vivo X50 Pro+ photography special evaluation: so powerful, it can be called a show of skill

Just like the Russian old man asked us: "You don't use Tu-16 anymore, right?", I also wanted to ask vivo for a while: "You don't use Samsung GW1 anymore, right?" ”

It is not difficult to understand this slightly unethical question. After all, in this era where the size and number of pixels of photosensitive components are becoming more and more exaggerated, vivo uses Samsung GW1, which is used by many mid-range models. The sensor at the flagship level was not updated until mid-2020, which is indeed a bit slow. However, although we are still using the Tu-16, an aircraft that first flew in 1952 (it has been modified to a modern and improved model that even my own father does not recognize), after the vivo X50 Pro+ debuted with the Samsung GN1 sensor, we finally lost it I had the opportunity to ask vivo this immoral question.

Of course, putting aside the above jokes, retaining the inherent advantages and making up for the shortcomings, and also achieving great progress in the main camera hardware, the vivoX50 Pro+ clearly has full appeal in terms of images. For consumers, this is another vivo model that can achieve both flagship performance and top-level imaging, and its performance will also become vivo’s latest answer to smartphone imaging understanding this year.

“Black should be dark, bright should be bright”

Let’s talk about the conclusion first. The main camera performance of vivo X50 Pro+ seems to be more natural, and no longer blindly pursues parameters such as dynamic range. itself, and this subtitle quoted from Weibo netizen Huiyi Yuan, is perfectly suitable to describe the actual performance of the vivo X50 Pro+ main camera, but before talking about the look and feel, we still have to start with the hardware, especially first. Look at the difference between it and other products of ours.

As the first model equipped with Samsung GN1 sensor, the Samsung GN1 sensor used in vivo X50 Pro+ has an area of ??1/1.3 inches and a pixel count of 50 million pixels. In addition, the single pixel size of this photosensitive element is 1.2μm, and the pixels can be four-in-one into a large 2.4μm pixel to improve high-sensitivity performance. It can output up to 100 million pixels through two photodiodes in each pixel and a software algorithm. picture.

vivo X50 Pro+ has undergone a comprehensive upgrade compared to vivo X50 Pro in terms of camera hardware. First of all, the main camera mentioned above uses Samsung GN1 sensor, but this main camera does not use micro-head technology to control the volume, but uses a traditional optical anti-shake solution; its ultra-wide-angle camera has been upgraded from 8 million pixels to 13 million pixels, the 2X portrait camera has also been upgraded to a Samsung GD1 sensor with a default 8 million pixels and can output up to 32 million pixels. The 5X telephoto camera has also been upgraded from 8 million pixels to 13 million pixels, which is a significant improvement.

What’s more worth mentioning is that vivo X50 Pro+ is also equipped with an independent color temperature sensor, and probably because of this color temperature sensor, the color consistency between the independent cameras of its camera module is very good. .

Then here comes the problem. Most brands are often immature in adjusting Samsung photosensitive elements. Although vivo is one of the few brands on the market that can adjust Samsung photosensitive elements well, we are still worried about this. The actual calibration level of Samsung GN1 sensor.

Don’t worry, in terms of quality, the main camera of vivo X50 Pro+ is worthy of the good parameters of GN1. From the perspective of picture details, its overall performance is basically not inferior to those models with similar specifications. The picture details and solidity are not bad. However, the current low-sensitivity picture of this machine still has a certain smearing feeling. However, this smearing feeling will not obviously affect the look and feel of the picture, but it will have a certain negative impact on details such as text.

From the perspective of direct color performance, vivo X50 Pro+ can be said to be quite pleasing to the eye. Not only does the machine have very accurate white balance performance, but the color of the picture also achieves good results in terms of saturation and look and feel. Balanced, although the saturation is high, it does not lose the sense of reality too much. It is also very comfortable to restore and express the colors of different objects.

In other words, if you are more pursuing the direct look and feel of the picture, then vivo X50 Pro+ is obviously a very attractive choice, and you do not need to give up the details of the picture too much for the sake of look and feel.

As for the ultra-clear 100 million pixel mode that sounds very interesting... According to our tests, whether the comparison is made when the thumbnail is 50 million pixels or 100% enlarged, the picture details are The performance is actually basically the same. The 100-megapixel mode does not bring more details than the 50-megapixel mode. In other words, the 100-megapixel mode improves more the number of pixels than the image quality.

