s competitive industry landscape, smart device brand OPPO has managed to raise the bar of smartphone photography through various initiatives.

In an interview with The Philippine STAR, OPPO senior photography algorithm engineer Will Lin discusses how OPPO brings the latest technology into the hands of users, the development process behind low-light photography innovations, and plans for the future.

Smartphone for the social media generation 

To keep up with the ever-changing needs of different customers, OPPO endeavored to develop a wide range of features catering to specific users — from a beginner to a pro-level camera user. 

Take for example the latest Reno3 series equipped with cameras made especially for heavy social media users. This latest series comes with an Ultra Night Mode in the selfie camera to offer unlimited selfie opportunities regardless of light settings. The standard Reno3 has a 48MP ultra-clear main camera and 44MP ultra-clear front camera while the more advanced Reno3 Pro comes with a 64MP Zoom quad-cam setup and the world’s first 44MP+2MP dual punch-hole front camera.

OPPO Engr on creating class-leading camera tech

According to OPPO, these advancements were made possible by focusing on research and development (R&D) to create the best camera on a phone. “OPPO acknowledges the value of investing in technology advancement, thus the Company devoted many R&D resources for the unique algorithms behind multi-frame composition resolution which made the Ultra Clear 108MP Image a possibility. These technologies won’t be possible if not for the immense contribution of the research and development teams,” shares Lin. 

He also disclosed how the company responded to the specific needs of the Philippine market. “The Filipinos put a lot of importance on photo and video quality due to the high consumption of social media content. And as OPPO, that is one of the foremost needs that we always try to address. It is a given. Different generations require different needs, that is why we have a diverse portfolio with different camera specs to address that. For the Philippine market, we see that the A-series, Reno series and Find series work best and are getting very good consumer feedback,” shares Lin.

Owning the night

As low light photography gains popularity, OPPO also strived to make cameras that are able to take brighter, clearer, and more beautiful photos, even in less than ideal lighting conditions. 

The Ultra Night Mode of the Reno3 series front camera addressed the pain point of taking selfies at night by using an algorithm optimization that supports face protection thus protecting the face’s brightness and clarity through face detection. 

Meanwhile, Ultra Dark Mode can be activated for users’ convenience as it also allows users to take clear shots in dark environments, even in extreme scenarios where there is almost no light. The AI will first set the frame selection, then perform de-noising algorithms for the noise in different areas of the image, and finally, perform HDR brightening and other necessary adjustments.

“The competitive advantage of our low-light photography is that not only are we able to capture the dynamic range of night scenarios, but we have also shortened the development time of the image up to 4-6 seconds,” explains Lin.

Looking forward to the future 

As a technology-driven company, OPPO pushes for the continued enhancement of the foundation of photography, i.e. shorter image development time, reducing noise in the photo, and improving the stability of video shooting. The Company also revealed efforts aligned with responding to future trends. 

“In the future, we will further optimize the accuracy of scene understanding through AI. Apart from photography, OPPO believes that video recording demand is growing rapidly, as there is an increasing demand for visual expression from young users and the demand for video creation. Also, 5G technology will make short videos the next opportunity. These are all part of OPPO’s future plans,” concludes Lin.