A compact camera for a cellular telephone is disclosed. A reflector is used to bend a light path of the camera, so as facilitate the use of a longer optical path in thin cellular telephones, while allowing pictures to be taken from the front of the camera. The camera comprises a lens, a imager, and a reflector. The lens, the imager, and the reflector cooperate to define an optical path that is longer than a thickness of the cellular telephone. The use of a longer optical path facilitates the use of optical elements for such functions as variable focusing, zoom and/or image stabilization.