Although the image quality itself has not been improved, the 100 million pixel mode cannot be said to be useless whether it is for publicity or daily use. After all, you can also open the EXIF ??page and tell your friends. : "Look, this photo of mine is 100 million pixels."

However, in some scenes where the light ratio is relatively large and there are many dark parts, the photos taken by this main camera may have obvious noise, smearing and false color in the dark parts. Although there are not many such scenes in actual shooting, the problems that arise at this time have a relatively obvious impact on the look and feel of the picture. The clues can be seen even without relatively high magnification on the mobile phone, and they still need to be repaired through subsequent OTA updates.

And this problem mainly occurs at the edge of the screen, which is somewhat similar to the edge collapse problem that appeared in many brands when Samsung GW1 was first launched. Therefore, this is most likely a problem of immature algorithms.

In addition, the lens quality of the vivo Almost no spherical aberration is observed. Moreover, the overall picture look and feel of this main camera when taking close-up shots is basically acceptable, and it has certain usability even at the closest focusing distance. Especially in Figure 3 above, the manual mode is adjusted to the shortest focus distance for shooting. Even so, there will be no problem with the picture look and feel. Softened by spherical aberration. And even if the subject is not in the center, you can feel the difference in close-up photography at telephoto, but it will not make people feel that such a close-up effect is completely unusable.

However, the current setting of vivo is still to automatically switch to ultra-wide-angle camera cropping in close-up scenes, although this method can solve the look and feel caused by poor close-up photography at the expense of certain image quality. problem, and the excellent color consistency and good switching accuracy also make it a relatively good experience. It can be considered that the main camera of vivo X50 Pro+ actually has certain usability for close-up shooting. In fact, you can set an independent switch for whether to automatically turn on the ultra-wide-angle camera for close-up shooting. After all, this main camera does not have close-up shooting at all like some competing products. Availability.

In addition, the anti-glare performance of this lens is also very good. It is at the absolute first-class level among current flagship smartphones. Even when facing direct sunlight, it is not prone to glare and occupies a large area. In this case, the overall impact of glare itself on the look and feel of the picture is relatively small.

However, since we did not have the opportunity to hold the above four models at the same time for comparison in the same scene, this set of comparison samples were taken at different times but under similar lighting conditions, and we actively looked for glare and ghosting. The most serious angle has certain reference value, but it does not have absolutely rigorous variable control.

However, just as the HDR algorithm of vivo NEX3 was not perfect when it was first launched, vivo X50 Pro+ also has similar problems. Although the HDR performance of vivo X50 Pro+ is much better than that of vivo NEX3 when it was launched, there is a certain probability that certain synthesis bugs will appear at the edge between the foreground and background in some backlit scenes with relatively large light. We also have to look forward to the OTA update. Make repairs.

And this problem is more likely to occur when photographing the edges of plant leaves and petals. It may be that the algorithm cannot complete automatic alignment due to the movement of the subject.

When shooting night scenes, dusk, and indoor low-light scenes, the main camera of vivo X50 Pro+ can bring bright, straight-out colors, and the overall look and feel is relatively comfortable, especially in indoor environments with extremely high degree of restoration. High white balance and excellent performance. The simple evaluation of "what should be dark should be bright and should be bright" also means that this machine has basically got rid of the low-level taste of mindlessly increasing the dynamic range, and instead allows the picture to have relatively rich levels of light and shadow.

This also means that vivo no longer blindly pursues the parameter of dynamic range of the picture itself, but hopes to make a balance between restoring the perception of the naked eye and achieving a better perception as much as possible, rather than Brightness - especially the shadow brightening level as standard. Therefore, when shooting night scenes, we can feel that the vivo X50 Pro+ can allow a certain amount of "dead blackness" in the dark areas, and at the same time fully but not excessively suppresses the highlights that are not overexposed to the human eye.

Is this logic good? I think it's great. Through the performance of the past two years, no one will doubt that vivo is capable of producing that kind of direct algorithm with high dynamic range. But it is indeed a very courageous thing to wake up under the wave of brainless brightening and brainless HDR at night, and bring a more "advanced" night scene that may not be so pleasing to the general public, but more "advanced".

Finally, there is a little surprise. The intelligent scene algorithm of vivo X50 Pro+ also has a better experience and perception. For example, it can even identify the type of green plants when identifying green plants, such as succulent plants. Relatively small classification, thereby providing more targeted intelligent scene algorithms. Obviously, for most people's shooting needs, smarter intelligent scene algorithms can effectively improve the straight-out effect.

