Mohammad Kawsar Uddin, back from Oberkochen (Germany)
In Germany’s quiet town of Oberkochen, legendary optics maker ZEISS is teaming up with Smartphone giant Vivo to reshape mobile photography, with Bangladesh emerging as a key focus market in this global innovation story.
At first glance, Oberkochen feels worlds away from the hustle of Dhaka, quiet streets, rolling hills and a sense of precision in the air. Yet within the walls of the ZEISS Innovation Centre, engineers are working on technologies that power millions of smartphones worldwide, including those in Bangladesh.
ZEISS, whose lenses once captured NASA’s Apollo missions and now drive scientific breakthroughs in medicine and research, is now turning its focus to the camera in your pocket.
Joachim Kuss, Head of Communications at ZEISS Photonics & Optics said, “We are not just building lenses, we are building trust”. He explained that the ZEISS-vivo collaboration is not a mere branding exercise. Kuss added, “We co-engineer every detail, from the optical hardware to the image processing algorithms that define colour, bokeh and low-light performance.”
During the visit one theme stood out, South Asia and especially Bangladesh is a growing priority. Kuss Said, “We see Bangladesh as a rising digital economy. The people are young, expressive and connected. They deserve the same imaging excellence as users in New York, London or Shanghai.”
Congchong Zheng, Senior IMC Manager for vivo South Asia & Africa, echoed that commitment. “Bangladesh is not an afterthought, it’s a priority.” Zheng highlighted vivo’s expanding investments in Bangladesh including stronger after-sales service, local marketing campaigns and digital literacy efforts to help users unlock the full potential of their camera systems.
Fayyad Zhang, Senior Product Manager at vivo for the same region added, “We listen closely to our Bangladeshi users. Their feedback whether it’s about night mode, portrait realism, or smoother video- directly shapes how we develop new features.”
At the heart of the partnership lies the ZEISS Imaging Lab, where prototypes are tested under extreme conditions- dust, humidity and heat.
Elliot Shih, Senior Product Manager for Imaging at ZEISS, offered a rare peek into the process. He explained, “It is not just about sharpness. We focus on light transmission, clarity and true-to-life skin tones.”
Their latest co-engineered device, the vivo X200 Pro, embodies this philosophy. It features a large 1-inch sensor, ZEISS T* coating for glare reduction and AI-driven portrait modes modeled after real ZEISS lenses.
Beyond hardware, features like ZEISS Natural Colour Calibration, Cinematic video options and professional grade bokeh simulation are designed to bring DSLR-like results to Smartphone users.
As smart phones become the primary tool for photography worldwide, the ZEISS-vivo partnership is prioritizing authentic photographic integrity over mere megapixel counts.
This collaboration is not just pushing technological limits, it’s helping shape a new generation of creators.
In Bangladesh, where visual storytelling and content creation are thriving, this partnership empowers young photographers, bloggers and storytellers to express themselves with more clarity, emotion and precision.
As our world becomes increasingly visual, ZEISS and vivo are handing users a sharper lens and a wider view of the world.
ZEISS at a Glance: Founded: 1846 in Jena, Germany; Core Expertise: Optics and precision engineering; Known For: Apollo mission cameras, high-end microscopes and premium camera lenses; Partnership with vivo: Since 2020, focused on co-engineering advanced mobile imaging systems.
