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Correct me if I'm wrong on P30/Pro cameras...

Started Aug 13, 2021 | Questions
tinpanalley Junior Member • Posts: 30
Correct me if I'm wrong on P30/Pro cameras...

(For Canadian/North American variants)

I've been doing tons of research on how the camera on these work and why they're so praised...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like the night vision and HDR and other "less natural" effects are where this camera really beats out the competition, but that in regular shots at night and in low light you either get weird tones or lack of sharpness and certain other cameras do just as well but just dont have the crazy zoom and night vision. For someone like me that uses no effects or zoom and shoots as natural as possible, the amazing camera specs on the P30 and P30 Pro arent really something I'll benefit from. Am I right?

Add-on question, somebody recommended a OnePlus 7T for my more natural less effects based photography. Is that worth looking at?

Thank you for any input!!

ANSWER:
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Bruce Clarke
Bruce Clarke Senior Member • Posts: 2,690
Re: Correct me if I'm wrong on P30/Pro cameras...

tinpanalley wrote:

(For Canadian/North American variants)

I've been doing tons of research on how the camera on these work and why they're so praised...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like the night vision and HDR and other "less natural" effects are where this camera really beats out the competition, but that in regular shots at night and in low light you either get weird tones or lack of sharpness and certain other cameras do just as well but just dont have the crazy zoom and night vision. For someone like me that uses no effects or zoom and shoots as natural as possible, the amazing camera specs on the P30 and P30 Pro arent really something I'll benefit from. Am I right?

Add-on question, somebody recommended a OnePlus 7T for my more natural less effects based photography. Is that worth looking at?

Thank you for any input!!

I've had the P30 since it came out (got a free Sonos One for the pre-order). I'm constantly amazed by the results. It has great cameras, but it's mostly very clever software. The results have improved steadily with upgrades too. You don't have full control turning AI on or off, it will sometimes do an HDR burst and merge whether requested or not, but only when it is really needed. The wide camera seems to have improved the most since it came out, though it falls apart at the edges in low light with the slower aperture, and no RYYB sensor. I rarely use night mode, as it tends to be over bright.

I'm after natural-looking processing, and in normal modes, it usually delivers very well. I don't bother with Raws, as the clever processing is done on the JPGs with sub-sampling, burst merges etc. You get the odd fail, with random blurred bits, so in tricky light, worth shooting a couple. For routine shots that I'm not going to edit, I often use the P30 JPGs in preference to my Oly E-M1s, as they give a better result if not needed large. The Oly Raws are still far better if editing is justified.

I got the P30 rather than the Pro, as I hate curved screens, and the  smaller display has the same 1080 width, so higher 422ppi. The apertures are a tad faster on the Pro, and the main camera stabilised. For real world use, I think the 3x tele is more useful than the 5x on the Pro. I nearly always only use the cameras at their actual focal length, occasionally trying 2x on the main camera.

I think they are still a good buy, being the last Huawei phones with Google services. There have been new editions which shows they still sell.

 Bruce Clarke's gear list:Bruce Clarke's gear list
Olympus E-M1 Olympus E-M1 II Olympus E-M1 III Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm 1:2.8-4.0 SWD Olympus Zuiko Digital 1.4x Teleconverter EC-14 +7 more
DaSonyGuy Forum Pro • Posts: 12,386
Re: Correct me if I'm wrong on P30/Pro cameras...

tinpanalley wrote:

(For Canadian/North American variants)

I've been doing tons of research on how the camera on these work and why they're so praised...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like the night vision and HDR and other "less natural" effects are where this camera really beats out the competition, but that in regular shots at night and in low light you either get weird tones or lack of sharpness and certain other cameras do just as well but just dont have the crazy zoom and night vision. For someone like me that uses no effects or zoom and shoots as natural as possible, the amazing camera specs on the P30 and P30 Pro arent really something I'll benefit from. Am I right?

Add-on question, somebody recommended a OnePlus 7T for my more natural less effects based photography. Is that worth looking at?

Thank you for any input!!

I have a P30 Pro and it's the best camera phone I have has so far. The night shot feature is amazing...It's gives sharp and noise free images at night with natural colours, but you do have to have some ambient light present...It doesn't work in pitch blackness!

Here is one I took at night in London using night shot:

https://flic.kr/p/2kvWEzk

 DaSonyGuy's gear list:DaSonyGuy's gear list
Sony a7C Samyang AF 35mm F2.8 FE Samyang AF 18mm F2.8 FE Sony FE 28-60mm F4-5.6 Samyang AF 24mm F1.8 FE +10 more
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