Tube lens

Tunable lens

Published since September 1843 to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”

Liquidlens edmund optics

SERIOUS PHOTOGRAPHERS are usually laden with serious amounts of serious kit, especially multiple lenses. The paparazzi use zoom lenses to get a telescopic view of their subjects. Mid-range lenses are well-suited to street-scenes and portraits. Wide-angle lenses are good for capturing sweeping cityscapes. A macro lens is ideal for close-ups. But what if it were possible to build a single lens that could cover all such eventualities? Xiaomi, a Chinese electronics and consumer-goods company, is taking a shot in that direction.