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Hasselblad adds X-Pan mode and EVF preview to X1D, plus AF to H lenses on the X system adapter

19 Dec

The X-Pan crop mode with the XCD 30mm F3.5

Hasselblad has released new firmware for its X1D mirrorless medium format camera that brings it as close to a digital X-Pan (you can read Hamish Gill’s writeup of the 35mm X-Pan II here) as we can sensibly hope for. Firmware v1.20 adds a series of crop modes that includes the 65:24 X-Pan ratio, as well as classic 1:1 square and other well-known medium format proportions.

The update also brings the much needed instant image preview mode to the camera’s EVF as well as the ability to review captured pictures via the viewfinder. And now autofocus can be used with certain H system lenses when they are fitted to the X1D via the XH adapter.

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During a recent trip to Hasselblad’s factory I was able to shoot with a camera loaded with the new firmware to try out the new features. I have to say I was disproportionally excited to use the X-Pan crop mode, and once I’d set it I had trouble switching it off because it makes everything look so good.

The camera had been set so the different crops could be cycled through using the front custom button, and with 50 million pixels on hand on the sensor I wasn’t too worried about a heavy crop leaving me with no resolution. Even with the dramatic crop that the X-Pan mode makes we are still left with an image area of 8272×3062 pixels – or 25.3MP.

Only the Raw files show the crop, and the crop isn’t permanent – at can be shifted, altered and undone entirely so the full image can be used.

While we get to see the crop in the viewfinder and on the rear screen of the camera, even the JPEG files are captured as whole 4:3 images. The crop only appears on the Raw files when they are displayed in Hasselblad’s Phocus software – and even the crop can be adjusted, shifted around or switched off.

Of course, you can crop any image you want to 65×24 using any software, but the fun here is in seeing the letter-box in the viewfinder and in the atmosphere composing with this anamorphic-style format creates. The unused area of the viewfinder is blacked out, but users can adjust the density of the mask so the whole scene can be viewed to make composition easier.

The new crop modes:

X-Pan Ratio (65:24),
1:1
7:6
5:4
3:2
16:9
2:1
A4
US Letter

The new preview mode in the viewfinder is nothing special, but shows Hasselblad catching up with a feature offered by every other mirrorless camera. The new option to back-up images from one SD card to the other in slot two is hardly revolutionary either, but very useful all the same.

Ove Bengtsson, Hasselblad product manager, explains that the HC lenses are designed for a phase detection system, but that they can now be used with AF on the X1D

What will be interesting to existing H system users is the ability to use contrast detect AF with certain HC lenses with the XH adapter. Ove Bengtsson, Hasselblad’s product manager, explained that while the AF would be fast enough for a hand-held portrait it won’t be quick enough to shoot sport or action.

‘Our AF system is designed to be accurate rather than quick’ he told me. ‘These are lenses designed for phase detection systems, and we have to move a lot of glass. We don’t use internal focusing systems with small AF groups as these will, at some focus positions, compromise image quality. We often have to move the whole lens construction during focusing, so when working with a contrast-detection system the most difficult thing is to stop the lens after it has passed the peak and bring it back to the correct position. But as I said, image quality is our priority – not AF speed.’

The X1D can now provide contrast detection AF with certain H system lenses when they are mounted via the XH adapter.

To bring AF to the HC series the lens needs its firmware updates as well as the camera. The following lenses will be compatible:

HCD 4/28mm
HC 3,5/35mm
HC 3,5/50 mm
HC 3,5/50 mm II
HC 2,8/80 mm
HC 2,2/100mm

New v1.20.0 firmware for the H6D brings many of the updates that the X1D received, including the crop modes in Live View, dual card back-up and the lens data inserted into image EXIF information. Both cameras also have a new display mode when the spirit level is active that includes basic exposure information instead of just showing a blank screen.
For more information see the Hasselblad website, where you can download the X1D firmware and the H6D firmware.

Press release

HASSELBLAD FIRMWARE UPDATE 1.20 FOR X AND H SYSTEMS

Hasselblad continues to push the development of their systems further with new features in the 1.20 Firmware update.

Hasselblad continues to expand on the capabilities of its highly unique and renowned camera systems with the latest firmware update. The 1.20 Firmware brings exciting new updates and functionality to the X and H Systems that allow photographers and artists help capture their creative vision.

These new features include Instant Preview and Imaging Browsing through the X1D EVF, a beneficial utility that many photographers rely on. Firmware 1.20 also offers creative Selectable Crop Modes including the popular X-Pan Ratio (65:24), 1:1, 7:6, 5:4, 3:2, 16:9, 2:1, A4, US Letter and more.

“Hasselblad is a company that designs and creates tools for photographers. We have released many firmware updates in the past year. It shows our dedication to our customers and that we are listening to their feedback on how to improve.” said Ove Bengtsson, Product Manager.