All in all, although vivo’s calibration of Samsung GN1 has reached a good level, it is still far from perfect. Such problems will need to be made up for through subsequent firmware OTA upgrades.

When “stronger” meets “better”

The thing that makes me most happy on the vivo X50 Pro+ is definitely that the ancestral 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera is finally with us Say goodbye.

This 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera has a very significant improvement in picture quality compared to the ancestral 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. The picture details and solidity have been greatly improved. If the previous 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle could only solve the problem of whether or not, then the ultra-wide-angle camera of vivo X50 Pro+ is now obviously very usable.

However, based on personal standards, the usability of ultra-wide-angle cameras below Sony IMX586 only solves the problem of availability, but the ultra-wide-angle camera of vivo X50 Pro+ can obviously win over in terms of look and feel. In particular, the beautiful straight-out colors and excellent dynamic range can significantly increase the interest in switching to ultra-wide-angle shooting. Its color performance is similar to that of the main camera. The white balance is accurate and vivid but does not affect the realism too much. The color consistency is also "as usual" very good.

Even in scenes that do not involve large light ratios, although the ultra-wide camera of vivo X50 Pro+ will inevitably suffer from the problem of corner image quality degradation, its excellent straight-out colors can basically make I ignore the lack of image quality itself. Considering common needs such as social media sharing, this kind of adjustment with average picture details and solidity but excellent look and feel is obviously very pleasing, but I am just greedy and want both.

However, compared with the well-adjusted ancestral 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, the 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera of vivo X50 Pro+ still has some minor problems. For example, in a backlit scene with a large light ratio, there will be large particles and a large number of noise in the dark parts, and when shooting buildings in backlight, clear edges are prone to obvious purple fringing. The negative impact on the look and feel is relatively obvious, and it is urgently needed. It will be fixed in subsequent OTA upgrades.

When shooting low-light scenes, the ultra-wide-angle camera of vivo X50 Pro+ is even more pleasing. Not only is the beautiful straight-out color not lost, but there are also surprises in the solidity and details of the picture. Perhaps due to the excellent night scene multi-frame synthesis algorithm, this ultra-wide-angle camera has good purity and detail performance even without using night scene mode.

What’s even more amazing is that the dark parts of the night scene are obviously weaker in terms of illumination than the high light ratio scenes during the day, but the ultra-wide-angle camera of vivoX50 Pro+ does not actually have such high light ratio scenes at night as during the day. The noise particles are smaller and are basically monochromatic noise. However, considering that the light ratio of the night scene is relatively low, it is difficult to draw a reliable inference on this issue at present, but it is obviously necessary for vivo to try to improve it through OTA.

As for the biggest shortcoming of this ultra-wide-angle camera, it is that its focusing speed is not very fast, especially in some scenes, the focusing speed is slow, and sometimes out of focus occurs. We have not yet found a scene that can stably reproduce this problem, but it seems that the probability of this problem occurring in high light ratio scenes at dusk is relatively high, but unfortunately we did not leave enough samples for reference.

It’s just that I look forward to vivo bringing a main-level ultra-wide-angle camera in the future. The requirements are not high. The entire Sony IMX363 sensor is equipped with a camera that can ensure corner image quality (preferably with a wide-angle camera). perspective) lens is perfect.

My GD1 is back!

Do you still remember the portrait camera using Samsung GD1 sensor that received rave reviews on the vivo X30 Pro but was cut off by precise knife skills on the vivo X50 Pro? It's back.

The 2X portrait camera of vivo X50 Pro+ can finally reach the first-class level among current smartphones. It not only has a 1/2.8-inch sensor size, but also can output 8 million pixels by default and a maximum output of 32 million. Pixel pictures, even if you ignore the telephoto attribute of this 2X camera, its parameters are very worth looking forward to. After all, the equivalent focal length of 50mm is a classic focal length.

Even when the 32-megapixel mode is turned on, the photos output by this 2X portrait camera still have high usability, and the picture details and solidity are at the top level among 2X focal length cameras on smartphones. level, and the color performance is also very brilliant, and the overall trend is bright but not excessive.

More importantly, the picture details and solidity of this 2X portrait camera are quite outstanding. Although it is not top-notch (the strongest 2X camera sensor is still the Samsung S5K2L7), the picture details and solidity are still outstanding. All pretty good. And this 2X portrait camera with an equivalent focal length of 50mm can effectively complement the focal length between the main camera and the telephoto camera. The most intuitive performance is that it can eliminate cluttered backgrounds as much as possible at a relatively short distance from the subject.

