Telephoto vs Periscope Lens: What’s the Difference And Which Is Better?

Telephoto vs periscope lens- This debate has become a trend in town, especially among mobile phone users who want a top-notch camera quality in their handsets. There was a time when a 2 megapixel camera was the USP of a phone, and people used to buy that as a showoff tag. But with changing times, the cameras of mobile phones have evolved. Today, users have a high preference and are likely to be driven by the rising needs for megapixels, and different camera features like night mode, portrait shots, video shooting, and so on. 

This article explores the two trending phone camera lenses – Telephoto and Periscope. We will provide the highlights of both the camera lenses and help you figure out which one will suit your preferences.

Let us start with the introductions of both the lenses that you should know before buying a new phone for yourself. 

What is a Telephoto Lens?

A telephoto lens is a lens that fits inside your phone camera. It allows your phone camera to have better zoom quality. It can focus on faraway objects easily by using optical zoom and adjusting focal lengths. Telephoto lenses can also probably improve the HDR and portrait features of the phone’s camera.

Also Read: Top Camera Smartphones

What is a Periscope Lens?

A periscope lens, also called a folded lens, is a special lens that uses prism/mirror design elements inside it for enhanced zoom and clearer vision. It occupies a larger space in the phone than a telephoto lens, but often fits without increasing the thickness of the phone. This lens helps the phone camera achieve higher zoom capabilities without hampering the resolution. 

Moving ahead of the intros, now it is essential to discover which lens should actually be your preference. Some phone buyers often say that the camera with better looks and design becomes their choice. In contrast, others feel that the normal shots [daylight HDR shots] are what they prefer, irrespective of lenses or portrait features, or zoom qualities. Different people have different choices, but it is important to discover the key highlights and differences when it comes to the comparison of a telephoto lens vs periscope lens. 

Key Highlights Of Both Lenses 

Customers who have a keen knowledge of phone cameras might not find it difficult to make a choice when it comes to debating on telephoto lens vs periscope lens. But, for the layman user community, many people don’t even know that these lenses exist inside their phone camera. Such users don’t indulge in the comparisons of telephoto lens vs periscope lens, and their highlight preference before buying a phone is something else. 

Also Read: Common Ways To Troubleshoot Phone Camera Issues

But we’re here to solve every doubt with premium insights that help you make a choice. So, let’s now glance at the key highlights of our competition: Telephoto lens vs Periscope lens. 

• A telephoto lens helps your camera get a 2x-5x zoom. 
• Telephoto lenses have a very long focal length, which allows them to zoom effortlessly. 
• A telephoto lens has a shallow depth of field. This allows it to focus on the main object while zooming. This helps it enhance bokeh mode and HDR mode shots. 
• A telephoto lens can be useful in portrait photography.
• A telephoto lens can be useful for low-light shots. 
• The periscope lens helps your camera get a 8x-10x zoom. 
• The periscope camera uses a layout different from that of a telephoto camera. 
• It is also useful in macro-mode shots. 
• A periscope lens can be a great choice for wildlife photography.
• Periscope can capture more frames per second while shooting video in a zoom mode.
• It is useful for exterior photography as it captures the background nicely as well. 

These highlights are also mentioned on the key camera features when buying a phone. If you are looking for a comparative analysis between telephoto lens vs periscope lens, then keeping these specs in mind whenever you buy a new phone is extremely crucial. Now let’s move on to the key differences between these lenses. 

Telephoto Lens vs Periscope Lens: Key Differences

Still not clear about the differences between a telephoto lens and a periscope lens? Then let this table help you out:

Advantages of A Telephoto Lens

• Compact:  Telephoto lens occupies a straighter and slimmer design layout, which makes it a compact choice for placing in the rear cameras of mobile phones. 
• Wider Availability: Telephoto lenses are available in a majority of flagship and mid-budget range mobile phones. Hence, they are widely available in the market. 
• Fast Autofocus: Telephoto lenses usually offer quicker and more accurate autofocus capabilities. 
• Affordable: Phones with telephoto lenses are more affordable than periscope lenses. 

Disadvantages of A Telephoto Lens

• Limited Portrait Performance: Telephoto lenses have a limited portrait performance. In comparison, periscope lenses offer better portrait shots. 
• Less Optical Zoom: A Telephoto lens has a limited range of optical zoom.
• Resolution Hampering: With a telephoto lens, the resolution gets hampered at increased zoom range. 
• Lesser Processing Capabilities: Telephoto lenses have lesser image processing capabilities than periscope lenses. 

Advantages Of A Periscope Lens

• Superior Optical Zoom: Periscope lenses offer a superior optical zoom facility as compared to telephoto lenses. 
• Improved Portrait and Low-light Shots: Periscope lenses offer better low-light and portrait mode shots. 

• Image Quality: There is no resolution hampering in periscope lenses, even on peak zooming.
• Premium Processing Features: Phones with periscope lenses offer better image processing capabilities. 
• Zooming Range: Periscope lenses offer up to 8- 10x zooming range, which is better than telephoto lenses. 
• Advanced Photography: For advanced phone photography needs, periscope lenses are better. 

Disadvantages Of A Periscope Lens

• Not So Compact: Periscope lenses are placed sideways and might not feel so compact as compared to telephoto lenses. 
• Vulnerable To Damage: Periscope lens requires a more complex manufacturing mechanism, and hence is more damage-prone if not handled with care. 
• Limited Versatility Of Features: Periscope lenses don’t have a versatile set of features as compared to telephoto lenses.
• Costly: Phones with periscope lenses are more expensive than telephoto lenses. Hence, they might not be affordable for many consumers. 

Our take 

Telephoto lenses are compact, widely available, and offer fast autofocus at a lower cost, but they have limited portrait performance, optical zoom, and resolution at higher zooms. Periscope lenses provide superior optical zoom, better low-light and portrait shots, and advanced image processing, but they are less compact, more damage-prone, and offer fewer versatile features.

Telephoto vs Periscope Lens: Which is Better for You to Choose?

Telephoto vs periscope lens: which is the one you should go for? 

Well, talking about the choices, we are often very mindful of the camera qualities before buying a new phone. Considering these two lenses and their highlights might help us make better choices when it comes to a phone’s camera quality. 

Also Read: Phones That Deliver DSLR-Like Photography!

Talking about our comparison on telephoto vs periscope lens, we can say that the users must keep in mind their preferences before buying. Here’s how you can make a firm choice and choose the lens which is better for you in the debate of telephoto lens vs periscope lens:

Purpose

If you are looking for an advanced photography camera, then between telephoto vs periscope lens, go for the periscope lens.

Design

If you want a more compact look, then go for a telephoto lens. And if you want a premium look, then choose a periscope lens.

Zoom Range

If you are comfortable with 5x zoom range capabilities, then telephoto is a good choice. If you are seeking more zoom range, then a periscope should be your choice.

Versatility

Between telephoto vs periscope lens, the telephoto lens has more versatility. So if you want a wider range of camera features, then go for a telephoto lens.

Image quality

Periscope lenses provide better image resolution and processing. So if you prefer higher quality and resolution, then go for periscope.

Cost

Phones with a telephoto lens are widely available and hence, are cheaper. So if you are cutting on your costs, then the telephoto lens can be your choice.

Also Read: Budget Camera Phones for Making Instagram Reels

That’s it, that’s all you needed for the debate on telephoto lens vs periscope lens. Get your research done, analyse your budgets and preferences. Also, look for the phone brands that you want to choose, and choose wisely. 

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