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Pixel 6a vs Pixel 3a main camera compare

Started 7 months ago | Discussions
Glen Barrington
Glen Barrington Forum Pro • Posts: 22,535
Pixel 6a vs Pixel 3a main camera compare
1

The view from my back yard. I know, I'm more lucky than I deserve. Both jpgs untouched and straight from camera

Slight difference in over EDIT: Under exposures, not significant. Some, but not significant improvement in DR. HUGE improvement in Noise. Overall sharpness about the same. But oddly, a slightly different angle of view. Huh? same camera but different processor.

3a has more contrast, I think both render fairly good images. I still give an edge to the 6a, mostly because of noise. Still not better than m43s, but either make an excellent camera of convenience.

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Glen Barrington
OP Glen Barrington Forum Pro • Posts: 22,535
Re: Pixel 6a vs Pixel 3a main camera compare
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I want to revise my assessment a bit.  I said that they were similar in overall sharpness.  But that is not true.  I think the 6a is sharper overall, both from better noise control, and DR allowing for more detail to show. The greater contrast of the 3a helps improve the impression of sharpness, but the 6a really does have a better, more editable and usable image.

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mring1 Senior Member • Posts: 1,664
Thanks for the insights...

I'm prbly gonna jump from 3a to 6a in a couple of months myself. We're going to Europe in about two weeks so I need to wait until I get home.

Helpful review form a fellow m4/3s user...Cheers!

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Glen Barrington
OP Glen Barrington Forum Pro • Posts: 22,535
Re: Thanks for the insights...

mring1 wrote:

I'm prbly gonna jump from 3a to 6a in a couple of months myself. We're going to Europe in about two weeks so I need to wait until I get home.

Helpful review form a fellow m4/3s user...Cheers!

You're going to love it.  Contrary to the whining of reviewers, this is an excellent mid-tier phone.  The fingerprint reader is no less reliable than that of the 3a, it doesn't overheat, and the overall fluidity of the screen is superior to that of the 3a.  It provides all the things I had wished the 3a had.  It's like a 3a on steroids.

The complaints are able to be summarized in the statement, "It isn't as powerful as a $1000 (US) phone."  Which seems absurd to me.

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1pixel Forum Member • Posts: 92
Re: Thanks for the insights...

mring1 wrote:

I'm prbly gonna jump from 3a to 6a in a couple of months myself. We're going to Europe in about two weeks so I need to wait until I get home.

Helpful review form a fellow m4/3s user...Cheers!

I am considering replacing my old Nokia phone with Pixel 6a, but will wait for reviews of Pixel 7, which is expected to be available in October, is worth to pay $150 more .  The estimated price of Pixel 7 is $599.

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Rodolfo Contributing Member • Posts: 837
Re: Thanks for the insights...

Pixel camera performance is and has been special, as you illustrate ably and helpfully here. I would have jumped since the 4a, but for lack of an SD card slot, especially, and wireless charging, which the 6a still lacks. I want/require smaller-screen phones like this, and I value this phone-camera capability, but I do need basics -and I didn't even mention an audio jack. My Samsung S10e takes only good-enough shots, but it's a better pocket tool. 7a maybe ;-)? -though i've flirted with a spare (renewed/used/cheap) 4a for the cargo pocket ;-).

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Glen Barrington
OP Glen Barrington Forum Pro • Posts: 22,535
Re: Thanks for the insights...
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Rodolfo wrote:

Pixel camera performance is and has been special, as you illustrate ably and helpfully here. I would have jumped since the 4a, but for lack of an SD card slot, especially, and wireless charging, which the 6a still lacks. I want/require smaller-screen phones like this, and I value this phone-camera capability, but I do need basics -and I didn't even mention an audio jack. My Samsung S10e takes only good-enough shots, but it's a better pocket tool. 7a maybe ;-)? -though i've flirted with a spare (renewed/used/cheap) 4a for the cargo pocket ;-).

Well, I've never had wireless charging on my phones, so I don't miss it.  As far as the audio jack goes, I haven't used one since I got my hearing aids.  Actually, it was before then, since I've been using Bluetooth for everything audio for 5 years, at least.

Yes, I would have liked an SD card slot, but I subscribe to OneDrive, have a grandfathered permanent free 50gb Box.com account, and the usual 15GB Google account.  So storage hasn't been an issue for me.  The 128 GB of onboard storage does leave plenty of room for apps.

The 6a is the same size (well, 1mm longer) as the 3a.

No one phone can be all things to all people, so we all need to know what it is we need/want before we commit. However, for those who want a phone for general, casual use, I do believe it should be considered.

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