Hasselblad is pleased to also announce contrast autofocus compatibility using the XH lens adapter with a select group of HC/HCD lenses. A full list of updates for the X and H Systems can be found below along with compatible lenses for the XH lens adapter.

https://www.hasselblad.com/x1d/firmware/
https://www.hasselblad.com/h6d/firmware/

X1D: v1.20.0

Instant preview and image browsing in EVF
Selectable crop modes
Back-up to secondary card
Added EXIF tag: Lens Model
Spirit level overlay: More info added (Exposure time, Aperture value, ISO)
Touchpad: Pan in zoomed-in EVF live view
Touchpad; Move focus point with HDMI attached screen
Contrast auto focus with XH adapter*
*works now with following lenses:
HCD 4/28mm
HC 3,5/35mm
HC 3,5/50 mm
HC 3,5/50 mm II
HC 2,8/80 mm
HC 2,2/100mm

The lenses need to be upgraded to lens firmware version 19.0.2
More info here: https://www.hasselblad.com/x1d/firmware/

H6D: v1.20.0

Selectable crop modes in Live View
Back-up to secondary card
Added EXIF tag: Lens Model
Spirit level overlay: More info added (Exposure time, Aperture value, ISO

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

14 Dec

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Like it or not, 2017 is the year that background-blurring Portrait Modes gained major traction in smartphone photography. Apple and Google both offer improved versions of the mode in their latest devices, making for better-looking results all around. But the two manufacturers take somewhat different approaches to the process, each with different limitations and strengths. Take a look some side-by-side shots to see how they square up, and learn about some of the underlying technologies in the accompanying text.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/60sec 4.459mm ISO 382

Because the Pixel 2 back cameras use both a depth map (stereo) generated from the split pixels as well as ‘segmentation’ (which uses machine learning to identify people / faces vs. background), both subjects in this photo are largely in focus. This is a result one wouldn’t expect from real optics, since the person behind should also be blurred. This doesn’t always happen with the Pixel 2, but sometimes it does if the subjects are close to one another and both identified as people / faces. Sometimes it’s actually desirable, but at other times it can feel unnatural.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/40sec 4.459mm ISO 400

Because of the F1.8 lens and HDR+ noise averaging (with alignment of images), the Pixel 2 can take photos of even slightly moving subjects in low light. Again note the progressive blur here: the back of the baby seat is only slightly blurred as are the switches in the background but the trees against the sky very far away are far more blurred.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/120 6.6mm ISO 80

Here the iPhone’s longer – albeit slower (F2.8 vs. F1.8) – lens renders the background blurrier than the similar Pixel 2 shot. Note the odd dark/light patterns in the out-of-focus highlights though. This is commonly seen in out-of-focus highlights on iPhone shots, but not on the Pixel’s shots.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/209sec 4.459mm ISO 50

The background is a bit less blurred vs. the iPhone shot, probably largely because of the shorter focal length. Note the algorithm has mistook the bike’s steerer tube as part of the background (or foreground). Note the slightly darker centers in the out-of-focus highlights. More on this in the next photo…

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/209sec 4.459mm ISO 50

Lenses in smartphones have complex aspherical elements in them, which can lead to somewhat unpleasant disc-shaped blur that lends itself to things like donut-hole and generally ‘busy’ bokeh. Portrait mode helps mitigate this effect by blurring background and foreground pixels enough that these odd effects are essentially ‘evened out’. But not perfectly: the pixels in the dark rings in the center of each OOF highlight are still replaced by translucent (larger) discs of the same color, meaning there will still be some dark translucent circles in those areas. It’s subtle, since most of the pixels in those OOF highlights are light, not dark, but it’s still there if you look for it (in the previous photo).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/120sec 6.6mm ISO 320

Two things of note in this iPhone shot here: (1) note the patterning within the out-of-focus highlights (it’s not a uniform disc) and (2) the blown highlights on the wood since HDR is shy to activate in Portrait Mode. Often tapping on the bright overexposed portion in your preview will darken the image enough to force the iPhone to turn on its HDR mode, but results can be inconsistent. The Pixel 2 cameras in comparison are always operating in HDR+ mode, even in Portrait mode, and are less prone to this.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 89

Note the far better exposure vs. the iPhone: HDR+ ensured the wood in Portrait mode shot did not blow out.

Also, note the brightest out-of-focus highlight, just to the left of the plant. It does *not* have a darker middle as we saw in the bike shot. This is because in the original shot (next photo), this highlight is completely blown, so the algorithm isn’t starting with the donut-hole disc we saw in the out-of-focus yellow lights in the bike shot. Completely blown out-of-focus highlights will look smooth and uniform – more so than with the iPhone 8.*

*It’s important to keep in mind that since the blurs are largely algorithms, some aspects of the bokeh may be updated simply by software updates. The comments we’re making throughout here are only really applicable for the software versions we shot the images with.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 89

Note the three major out-of-focus highlights just to the left of the plant. The darker ones show donut-hole bokeh but are dim enough that they get completely blurred into surrounding pixels in the Portrait mode shot (previous photo). The blown out-of-focus highlight to the left of them gets blurred to a pleasing uniform disc, without a dark center (which was not the case in the yellow out-of-focus highlights in the bike shot, which had slightly darker centers).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 218

