Oppo's new retractable camera is a blast from the point-and-shoot past

Get ready for more in-and-out GIFs

When it comes to the miniaturization of photography technology, Oppo really likes pushing the envelope. It's set to do so again next week when it details a smartphone with a retractable camera.

This is no pop-up or hide-away camera — its corporate cousin OnePlus used to be proud of having them, you know — as the Chinese smartphone maker will have you believe.

In a video clip posted to Twitter, the camera is shown moving in and out of its housing in dry and wet conditions — specifically, spraying water likely at an IP rating spec. We see in close-up shots that the camera sensor is sized at 1/1.56", has an aperture of f/2.4, and features a full-frame equivalent focal length of 50mm. The housing for the one camera is about as large as the one above covering two other cameras. It's also important to note since the camera mechanism remains exposed while retracted that we also see a shot of the phone falling from some height, implying its resistance to rough-and-tumble conditions.

We're told to tune in to the company's Inno World event on December 14 to learn more.

It looks like Oppo is implementing some of its previous research and development into creating physical zoom mechanisms for its smartphone cameras — if so, expect to hear "guided shaft motor" and "prismatic OIS" as buzzwords of the day. However, we don't know if the camera is meant to be used in both its protracted and retracted states and, if it is the case, which state the 50mm designation applies to.

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