Macro phone camera

I recently bought a Redmi Note 10 Pro, which has a 'telemacro' camera with a resolution of 5 MP, which can AF between 5-10cm distance. The FoV seems similar to a 60mm lens on a FF body. I wasn't expecting much as most reviews are critical of these mid-range macro cameras. However to my surprise, the results are quite satisfactory, keeping in mind that this is a really small sensor, incapable of HDR. The bokeh has a swirly character, which might put off some. The AF is a bit inconsistent (focus peaking would help, however, the macro camera is not accessible in Pro mode). Colors are slightly washed out in darker situations, though that can be corrected with post-processing. Some samples are attached.

I definitely enjoy it a lot more than the '108 MP' main camera. The main camera offers vastly better IQ, but cannot focus close. Plus, the IQ is not appreciably better than the 12 MP cameras that have been widely used in flagship models in the past ~5 years.

Thanks for sharing the impressive macro images and your thoughts.

I found your thread as I'm looking for a newer phone with NFC, and in my country, the Redmi Note 10 Pro has it. I don't care much about other features, that is apart from the camera. I bought the Redmi Note 7 two years ago and was blown away by its camera! For 180 euros, this phone was quite a steal, and people I meet still think I own a high-end iPhone.

So, as you are obviously acquainted with their former cameras, could you please enlighten me: in your opinion, apart from the macro camera and double the resolution (I guess that's what 108MP implies; I have 48MP, typically extrapolated to 12MP as you wrote), can I expect any improvements from the new camera(s)?

Or anything else that comes to mind?

I looked at charts at GSM Arena (as dpreview doesn't have these phones covered), and since they were taken at different settings, it's hard to tell. If anything, the 10 Pro yellows look a little more dull on my laptop screen. I've noticed that the reds aren't really convincing on my Redmi Note 7; perhaps the reds are improved? The 10 also gave sharper images, but again, the settings weren't identical.

Many thanks!

Lancs wrote:

Thanks for sharing the impressive macro images and your thoughts.

I found your thread as I'm looking for a newer phone with NFC, and in my country, the Redmi Note 10 Pro has it. I don't care much about other features, that is apart from the camera. I bought the Redmi Note 7 two years ago and was blown away by its camera! For 180 euros, this phone was quite a steal, and people I meet still think I own a high-end iPhone.

So, as you are obviously acquainted with their former cameras, could you please enlighten me: in your opinion, apart from the macro camera and double the resolution (I guess that's what 108MP implies; I have 48MP, typically extrapolated to 12MP as you wrote), can I expect any improvements from the new camera(s)?

Or anything else that comes to mind?

I looked at charts at GSM Arena (as dpreview doesn't have these phones covered), and since they were taken at different settings, it's hard to tell. If anything, the 10 Pro yellows look a little more dull on my laptop screen. I've noticed that the reds aren't really convincing on my Redmi Note 7; perhaps the reds are improved? The 10 also gave sharper images, but again, the settings weren't identical.

Many thanks!

The '108MP' main cam is really a case of wasted potential as the images it produces are quite similar to the results from the older 48 MP and 64 MP Sony/Samsung sensors, especially since the sensor and the camera bump are much bigger with this phone. I do not believe it is noticeable. I went from a supposedly much worse camera (original Galaxy A50 with 25MP sensor) to this phone and I cannot tell a difference. For that matter, the Galaxy A50 produced images much pleasing than iphones, in particular when the subject was in the shade.

The redmi note 10 pro camera really dials up the saturation to 11 and I usually reduce the saturation in post as it looks unnatural. Not a big deal for me, might be a deal-breaker for some. It is a good camera, not a step up from any of the flagship cameras we have seen for the past ~3-4 years. I do not shoot videos all that much, so I can't comment on the video quality.

Here are some examples from the main cam.

Notice the blown out reds, the flower was less red in person

I was impressed by the amount of detail preserved in this image. Though, the colors need to be dialled back a bit to stay true to life.

A late thanks.. so Thanks!