Sometimes, with very close-up objects, we’ve noticed the Pixel 2 cameras do not blur the background much, if at all. Compare this Portrait image to the original image (next photo).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 218

Non blurred version of previous image. It’s not much different. We haven’t noticed this issue with the iPhone.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/120sec 6.6mm ISO 200

The sprouts in the back cause artifacts in this image (see next image for comparison). This can happen with dual camera setups, since the two cameras often see very shifted stereo pairs for close objects. If the two cameras see two different things at what it thinks is the same location in the shot, this can cause artifacts not as easily caused from less separated stereo pairs (although lower separation comes with its share of issues as well).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 127

The Pixel 2 cameras’ stereo pair viewpoints are less than 1mm apart (roughly the diameter of the lens), and appear to have fewer issues with artifacts when shooting close-up objects against farther backgrounds. Since overall stereo disparity in the pair isn’t drastic, there’s less of a chance that the two perspectives see different things at the same image location. Note the sprouts here don’t get blurred oddly as in the iPhone image.

Also note the progressive blur in the bread, with the closer parts of the bread less blurred than the further parts. This is because Google uses the stereo pair of images to generate an actual depth map. The subject in focus shows no stereo disparity, objects progressively behind show more and more disparity while objects in front show more disparity but in the *opposite* direction. This is how the algorithms can generate essentially a ‘heat map’ of further and further behind the subject (or in front) from which it decides how much blur to apply to each pixel.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/60sec 6.6mm ISO 320

The iPhone version of this shot has more blown highlights than the Pixel 2 version, presumably because HDR did not kick on automatically.

Also, there are more depth map errors around the subject’s hair, again possibly because of how close to the camera she is (where the two cameras are likely to see different things at the same image location).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 147

The Pixel 2 version of this shot has far fewer depth map errors around our subject, particularly her hair.

Also, since HDR+ is always active on Pixel 2 cameras, the captured dynamic range is far higher.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/120sec 6.6mm ISO 32

We found the iPhone to struggle a little more with autofocus in backlight and low light, but it did nail focus here for the most part.

Interestingly, the iPhone appears to preserve more of the out-of-focus highlights in the background than the Pixel 2 (next photo).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/867sec 4.459mm ISO 50

The Pixel 2 appeared to struggle less with autofocus than the iPhone 8 Plus, nailing it here.

Of note though is that the Pixel 2 appears to have preserved fewer of the out-of-focus highlights (‘bokeh balls’ as we call them here around the office), or at least dimmed them compared to the more obvious ones in the iPhone shot. We wonder if this has something to do with the HDR+ algorithm, but are purely speculating.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/60sec 6.6mm ISO 250

Often, the iPhone 8 Plus in Portrait Mode would overexpose high contrast scenes, instead of activating HDR mode. HDR seemed reticent to activate in Portrait mode, leading to the blown highlights on faces here.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/120sec 6.6mm ISO 160

Tapping on the blown highlights resets dims the exposure and often forces HDR mode to activate. The Pixel 2 phones don’t have this issue, as they’re always operating in HDR+ mode.

Once exposure is adjusted though, the result is a very well-lit image with nice colors and convincing background blur.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 52

Since the Pixel 2 cameras are always operating in HDR+ mode, blown highlights are well-controlled here resulting in a well-exposed image. Sometimes with very high contrast scenes, though, HDR+ images can start looking a bit ‘crunchy’ (the same thing happens in HDR merging software depending on the ‘radius’ setting).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/120sec 6.6mm ISO 25

Here the iPhone 8 Plus produces a more pleasing result, with fewer depth map artifacts. It also preserves the warm tone of the sunset scene. Auto White Balance was generally stable and produced desirable results across many different shooting scenarios on the iPhone 8 Plus.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/1560sec 4.459mm ISO 86

The Pixel 2 cameras often show rather extreme variation in White Balance from shot to shot. Quite often, it neutralizes color casts too much: for example, here, it should have chosen a white balance closer to Daylight instead of neutralizing the warm sunset tones.

Also, when tones in the background and foreground are very similar, depth map errors can result. Note the errors around the hair of our subject, which might have been hard to distinguish from the dark trees in the background.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/1560sec 4.459mm ISO 61

Another example of depth map errors due to objects possibly appearing to similar to one another. Look at the artifacts around the hair on the right side of our subject and around her sunglasses. Next, look at how these regions might appear similar to one another in a lower resolution depth map by comparing to the un-blurred image (next photo)

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/1560sec 4.459mm ISO 61

You can see the areas of the blurred photo (previous) that contained artifacts are regions where the foreground and background (the hair vs. tree branches; the sunglasses vs. the dark background) might appear indistinguishable as you try and build a lower resolution depth map.

