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For primary shots, the Huawei P30 Pro uses a 1. This, in turn, gives the algorithms more details to analyze and fiddle with to master the image better. Furthermore, the 40MP images taken with the sensor are scaled down to 10MP via pixel binning for additional light.
The Good Huawei's P30 is a gorgeous phone with an astonishing camera setup. Its battery The tri-camera setup is the star of the show here. If it's a smartphone, chances are good it already has the software needed to hunt it down — or there's an app you can install to track your phone. Here's our.
Although you can also shoot 40MP images, the 10MP mode is selected by default. As a result, the primary module on the smartphone can easily capture much more light than any of its competitors, making it especially great for photography in low light. Of course, fiddling with the feature does not cause any harm, and it can actually be useful if you know the photography trade.
At an ISO value of , you can capture slight details even in pitch dark scenarios, though with a predictable amount of noise.
You would also need a steady hand, preferably a tripod to master the image. But then again, planting these abilities on a smartphone camera still makes one appreciate the marvels of smartphone innovation.
Speaking of its marvels, the Huawei P30 Pro hosts another in the form of its periscope setup which allows for 5X optical zoom and up to 50X zoom in aggregate. Facilitating 5X zoom typically requires a longer focal length, which is why Huawei is using a right-angle prism which refracts incident light perpendicularly. So, instead of using a standard module in which light travels with the thickness of the smartphone, light travels along the width. OPPO followed a month later with the OPPO Reno series , which is equally adept at zoom — though the final results may vary with a variety of different aspects.
Going forward, we can expect more smartphone makers to employ this technology since Samsung has recently confirmed to have begun mass production of 5X optical zoom camera modules. Just like the primary lens, the telephoto lens also features OIS so that a slight movement of your hand does not throw the subject out of sight or the bounds of the viewfinder , i. The third sensor in the array is delegated for wide-angle photography, enabling you to capture a wide expanse.
The images are actually calibrated to 0. Since both the sensor and the lens are smaller than the other two, the images are destined to struggle in terms of light. Furthermore, this lens does not have OIS, although a zoomed out view reduces the impact of any quivering that the camera may get. In addition to these three sensors, the Huawei P30 Pro also has a Time of Flight sensor to effectively sense the distance of an object and create compelling results while capturing portrait shots. This sensor, just like on the Honor View20, can also be used to play motion-sensing games and perform a variety of AR functions — contactless length, area, or volume measure measurements, for instance — which are available to users in China , Europe, and recently in India.
The Huawei P30 Pro allows you to seamlessly switch between different sensors and use them all for photos and videos, while also letting you alternate between lenses without stopping recordings. To make up for this shortcoming, the company has added a dual view mode to the smartphone which allows using the primary and the zoom lenses side-by-side for a split-screen video recording.
This feature facilitates zooming between 2X and 15X, but I have yet to receive the update which enables it. To enhance your selfies, you can use the auto HDR mode, AI beautification, portrait mode, and a host of filters. The front camera can also be used for AR emoji that track your face to move. As is typical on other Huawei devices, the camera app in the P30 Pro lets you tap on the various options to switch from the main Photo mode to the other available modes. On the left of the Photo mode, there is Portrait, Night, and Aperture mode while on the other side, there is Video and Pro mode along with an assortment of miscellaneous features clubbed under More on the far right.
One slightly frustrating aspect of this camera UI is that, unlike the camera apps from most other manufacturers, one cannot switch between different modes by swiping across the interface. Regardless, Huawei seems to have given ample thought into prioritizing the placement of features based on how often users are likely to use them.
Coming back to the central screen, i. At the top sits a bar with toggle icons for various options. HiVision lets you identify articles for shopping, translate text in real-time, scan QR codes, effortlessly count calories on popular food items, fruits, or vegetables, and lastly, detect objects and tell you what they are. The Identify feature also discerns purchasable items from those that are not, and it then prompts you to buy the ones you can, thereby making it traditionally redundant.
Apart from HiVision, the top bar has toggles for the flash, AI enhancements, color boost, and an icon to open the Settings pane. For quickly switching to different zoom levels, the slider has steps for the wide-angle mode as well as 1X, 5X, and 10X zoom options.
