This Android Phone Has A Camera Unlike Any Ive Used Before
For years, phone brands have strived to achieve image quality with cameras that rival professional cameras—SLRs, mirrorless cameras, and more. For regular consumers like me, this was quite satisfying considering what we see in the photos taken with the phone. Screens. While phone photography has improved dramatically (even some mid-range phones take great photos), different brands are constantly trying to outdo each other. Chinese brands are particularly good at offering new (and sometimes flashy) features that make the Asian phone market competitive and exciting.
The new addition to this group is Vivo. With these features and a large curved AMOLED display, the X100 looks like a close competitor to the OnePlus 12. The biggest focus is undoubtedly the rear camera system, developed in collaboration with German optics giant Zeiss and implemented. But aside from the great specs, the Vivo X100 has one of the most impressive camera features I've tested so far, and I think you should check it out too.
Why is Vivo X100 special?
The Vivo X series has a long history of impressive low-light camera performance. I tried the Vivo X90 Pro last year and found that the viewfinder captured more light than my eyes could see. I also found it captured significantly more light than the Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro.
While the X90 Pro's large 1-inch (cropped) sensor was responsible for the camera's performance, Vivo's imaging also relies on a dedicated image processor called "V2" that powers the phone's chipset.
Vivo claims to have improved image quality with its latest generation X series devices, the X100 and X100 Pro. I tested the X100 (not the Pro version) specifically to test the special features that Vivo has added for portrait photography. That is why I am pleasantly surprised.
The Zeiss partnership is important
Zeiss isn't new to the world of smartphone photography, and Vivo isn't the first brand to partner with it. In its heyday, the German company helped Nokia improve photography in the N series phones and later Lumia phones, and sometimes helped Sony with the cameras in the Xperia phones.
This is also not the first Vivo phone with Zeiss optics. in fact, it is the fourth generation of the partnership. And unlike Nokia or Sony, where Zeiss limited itself to providing camera lenses, Vivo deepened that integration by helping to recreate the effects of popular Zeiss lenses for professional cameras.
For Zeiss purists, this approach may come as a surprise, as the brand is aimed at maximalists who like to control various settings rather than shoot auto shots quickly. I say this because even today most Zeiss camera lenses have manual focus only, making them out of reach for beginners and casual photographers. His lenses are known for producing sharper images, but with a dreamy feel, especially in the background. Additionally, Zeiss lenses are relatively much more expensive than comparable models from other companies such as Nikon or Canon, making them more suitable for professionals and serious enthusiasts.
Vivo's partnership with Zeiss means these imaginative effects are recreated on the X series phones (mostly repeated with algorithmic improvements). Of course, the latest X100 and X100 Pro models get the latest and most detailed edition of these effects.
The Vivo X100 reproduces the Zeiss effects in two important ways. First, it mimics the same effect as six popular Zeiss lenses. These include Biotar, B-Speed, Sonnar, Planar, Distagon and Cine-Flare. Each of them is symbolic
Second, Portrait mode offers preset zoom levels with three cameras that match typical focal lengths of professional camera lenses. If this sounds confusing, let me explain. The Vivo X100 has three cameras: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 64-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x zoom. Instead of standard zoom levels of 1x, 2x, 3x or similar zoom levels, Portrait mode lets you choose from a variety of focal length options (24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm) that correspond to popular focal length ranges. Zeiss digital cameras. Camera lenses.
Finally, the Vivo X100 offers presets for various portrait photography scenarios using the above features together. It uses combinations of focus and lens effects for different scenarios and aims to produce the same images as Zeiss lenses.
I hope this piques your interest in the real results of Vivo X100 portrait mode. Let's start by learning how different lens flares work.
What can the Vivo X100 camera do?
Anyone with a Vivo, whether they're in daylight or bright light.
For a first comparison, let's look at different background effects inspired by Zeiss lenses. Notice the shapes around the light sources behind me to see the differences.
With true Zeiss lenses, these effects are created by physical changes to the aperture or physical shutter that control the amount of light entering the lens. For example, a B-speed lens uses a triangular aperture to make background light sources appear triangular, but with curved sides instead of straight. Likewise, Biotar lens effects have a true convex lens shape, while Distagon effects have a hexagonal shape.