Another possibility is errors in segmentation, the process of identifying the entire foreground subject using machine learning.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 281

For such a complex scene, the Pixel 2 did remarkably well, choosing to blur more than the iPhone in this case (next photo).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/60sec 6.6mm ISO 800

The iPhone also does well, but here keeps more foreground leaves in focus before extremely defocusing the farther background.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 281

Note the progressive blur: objects further in the background are blurred more than objects closer. This is because the depth map is generated from actual stereo measurements of how far an object is from the focus plane.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/60sec 6.6mm ISO 500

Apple quoted with the iPhone 7 that it calculates 9 different layers when making its depth map. It presumably does so by a process of precalibration, where certain stereo disparities from the focus plane correlate with certain distances from it. We wonder if this might be why sometimes the subject looks somewhat cut-out from a far away background, if there aren’t enough objects behind the subject that fall within those 8 layers (or however many Apple is now using) before that 9th (hyperfocal or infinity) one.

Either that or the masking in this photo makes the subject look somewhat cut-out (see around the hair).

It’s impressive though that the arm rest in front of our subject is properly blurred.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 207

The blur in this image looks more natural and progressive to us. The colors leave a bit to be desired though, with somewhat desaturated, greenish skintones.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 159

This looks more natural to us than the ‘cut-out’ look of the iPhone image, interestingly. However, what’s odd is the color tuning, which is different from the front-facing camera (next photo).

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/60sec 6.6mm ISO 400

We can’t help but feel our subject appears more ‘cut out’ against the background here. We wonder if this has something to do with the number of layers of depth mapping, or a suboptimal masking process (around the hair particularly).

Skintones are more pleasing than with the Pixel 2 image, though.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F2.4 1/60sec 3.38mm ISO 149

The front facing camera oddly has a different color tuning than the back camera and, arguably, a bit more pleasing. Skintones are more magenta as opposed to the cool, sometimes greenish skintones with the rear camera.

It’s worth noting the iPhone 8’s front camera cannot do Portrait mode. The Pixel 2’s front camera does not have a dual-pixel sensor on its front camera, so performs this blur simply through a process of segmentation. That’s where machine learning comes in. Google trained a ‘convolutional neural network’ with nearly a million images of people (‘and their hats, sunglasses, and ice cream cones’ according to Principal Engineer Marc Levoy) to learn which pixels belong to people vs. not.

And impressive result, given the lack of a depth map. You won’t get the progressive gradual blur you get with the real camera, but for selfies this is probably ‘good enough’.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/60sec 4.459mm ISO 382

I’ve included this here because I just wouldn’t have expected a smartphone to generate an image like this if you were to ask me just a year or two ago. In low light, dual-pixel AF got focus (it’s a little soft because Portrait mode uses a digital crop, then upscales), and foreground and background blur are both well controlled. Look at the progressive foreground blur on the right side of the plastic food table.

The image remains clean thanks to multi-image averaging, while using 1/60s indoors to ensure at least some sharp shots of even a toddler.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/60sec 6.6mm ISO 1250

The iPhone’s F2.8 aperture in Portrait mode (and smaller sensor), and likely the lack of the 9-frame image averaging HDR+ uses on the Pixel 2 results in many unusable Portrait mode images in low light. Compare this shot to the Pixel 2 one next…

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/60sec 4.459mm ISO 258

The use of a faster aperture (and likely larger sensor even after the digital crop) and 9-frame image averaging of HDR+ generally yields far more pleasing low light portraits on the Pixel 2 than on the iPhone 8 Plus.

HDR+ uses intelligent tile-based image alignment that can keep even moving subjects sharp by selecting appropriate ’tiles’ from the sharper images of the subject within the 9-frame buffer used for a single shot. That’s right, the camera is constantly shooting 9 full-resolution images at a minimum of 60 times a second – which also ensures zero shutter lag.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2
F1.8 1/60sec 4.442mm ISO 213

We’ve found some depth map errors can occur around high contrast edges. Note the dark rails surrounded by light backgrounds can cause problems. Still, this is a heck of a pleasing image of constantly moving toddler… taken indoors on a smartphone.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/3344sec 4.459mm ISO 51

Running toddler. Focused (well enough). Isolated from the background. Taken on a smartphone.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/294sec 6.6mm ISO 20

This is a good example of progressive blur with the iPhone 8 Plus. Note how the grass only a bit behind the subject is less blurred than the grass far behind the subject.

Furthermore, in this scenario, HDR did kick in in Portrait mode quite often, resulting in even exposures.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/5848sec 4.459mm ISO 61

This is another good example of the progressive blur thanks to the depth map on the Pixel 2: while all the grass and the background looked pretty much in focus in the original, the grass nearer to the subject is blurred less than the grass further away.

There are some artifacts around the subject’s hair, but that’s not surprising considering she was running toward me while I was running backward. The Pixel 2’s superior Dual Pixel AF allowed me to get the right moment more easily – it’s often as fast and responsive as a high-end ILC – while the iPhone 8 Plus would often experience a re-focusing lag after pressing the shutter button.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/585sec 6.6mm ISO 20

The extra telephoto reach of the iPhone is useful for further compressing foreground and background (and magnifying the background), which can be useful. The iPhone 8 Plus also tended to render more pleasing blue sky tones, and saturation generally.