Alternatively, you can also pinch-to-zoom, but the slider reduces zooming to a job that requires a single finger. For me, it also emulates the tactility of a rotating dial on a DSLR. A minor peeve or what I feel is a hiccup is that while you can tap on the zoom steps for the period, doing so when the slider is visible can result in bounces to random figures. Gladly, the slider minimizes after a couple of seconds of being untouched or as soon as you tap elsewhere in the UI.
Further, based on the scene, the AI automatically optimizes the color, although you can turn the feature off. The algorithm also switches to the Super Macro mode on its own when it determines that an object is very close. The Photo mode has the most number of features, evidently being the spotlight feature on the Huawei P30 Pro. Trust me, there are fewer gimmicks than what may seem initially but getting to learn the interface takes some time and effort. Starting with the portrait mode, you do get bokeh shooting capabilities right out the gate, but if you want to improve upon that or play with the texture of the background blur, you can tap on the icon on the bottom left to choose between different modes that add to the background besides emphasizing on the face or object in focus.
My favorite is the Stage lighting effect, obviously inspired by the iPhone X, which completely darkens the background and brings emphasis on the person under attention. Notably, zooming in portrait mode is limited to 3X. Shifting over to the Night Mode, the feature works by analyzing the ambient light and automatically setting a timer for a long-exposure shot. Instead of simply adjusting the time of exposure, the camera app superimposes multiple images taken at different time lengths to create a dynamic and well-lit photograph. The good thing about the Night Mode is that it supports full-blown 50X zoom, but getting the best out of those highly magnified images during night-time requires you to keep the phone stable—preferably on a tripod.
If you want to take things in your own hand instead of letting the algorithm decide it, you can set the shutter speed, the ISO level, or both. Moving to the Aperture mode, this basically allows you to change the depth of field by varying the aperture value, and this helps in creating images that appear to be taken by a DSLR. I believe this is happening only via software since there is no visible movement under the lens.
Just like with Portrait mode, zooming in this mode is limited to 3X with no ability to zoom out to the wide-angle mode.
While Huawei could have merged aperture-related features into portrait mode, the addition of this standalone mode allows pro users to fine-tune results. On the right side of the Photo mode lies Video in which you can zoom up to 15X and select smart filters such as AI color pop, background blur, and color filters such as vintage, suspense, and fresh.
These are also available in other recent Huawei flagships including Mate 20 Pro. The HDR mode is still in this menu and the reason behind that is unclear, although my speculation is that Huawei might not want users to use the HDR mode as often or might want them to rely on Night Mode instead which basically takes dynamic HDR shots.
Overall, the UI seems really expansive but getting comfortable with all the features will take a significant amount of time. On the bright side, the Huawei P30 Pro will keep you engaged as you continue to discover new features every now and then in the slow process of learning. With that wrapped up, we can safely jump to the camera quality of the smartphone. With the quad camera setup, in which each sensor carries individual responsibility, Huawei has designed this smartphone to perform well across a spectrum of features.
Like I said before, the plethora of features can be bewildering, so I will essentially be focusing on the primary highlights of the Huawei P30 Pro. These features include the super powerful zoom, the Ultra Wide mode, the Night Mode, and the portrait mode. The article will also cover areas where features may overlap. The features that the Huawei P30 Pro comes with are very tempting and can sway our attention away from the primary RYYB sensor, which already sets the smartphone apart from other noted devices.
As a result, images turn out to be bright, warm, and saturated.
Besides being rife with colors, images are free from any structural distortion. In terms of colors, while we witness some increase in the temperature of the images over the top, the warmth does not look unnatural or fake. Furthermore, the yellowing also adds a pleasant contrast to darker shades. The effect of the extra bit of yellow light will be visible more in the later sections when the images from the primary sensor are compared with the others.
Even when the Night Mode is not in use, the light visible through the camera is actually more than what most humans are able to see, making it another surprising element of the smartphone. While the amount of details is evidently lower and the noise much higher in conditions with limited light, the Huawei P30 Pro still manages to thrive in retaining details in these images. The brilliant zoom capabilities of the Huawei P30 Pro has, in my experience, been its most compelling feature. Achieving 10x zoom on a smartphone without destroying the resulting image is one of the most satisfying experiences that the smartphone affords.