On vivo
However, under favorable conditions, we can expect strong and striking ornaments in the background. Interestingly, these portrait effects work even without a face or live subject in the frame, making the Vivo X100 a great camera for still life photography, not just faces.
Another aspect I have to mention is how perfectly the Vivo X100 defines edges, even in low light conditions. This feature of the X100 helps create a clear separation between the subject and the background, making images look more like they were taken with a professional camera.
You can use all of these effects at any focal length setting, depending on the distance to the subject and the depth of field and depth of field you want to achieve in your photos. You can also manipulate the background blur intensity for each effect, but I stuck with the default settings.
All of the examples I shared above are at 35mm settings, which is about 1.5x magnification. Due to the constant bad weather and lack of good visibility in my city for the past few weeks, especially at night, I decided not to choose longer focal lengths, as this would require longer distance shots.
However, if you don't want to bother with settings, you can opt for Vivo's pre-installed portrait packs.
More portrait magic!
In addition to the Zeiss camera effects we saw in the previous section, the Vivo X100 also offers preset combinations that select the appropriate lens, zoom level, and Zeiss effect based on popular lens formats. For example, there are dedicated modes for landscape and street portraits, Classic mode for a retro touch, Figure mode to focus on you from a distance, and Close-up mode to zoom in on your face. If you want to take a simpler, simpler portrait, you can do it in natural mode. In addition to the Zeiss effects in each of these modes, the blur intensity is also selected from each of these camera presets. You can either use the mods as they are or experiment to find your preferred settings.
Here is our first series of photos taken at different focal points (as pictured). You can see changes not only in distance, but also in colors (note the blue tint in Classic mode), background effects, and blur intensity in each photo.
Due to the background haze, the background light is quite diffused, as in the previous comparisons. So we turn our search inward to the following equation.
The lack of space in the room forced us to move the camera closer to my face instead of shooting a larger area. In addition to variations in different camera effects, this comparison shows how focal length affects the shape of objects in focus.
Check out the subtle changes in my face shape at different focal points. This is because the curvature of the lens tends to extend to the edges the closer you get to the subject. Photographers use similar techniques to capture more attractive portraits.
In addition to the variation in my face, you can also see the different bokeh effects around the fairy lights in the background. Each of these effects automatically switches with the preset as mentioned above.
With these features, the Vivo X100 can open up the world of Zeiss (or other professional fixed-point lenses). Even if you don't want to, the images are so convincing that you'll wonder if they were taken with a phone or a real camera, and you can second guess the other person as much as you want.
But is it worth buying?
I hate to admit it, but my options with a real camera are limited. While I know my f-values based on shutter speed, I am by no means as skilled with my camera as a pro. That's why I rely on smartphones to capture moments, and I guess I'm one of the people.
So cell phones like Vivo with a camera. Can it replace a professional camera? Can any phone replace a professional camera? There is no absolute or simple answer. I think the phones are similar to the Vivo camera setup.
The Vivo X100 makes perfect sense for those who take a lot of photos and want better quality than most phones. As we've shown above, the X100 has plenty of muscle to flex in night photography and low-light portraiture, thanks largely to its flagship chip and dedicated photo processor.
Vivo X100 eliminates the need to use Pro mode.
However, despite these attractions, several aspects prevent me from recommending it to everyone. First, even though Vivo has one of the most advanced cameras on a phone, its user interface still lacks sophistication. You'll see a chaotic mix of incompatible graphics, poor user experience, and loads of pre-installed viruses (which may vary by region). These charges don't seem reasonable for a phone that costs around $1,000 (based on Hong Kong prices). The second problem, as you already guessed, is related to the availability of Vivo X100. Even though you buy the phone from AliExpress (Chinese Amazon) and get a whopping 35% discount, there is no guarantee. While you can always find a way to get your phone repaired in Europe, Latin America, or Asia if something goes wrong, since Vivo sells in these regions, North Americans may be in luck.
So at its best, the Vivo X100 is a great second phone that doubles as a great camera. If you just want to explore the world of Zeiss lenses and effects, don't forget a decent camera sensor that can justify expensive lenses.