And remember, since you’re shooting HEIF, you get extra storage space savings, and the advantages of 10-bit files with support for more colors thanks to the wide gamut P3 capture. Encoding in P3 gives the cameras a wider color palette to work with after Raw capture.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/2342sec 4.459mm ISO 51

Naturally there’s less compression with the Pixel phones due to their wider angle camera used in Portrait mode, but I quite like wide-angle portraiture.

Note the overall lower saturation, and somewhat bland skies. This is up to personal preference, but one thing to note is the Pixel cameras only output sRGB images. This means the color palette with which the camera can ‘draw’ is limited compared to recent iPhones. Google probably chose this method for now because sRGB is a good standard for most people, and Google doesn’t have a key advantage Apple has: a proper ecosystem. Apple is implementing P3 displays in all its devices, from its iPads to its Macbook Pros to its iMacs. That means you’ll actually be able to enjoy those extra colors in those P3 images – if they’re there – across all Apple devices.

The movie industry has already accepted P3 as the new standard (think of it like Adobe RGB but with more saturated reds, yellows and greens, but a little less cyan-green and cyan saturation). The video industry is eventually aiming for an even larger gamut: Rec.2020, which is only a bit smaller than ProPhoto RGB, and it’s great to see Apple pushing the stills industry to adopt it as well.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Sony a7R II
F1.8 1/4000sec 55mm ISO 100

Just for fun, we’ve included this full frame 55/1.8 shot. On a high resolution screen, or viewed at 1:1, the quality is obviously far above what either smartphone can produce. But flip to the next image and view it at an image level. For many people, the Pixel 2’s result is good enough. Especially for a device you have on you at all times that requires just one button press to take a well exposed, focused photo.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/4673sec 4.459mm ISO 62

Compared to the full-frame F1.8 previous shot, for many people this result will be good enough. Especially for a one button-press device you always have on you. Just be careful: don’t pixel peep.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/168sec 6.6mm ISO 20

The iPhone’s result is smudgier with more artifacts around the hair, but the blur and colors are quite pleasing.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/252sec 4.459mm ISO 51

Compared to the iPhone 8 Plus shot of this same scene, the Pixel 2 retains far more detail than the iPhone shot. This is likely due to its HDR+ mode that is always using multi-image averaging, therefore requiring less noise reduction. The iPhone shot (next) in comparison looks like it’s had a lot of noise reduction applied to it, at the cost of detail.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/120sec 6.6mm ISO 160

The smaller aperture on the iPhone combined with the less (or none at all) multi-frame image averaging in Portrait mode than the Pixel 2’s 9 shots means the iPhone 8 Plus uses more noise reduction than the Pixel 2. The result: a far smudgier image under the same (yet bright) conditions with far less detail.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/17sec 4.459mm ISO 413

In low light, HDR+ on the Pixel 2 ensures decent noise levels by aligning and averaging multiple images.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 8 Plus
F2.8 1/60sec 6.6mm ISO 1250

The combination of F2.8 and the requirement of 1/60s to avoid camera shake (no OIS on the telephoto lens), and possibly not as advanced multi-frame noise averaging as the Pixel 2 leaves a lot to be desired in low-light portraits on the iPhone.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone 5c
F2.4 1/20sec 4.12mm ISO 50

This is in here to remind us of how far smartphone cameras have come. Compare this iPhone 5c image to the Pixel 2 image (next)…

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/120sec 4.459mm ISO 215

Indoors, but only what should be blurred is blurred! The subject is sharp and in focus, with a blurred background, thanks to a fast shutter speed, HDR+ multi-image averaging with alignment so not much noise reduction is required, and a proper depth map to gradually blur subjects further from the focus plane.

And having this sort of a camera in your pocket at all times means you can capture fleeting moments like when your daughter doesn’t want you to leave for work.

Imagine what’s to come…

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

iPhone X
F2.4 1/60s ISO 320

We’ll leave you with one final comparison to whet your appetite for our next shootout: the iPhone X vs. Pixel 2. This is an iPhone X shot and it’s immediately obvious that the camera on the X does a better job at ‘cutting around’ hair, people and objects than the 8 Plus. Our best guess as to why is that perhaps it generates a higher resolution depth map, but that’s pure speculation. It’s repeatably better, though, at making heads look less cut out from the background.

Compared to the 8 Plus, OIS and F2.4 (compared to F2.8) on the telephoto lens both help Portrait mode on the X. Compared to the Pixel 2 shot of the same scene (next slide), the out-of-focus highlights are rendered more specular, and the colors are more pleasing.

Portrait mode shootout: iPhone 8 Plus vs Google Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL
F1.8 1/60sec ISO 233

The Google Pixel 2 XL shot of the same scene results in a far more candid portrait. Not only is the image sharper with more detail than the similar iPhone X shot, it’s closer to the shot I wanted. I was able to capture this fleeting hug instantaneously due to the fast autofocus. The previous iPhone X shot looks more posed and less candid because inside the Apple Store here, lighting was dim enough that the iPhone X was often slower at acquiring focus.

