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As smartphones started conquering ground from the digital camera, telephoto capabilities were believed to be the last bastion that made people upgrade from a phone to something larger. Today, I have to report that this fort has also fallen. Over the past couple of weeks, I have used the Vivo X300 Pro telephoto extender kit co-developed with Zeiss, which adds telephoto capabilities to the phone’s camera. I have to tell you, this has been one of my most satisfying camera experiences in recent times.
When I first saw images of the telephoto extender, I wondered how Vivo would manage to get it yoked to the smartphone. When the kit finally came, I realised that they had added a cover to the phone to which you could attach the lens. Overall, a design that leaves no room for error, as you had with clip-on third-party lenses.
Now, when you switch the camera on with the extender attached, you end up seeing the lens through the camera. That is when you realise there is an extender icon on the screen, tapping which makes the camera software calibrate itself to the telephoto lens. This is where the magic begins.
The beauty of this lens is that it makes you think beyond what a smartphone can do. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
I have loved how the Vivo X300 Pro and its predecessor have offered 100x zoom, giving you the ability to go closer to subjects which you would not be able to with regular phones. However, with the phone, there are limitations of clarity when you move from the optical to digital zoom.
The extender upgrades the 85mm lens on the phone to a 200mm lens. But that is not the entire picture. You can go all the way up to 5400mm with this lens, but with an increasing impact on clarity. In good light, up to 1600mm works perfectly fine, even giving you superb shots of the moon.
However, the beauty of this lens is that it makes you think beyond what a smartphone can do. In fact, it gives you the same feel as holding a proper camera zoom lens in your hand. Even the optics are the same.
As I zoomed in on a hibiscus in my parents’ garden, I could get the same thrill as I did when playing around with an SLR camera for the first time. At each point on the zoom, the subject opened up new secrets, and the frame kept evolving, the bokeh effect adding to the overall awesomeness. I was questioning myself on whether all this was actually happening on a smartphone.
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Over two weeks, I used the power of this telephoto lens to zoom in on all sorts of subjects, from birds on banks of the Bharatapuzha in central Kerala to the cranes strolling along the Kozhikode beach. Every single time, the results were great. However, I stayed within the 1600mm range most of the time to ensure the frames were good. Of course, you can go further, but I used that to observe mostly and not actually follow through with a click.
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There is the option of a snapshot mode for moving objects, but that limits the zoom to 485 mm.
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When using telephoto lenses of this range, it is important to keep your hands really stable. With the camera app, you can see where exactly the zoom is at, and this helps you compose easily. However, it is also easy to lose your subject because your hand shifted a degree. I would have loved to have the ability to use a lens ring to zoom in, and not have to go tap on the screen for this.
I have loved how the Vivo X300 Pro and its predecessor have offered 100x zoom. (Image: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Also, with a zoom this powerful, our gut tells us to seek out subjects that are far away. However, the camera with a telephoto lens opens up new worlds that we had not previously perceived. Walking in the middle of a dew-covered paddy field in Kerala, I got one of the most satisfying videos of my life. This is a perspective I did not have before.
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Stills of the dew drops is also a testament to the optical quality of these Zeiss lenses — no distortion, no colour fringing.
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At Rs 18,999, the telephoto extender kit makes the Vivo X300 Pro one of the best camera phones you can buy. This rig is serious competition for any DSLR with the ability to do literally everything a professional camera does, while also being connected and smarter. Get this kit if you love photography.
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