Also benefiting from the quality of the Samsung GD1 sensor and vivo’s in-depth adjustments, the portrait camera of vivo X50 Pro+ also performs well when shooting night scenes. In addition to the bright but realistic colors that are mentioned as usual, and good color consistency compared with other cameras in the module, its picture purity performance in dark light environments is very good, with noise reduction and detail retention. The balance between them is relatively good.

For a 2X portrait camera, this performance completely exceeds expectations, and better low-light image quality can theoretically bring better night scene portraits (unfortunately we did not Sample photos of portraits taken at night).

Unfortunately, the minimum focusing distance of this GD1 portrait camera is obviously a bit far and cannot meet the needs of close-up photography. You must know that the 2X camera of the same level on Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro can meet the needs of close-up shooting to a certain extent, and combined with the focal length advantage, it can bring a natural blur effect when taking close-up shots. The vivo X50 Pro+'s latest 2X portrait camera with a longer focusing distance can only take long shots or panoramic shots of small objects, and cannot take close shots or close-ups.

Of course, vivo’s definition of this 2X camera is a “portrait camera”. The official statement is indeed logical and self-consistent, but it will definitely be better if it can be replaced with a lens with a closer focusing distance in the future. good. And when shooting portraits, this 2X portrait camera can bring extremely excellent performance in terms of appearance and image quality. In terms of appearance, the vivo X50 Pro+ will not grind the human face until it looks like a rubber mask. , but tends to ensure a certain skin texture and details, and skin color restoration can also take into account both accuracy and look and feel. However, the naturalness of look and feel in some backlit scenes and the accuracy of blur cutout obviously need to be improved.

In addition, vivo has also prepared a wealth of portrait styles for this 2X portrait camera. In addition to functions such as human eye tracking and portrait blur, it also has a wealth of portrait styles. This also further improves usability from the side. While reducing post-production costs, it is also easier to use. Even ordinary users who have never been exposed to portrait photography have a greater chance of taking good photos.

However, in backlit portraits, sometimes the excessive HDR effect will reduce the contrast of the picture, thus negatively affecting the look and feel. However, the current 2X portrait camera performs better in front-lit and side-backlit situations. Stablize.

As for the shortcomings, when shooting some scenes, this 2X camera will cause part of the picture to be clear and other parts to be blurry.

Considering the black box status of the smartphone camera itself, we can only make conjectures about the reasons such as optical axis or algorithm. After all, with such a small base and an equivalent focal length of 50mm, it may not be a problem. There is obvious blur in the scene ten meters away. When we used Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro's 2X portrait camera, which has a larger sensor size and basically the same aperture, all the pictures taken were in focus instead of a situation like the picture above. As for the actual cause of this problem, we can only look forward to it. Vivo itself was able to find and fix it.

Based on this GD1 portrait camera that performs well, I hope that vivo’s 2X portrait camera in the future can achieve image quality performance equal to or greater than that of the Sony IMX363 as the main camera in terms of hardware. Such dual main cameras— —To the extent that adding an outsole to the ultra-wide-angle lens to form three main cameras is obviously more suitable to meet my personal needs, and of course it may be yours too.

Everyone knows about the periscope telephoto camera

The 5X telephoto camera of vivo X50 Pro+ is not the level of compromise for thinness and lightness as the version without the “+” sign. , but can truly reach the first-line level of current flagship smartphones.

In terms of quality performance, this telephoto camera can retain very rich picture details, and the overall picture solidity is also good. Although there will be some noise in the dark areas, the particles are not large and are basically pure color noise, so the actual look and feel is relatively good. Moreover, the viewing and viewing experience of this telephoto camera is relatively comfortable, and the viewing and viewing experience will not be affected by optical defects.

In addition, the 5X telephoto camera of the vivo Color consistency is also excellent. The colors of this telephoto camera are relatively high in saturation but not too bright, pleasing the eye without losing authenticity.

And thanks to the excellent color consistency of the entire camera module of the vivo X50 Pro+, the camera can basically capture pictures with little color difference at any focal length. If the module built in the form of a fixed-focus camera is considered as a whole, then the experience it can achieve during the entire hybrid zoom process is obviously relatively closer to true optical zoom.

Of course, if the 5X camera of vivo X50 Pro+ only reaches the first-tier level of flagship phones, it obviously cannot explain the advantages of this telephoto camera. The biggest advantage of this 5X telephoto camera is not the low-sensitivity image quality (in fact, it is not the best), but its extremely excellent night scene image quality and look and feel.