To our knowledge, Apple’s ‘Dual PDAF’ technology only dedicates roughly ~4% of its sensor’s pixels to AF. The Pixel 2’s Dual Pixel AF technology uses most of its sensor for AF, pixel binning to read out a low resolution, but also low noise, set of ‘left-looking’ vs ‘right-looking’ images. The 9-frame HDR+ buffer also helps reduce the noise for these sets of images, making autofocus in challenging situations vastly superior to any other smartphone we’ve tested.

The colors, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired, with greenish skintones. The out-of-focus highlights are also not as specular as the iPhone’s result.

Stay tuned for an in-depth shootout of the Pixel 2 vs. the iPhone X…

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Mevo Plus is a pro-tier livestreaming 4K camera for Vimeo Live

02 Nov

Following the finalization of its Livestream acquisition earlier this month, Vimeo has announced a new camera for Vimeo Live called Mevo Plus. This hardware joins the original Mevo camera and is compatible with Vimeo Live, the company’s livestreaming platform. The original Mevo camera will be phased out, according to Venture Beat, as the improved Mevo Plus becomes the main camera product for Vimeo Live.

Vimeo Live was announced in late September as a livestreaming platform, “specifically meant to address the needs of professional event creators.” Now, those same professional event creators have a dedicated camera that is integrated with this service, although the Mevo Plus also works with Periscope, Livestream, Facebook Live, Twitter, and YouTube.

Mevo Plus features a 150 f/2.8 glass lens, 12.4MP Sony 4K sensor with a 3840 x 2160 capture resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, and 30fps frame rate. Video content can be recorded to the device or can be streamed using Ethernet, WiFi, and LTE. Other features include a six-axis motion sensor, forward-facing speaker, magnetic base, 150-degree FOV, and a built-in battery able to power the camera for up to an hour. The full list of tech specs are available here.

Mevo Plus is priced at $ 500, and the original Mevo model is now discounted to $ 300 as the remaining inventory is sold off.

In addition to offering Mevo Plus by itself, the company is also offering a Mevo Plus Pro Bundle for $ 800, a $ 100 discount over the bundle’s regular price. The bundle includes the Mevo stand, case, Mevo Boost accessory device, and a tripod. Click here to find out more or order one for yourself.

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Detu launches F4 Plus professional grade 360-degree 8K VR cam

19 Oct

Chinese manufacturer Detu has launched the F4 Plus: a professional grade 8K panoramic VR camera that can capture 360° stills, videos and broadcast livestream footage at a whopping 8K resolution. In other words, at 7680 x 3840 pixels.

Image data is captured using four 200° fisheye lenses coupled to 12MP Sony IMX117 1/2.3″ CMOS sensors. For livestreaming, the camera be connected to a computer via Ethernet cable, and wireless livestreaming to YouTube, Facebook and other 360° enabled platforms is possible via 2.4G and 5G dual frequency Wi-Fi.

The images recorded by the individual cameras are stitched together in-camera and Detu says its optical flow algorithm is suitable for dynamic stitching in case you’re capturing scenes with a lot of motion.

The camera comes with a copper and aluminum frame and an air duct cooling system for efficient heat dissipation during livestreaming. The 4800mAh lithium-ion removable battery allows for up to 120 minutes of continuous shooting and a microSD slot supports cards up to a capacity of 128GB. Audio is recorded via two built-in microphones. Finally, the camera can be controlled, and footage edited and shared, via dedicated iOS and Android apps.

The F4 Plus camera’s professional target clientele is reflected in its hefty $ 2,600 price, but the camera promises to deliver a lot of bang for that buck. For more information or if you’d like to see sample images captured with the F4 Plus, head over to the Detu website.

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HDR is enabled by default on the iPhone 8 Plus, and that’s a really good thing

15 Oct

Capturing HDR (high dynamic range) photos using an iPhone or iPad camera isn’t a new feature, but using it in the iPhone 8 Plus is the first time I’ve been wowed by it.

HDR images are balanced and realistic, to the point where you may not even think about whether a photo is HDR or not. In fact, in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple is so confident in the results that HDR is an automatic setting. When I mentioned to a friend that I was testing the HDR feature, he visibly winced, but there’s no need: Apple’s implementation shows that the term “HDR” doesn’t have to be associated with the garish, hyperreal look of a lot of HDR imagery. They’re often just darn good photos.

HDR Auto by default

On iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and earlier models, even under iOS 11, the HDR mode can be manually turned on, off, or set to Auto in the capture interface. On those devices, Auto means the camera decides whether HDR should kick in to improve a photo when capturing scenes under low light or with a lot of tonal contrast (such as a bright sky and dark foreground). A small yellow “HDR” icon appears at the top of the screen when it’s active.

Capturing the HDR photo saves two images: the original metered image and a single HDR version that is a blend of three exposures (regular, light, and dark, which are recorded and combined in-camera, not saved as individual images). You can opt to hold onto that original by going to Settings > Camera > HDR (High Dynamic Range) and choosing Keep Normal Photo.

