Vertical Divider

Vivo Sets Trend In Using Radical Stabilization Tech
May 24, 2020
 
Radical stabilization tech looks like it’s headed from concept to flagship product for brighter photos and smoother videos.

• Vivo initially showed off the tech from afar for their Apex 2020 concept phone. 
• That concept phone was intended to be shown MWC, but was stuck behind COVID-19 limits. 
• Vivo previously released the Apex line with pop-up cameras that appeared long before commercial availability in the Vivo Nex 
• So, it does seem like it’s coming to a real-world product, in the Vivo X50 flagship, after videos were posted to Weibo, including this clip:

 
Figure 1: vivo X50 w/Image Stabilization Technology

Source: gifs.com

 

• The gif shows the X50 camera housing being moved about, and you can easily see the effect of the image stabilization at work, which is less magnetic OIS, found in most flagships, and more gimbal style.
• The idea is it can capture steady video and blur-free photos, which has been the goal since the start of time for any device with a decent camera. 
• How well will it work? The exciting videos shared by Vivo, are, of course, worthy of skepticism. At worst, they could be faked, as we've seen all too often.
• But if it does work... real-world impact could be anything from general improvement, given how hard smartphone companies are already working on both hardware and software to offer steady video or photos, or actually fantastic, if you no longer need a handheld gimbal to capture that smooth framing.
• Aside from video, it could be really handy for low-light photography. Even with OIS and multi-frame image capture, there's only so much jitter a phone camera can withstand. This big camera housing could offer quite a bit .
• This could (again, big emphasis on possibility) open the door for longer exposures, and much better dark and night snaps if the gimbal tech is reliable.
• Up until now we haven’t seen much else about the Vivo X50 series. A company executive was seen talking about the newly announced 50MP Samsung Isocell GN1 sensor, though, implying a range of new tech on this device or device series.
• As an aside: I’ll never forget that Vivo sponsored the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia, alongside the likes of giants like Coca-Cola. That which must’ve surely cost parent-company BBK an untold fortune, especially as it will sponsor the next World Cup in Qatar, too.
• (One of the key searches out of that World Cup was: “What is Vivo,” and via Google Trends you can see people searching for Vivo out of nowhere right on the World Cup timeline.)