Even in terms of personal preference, the night scene performance of the 5X telephoto camera can be said to be the strongest among current smartphones.

Perhaps due to the overall progress of the night scene algorithm, the 5X telephoto camera of vivo X50 Pro+ not only has relatively excellent picture details when shooting dusk, indoor and night light scenes, but also has comparable noise reduction performance. excellent. More importantly, this telephoto camera can achieve a good balance in color saturation, white balance and dynamic range. Although the overall picture looks gorgeous, it does not appear excessive, which is very eye-catching.

The excellent night scene algorithm can be said to give vivo X50 Pro+ extremely excellent night scene performance. It can even take visible photos when the performance of competing products is extremely poor, and the photos are straight out of the eyes. Better photos have a greater chance. If you just want to use a 5X telephoto lens with good performance, then vivo X50 Pro+ may not be the only choice; but if you want to have a better 5X telephoto night scene experience, then vivo X50 Pro+ may be the most suitable choice .

I still remember that when I was writing a special camera review of the vivo X50 Pro, the image quality and color of the telephoto camera left me with a certain amount of regret, but the vivo X50 Pro+ made up for this flaw very well. . Not only has this machine made significant improvements in picture details, solidity, and color, but its night scene performance far exceeds expectations, and it can indeed surprise us.

However, as mentioned before, the 5X telephoto camera of vivo X50 Pro+ is not yet able to truly dominate the entire scene. This is also something that vivo needs to work harder on in the future.

Unfortunately, the 5X telephoto camera of the vivo "Horizontal jump" problem? vivo X50 Pro+ also has this problem. The algorithm itself is relatively "stupid" and may be blamed for this problem. From a personal preference, I still recommend vivo to provide an option that allows switching to 5X telephoto camera hardware. After all, you don't always have time to switch to professional mode.

In addition, this telephoto camera also suffers from the problem of heavy smearing when shooting during the day, similar to the main camera, and the solidity of the picture also needs to be improved (but there is no such problem when shooting night scenes). In addition, its focusing accuracy also needs to be improved through algorithms. Although this 5X telephoto camera has a good focusing speed, the probability of out-of-focus during the day is slightly higher than competing products with the same specifications.

But having said that... the current telephoto night scene performance of vivoX50 Pro+ is enough to win it a high rating.

This important exploration can be further explored

Just like vivo’s product definition of vivo X50 Pro+, this model is indeed an important step for vivo in mobile phone photography. explore. To put it more simply and straightforwardly, this model is meant to be a true camera flagship - whether it is a vivo phone or an entire smartphone.

The best and most inevitable solution to achieve this goal is to "stall materials." The main camera, which uses a customized Samsung GN1 sensor, is full of expectations, whether it is a large size of 1/1.3 inches or a high-pixel size of 50 million. Not to mention the returning portrait camera, which can be called a "sub-primary camera" in terms of performance, as well as ultra-wide-angle and periscope telephoto cameras with equally impressive parameters, as well as a flagship processor with stronger ISP performance. Wait, these are condensed into the "+" of vivo X50 Pro+.

So what is the actual performance of this camera flagship? You must know that stacking materials does not equal good camera capabilities or out-of-the-box performance, but vivo The adjustments allow vivo X50 Pro+ to perform at the high level it deserves.

This means that each camera has a stable and excellent direct view, reliable color consistency between multiple cameras, rich shooting functions and modes, and an intelligent experience.

Judging from the actual performance, vivo X50 Pro+ and vivo X50 Pro have different approaches to taking pictures, but the direction is actually the same, that is, it is good for the general public to take pictures casually. taking pictures with camera phone. And in ZAEKE Zhike’s view, compared to some competing products that give up image quality for the sake of appearance, vivo X50 Pro+ does not need to make such a choice, which is obviously more reasonable.

However, vivo X50 Pro+ is not perfect at present. This of course requires vivo to further adjust and optimize the algorithm to fix all the minor problems and problems mentioned in the text. ZAEKE also wants to see vivo continue to deepen after this important exploration, copying the experience of vivo X50 Pro+ into the rear module of each new vivo phone, allowing excellent main cameras, good portrait performance, The wide-angle and periscope telephoto can go a step further, and can even achieve "main camera-level" comprehensive image quality performance.

After all, flagship-level smartphones now have no shortage of focal lengths, but what they lack is high-level performance at more or even all focal lengths.