For the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus (and the forthcoming iPhone X), however, auto HDR is enabled by default. And it’s not exactly the same HDR effect used by previous devices. The 8 and 8 Plus include an image sensor with larger pixels and improved silicon – a new ISP (image signal processor) and more powerful A11 Bionic main processor. Together they add more processing oomph, resulting in more dramatic HDR effects – without taking it too far.

I tested using an iPhone 8 Plus, but the feature applies to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, as well.

HDR in the Real World

Taking the iPhone 8 Plus outside on a sunny day provided dramatic results. In fact, it may subtly alter the way you take photos with the iPhone. Bright areas, such as clouds in the sky, appeared blown out while framing the shot. Typically, the way to compensate for that would be to reduce the exposure before you take the photo (tap the screen to set the focus and exposure, and then drag the brightness indicator down to darken the scene). However, in the captured photo, the HDR feature restored detail in the clouds and often presented blue skies where they weren’t visible in the preview.

Preview image

Final image

If you’re shooting with Live Photos turned on (which records a few seconds of video around the still image), when you review your images in the Photos app, the “before” image briefly appears before cross-dissolving into the final HDR image.

Comparing iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 7 Plus

Capturing the same scene with an iPhone 8 Plus and an iPhone 7 Plus reveals general improvement in the new model. Although both cameras’ HDR did a good job dealing with overexposed clouds, the iPhone 8 Plus tended to offer more graduated tones. Overall, it also did a better job of filling in shadows; the iPhone 7 Plus pulled more toward reducing exposure throughout to compensate for the brightness.

HDR photo with iPhone 7 Plus

HDR photo with iPhone 8 Plus

That adjustment is welcome when photographing people. Often you don’t want to turn on HDR for portraits, because the effect exaggerates the contrast in facial features. But if Auto HDR is always available, you won’t have that control (unless you turn off Auto HDR in the Camera settings). Since the iPhone 8 Plus is also lifting the shadows, the effect isn’t as pronounced.


iPhone 7 Plus	iPhone 8 Plus

Sometimes, Auto HDR didn’t engage under conditions when I expected it would, and still produced good results. When photographing in low-light, the iPhone 8 Plus turns first to increasing ISO and other software processing to create a usable image.

iPhone 8 Plus telephoto lens, no HDR

iPhone 8 Plus wide angle lens, no HDR

Conclusion

Making HDR a transparently automatic feature on the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X is a smart move on Apple’s part. Intelligent HDR application was one of the things that made the Google Pixel’s camera so good, so it seems wise for Apple to follow suit. Although Auto HDR can be turned off in the Camera settings, letting you choose when to activate HDR mode, in my testing I found little reason to do so.

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iPhone 8 Plus sample gallery

14 Oct

It’s not exactly a revolutionary device, but the iPhone 8 Plus does promise some evolutionary updates in the camera department. Apple claims that low light image quality is improved, thanks to a new image signal processor, and Portrait Mode gets an interesting update in the addition of a beta Portrait Lighting feature. DPReview contributor Jeff Carlson has been putting the 8 Plus to the test in some everyday shooting situations – take a look at how it fared.

See our iPhone 8 Plus sample gallery

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DxOMark: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 ties iPhone 8 Plus as best ever smartphone camera

07 Oct

News that Apple’s new iPhone 8 Plus had suddenly taken the top spot on DxOMark’s smartphone camera rankings was met with the expected range of praise and critique—everything from “of course, iPhone’s are awesome cameras” to “how much did Apple pay DxOMark for this result!?” But it turns out the iPhone 8 Plus’ ranking as the best smartphone camera DxOMark had ever tested didn’t last very long.

As of today, the iPhone 8 Plus has been tied by the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which significantly bested its Photo score and only tied the iPhone 8 Plus overall because Apple’s smartphone does so much better in the video category.

The full breakdown of the results can be found on DxOMark, but this comparison between the two phones’ scores speaks volumes:

The Photo categories where the Note 8 really outperformed the iPhone include Autofocus (94 vs 74) and Zoom, where the Note 8 got a score of 66 to the iPhone’s 51. DxOMark’s conclusion is appropriately praiseworthy:

When all the tests are verified, the scores calculated, and the perceptual analyses discussed, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 comes out as an outstanding choice for the smartphone photography enthusiast, matching the top overall score of 94 points of the iPhone 8 Plus. Dual-cam setups offering a second telephoto zoom for portraits are a real step forward for high-end smartphone photography, and the implementation on the Note 8 is exceptional, making it the best smartphone for zoom shots we’ve tested.

Read DxO’s full thoughts and see all of their sample and test photos at this link. And if you’re an Android user in need of some serious photography power from you smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8 should definitely make it to the top of your list.

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Video: 4K cinematic footage captured with Apple’s new iPhone 8 Plus

28 Sep

Filmmaker Matteo Bertoli—who you may remember from his very popular iPhone 7 Plus cinematic video—recently got an iPhone 8 Plus to test out. And so he put on his walking shoes and spent some time shooting with the new phone all over the Los Angeles area.

