B&H Taking Pre-Orders for Asus Smartphone With 3x Optical Zoom, Manual Camera Features

The Asus ZenFone Zoom, with a 3x optical zoom Hoya lens, launched for pre-order at $399 through B&H Photo Wednesday. The Android smartphone combines Asus PixelMaster technology and a 10-element Hoya lens that allows macro zoom shots as close as two inches, said Asus. The companies jointly developed the phone's aspheric, molded-glass lens system with a technique they call “D-cut” that’s paired with dual high-precision stepper motors arranged to maximize incoming light and ensure a high-quality image, Asus said. A manual mode enables photographers to adjust exposure, ISO, white balance, and other options, while the phone’s 13-megapixel Panasonic SmartFSI sensor includes optical image stabilization. ZenFone, powered by an Intel quad-core Atom Z3580 SoC (system on chip), has a five-inch screen protected by Gorilla Glass. Availability is early February.