The result is the 2:40 video above, all of it captured in 4K, all of it captured with the iPhone 8 Plus in either 24p, 48p or 60p, and most of it shot handheld with the exception of a few slider shots. All of the footage was captured using the Filmic Pro app (which allows Bertoli to shoot in Log, although it gave him some trouble with iOS 11), and then edited using DaVinci Resolve 14.

The results didn’t disappoint.

“I was super impressed by the colors this iPhone is able to pull out,” writes Bertoli in the video description. “Dynamic range is also very impressive and finally the second camera was improved at a point where you can actually use it for video. Bummer it doesn’t have OIS like the iPhone X.”

This video is one of the first well-rounded examples of 4K cinematic footage we’ve seen from the new phone, so if you’re curious what Apple’s latest smartphone can do with video, definitely give Bertoli’s creation a watch. Now we just have to wait for a few iPhone X models to make their way into the wild…

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The iPhone 8 Plus is the best smartphone camera DxOMark has ever tested

23 Sep

Photo: Apple

Apple fans who were hopeful the iPhone 8/Plus would represent a big step up in camera quality over the already-respectable iPhone 7/Plus have something to celebrate. DxOMark just released the results of its iPhone 8 and 8 Plus tests, and the new Apple smartphones represents a significant improvement over the previous versions.

In fact, the iPhone 8 Plus is now the best smartphone camera DxOMark has ever tested, and the iPhone 8 comes in a close second, pushing the Google Pixel down from the top stop into the #3 position.

You can read full iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus reviews by clicking on the respective links, but the conclusion from DxOMark’s review of the Plus just about tells you all you need to know:

Overall, the Apple iPhone 8 Plus is an excellent choice for the needs of nearly every smartphone photographer. It features outstanding image quality, zoom for those needing to get closer to their subjects, and an industry-leading Portrait mode for artistic efforts. It is at the top of our scoring charts in nearly every category — and in particular, its advanced software allows it to do an amazing job of capturing high-dynamic range scenes and images in which it can recognize faces.

‘Nuff said? Now we wait to see how much better (or not) the iPhone X is… and what Google’s response will be when the company reveals its new smartphone on October 4th.

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Apple iPhone 8 Plus offers dual stabilized dual-cam, iPhone X goes edge-to-edge

13 Sep

At its event in the brand new Steve Jobs Theater, Apple has today unveiled its latest iPhone models, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Despite the direct step from the iPhone 7 to the 8 model number, rather than 7s, the new models look at first sight like fairly incremental upgrades.

The design is very similar to the iPhone 7 series but the phones now come with glass at front and back. The Retina displays still offer 4.7″ and 5.5″ diagonals and a wide color gamut. True Tone technology, which adjusts the temperature of the display in different surroundings, is also on board.

Both phones are powered by the new A11 Bionic six-core CPU which includes two high-performance cores, which are 25 percent faster than the current A10. The chip also comes with a new image signal processor (ISP) which, Apple says, helps improve low-light performance of the camera using multi-band noise reduction.

Other camera specs looks similar to the previous models. The iPhone 8 camera comes with a 12MP sensor that, according to Apple, captures 83 percent more light and is more power efficient than the predecessors. As before, there are a F1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization.

The 8 Plus main cameras is the same as on the iPhone 8 but there’s a secondary 12MP cameras for zooming and depth effects that comes with a F2.8 aperture. In video mode both devices can now record slow-motion footage at 1080p and 240 frames per second. Portrait mode gets an upgrade too, with a new beta Portrait Lighting mode to imitate various lighting effects.

The iPhone 8 models are also the first iPhones to come with the Qi wireless charging standard. Storage options range from 64 to 256GB and pre-order for both models starts on September 15th. Shipping is envisaged for September 22nd. The iPhone 8 will start at $ 699, for the Plus model you’ll have to invest at least $ 100 more.

The iPhone 8 models were not the only new smartphone at Apple’s event, though. The company also had a “one more thing” announcement in the shape of the much rumored iPhone X. The X comes with a new design that incorporates a 5.8″ edge-to-edge 2436 x 1125 pixel HDR OLED display, a first for Apple.

Like on the 8 models there is glass on front and back of the water and dust proof body which also does away with Apple’s characteristic home button.

Instead there is now Face ID: the device uses a range of sensors at the front, including the 7MP front cam, in combination with neural networking algorithms for face recognition and unlocking the phone. In dark surroundings your face will be illuminated by a front LED for this purpose.

The rear camera is an improvement over the iPhone 8 Plus. The 12MP dual-cam comes with “larger and faster sensors”, F1.8 and F2.4 apertures and optical image stabilization on both lenses which should particularly improve image quality of the tele lens in low light.

The iPhone X will be available in 64 and 256GB versions and set you back at least $ 999. It will be available on November 3rd. As usual, we’ll have to wait a few days until the full device specs trickle through but let us know in the comments what you think about the latest iPhone camera configurations so far.

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